How do you pass on DE Chris Canty??

[skinsfanthru&thru]

all the teams have legitimate concerns about him recovering from his leg surgery but when healthy this guy has the size, speed, strength, and intelligence to be a consistent playmaker not only against the run but against the passing game as well. I know I personally don't hear to often about a d-lineman making 86 tackles as a sophomore, 104 tackles as a junior, and he had 30 tackles in only 3 and 1/2 games this past year. and at 6'7 and 286, he has a frame that could still have some muscle added to without losing much speed.

[PSUskinsfan11]

I like Canty alot and wish we got him but he is injury prone and more of a DE in a 3-4

[joecrisp]

Originally Posted by PSUskinsfan11

I like Canty alot and wish we got him but he is injury prone and more of a DE in a 3-4

Canty's injury history is certainly a concern, but he's young, and his prospects of making a relatively quick and full recovery from the knee injury are definitely helped by his youth.

As far as projecting him as a DE in the 3-4, you could probably say the same thing about the Redskins' starters at DE in Gregg Williams' 4-3 defense. Both Renaldo Wynn and Phillip Daniels are big run-stoppers that could play DE OR DT in a 4-3, or DE in a 3-4. Of course, that being the case, the Redskins probably needed to go in the direction of acquiring faster, more athletic rush ends who can get to the quarterback. But I thought, even with his injury, Canty would have been a great value where the Redskins could have had him at pick #120, in the fourth round. It was a golden opportunity to address the poor depth at DE with a potential star who could replace one of the aging, veteran starters in the next year or two.

When you consider Daniels' injury problems last year, combined with the limited contributions that the defensive line provided last season, it's rather astounding that the Redskins refused, once again, to address the defensive end position. In the past ten years, the Redskins have selected only four defensive ends in the draft. It's been eight years since the Redskins selected a defensive end in the first six rounds of the draft (Kenard Lang was selected #17 overall in the '97 draft), and they've selected only two other DEs in the top four rounds since '92. It's no wonder the Redskins' defensive lines have struggled to mount any consistent pressure on the QB since Gibbs' first tenure.