Vernon Gholston DE, Ohio State

[Dirtbag59]

I think this guy is going to compete for Defensie Rookie of the Year with Long and Rivers. He had a great combine, but in my opinion those test are diluted with guys that get coached in the 40. What impresses me is that he was one of only two guys to get a sack on Jake Long.

I would like to see them drafted in the same divison. Probably make for a heck of a battle twice a year.

However unless Gholston gets caught with an assault rifle and a kilo of blow, there is no chance that he falls out of the top 10.

[Dirtbag59]

Vernon Gholston
DE | (6'3", 255, 4.65) | OHIO STATE

Scouts Grade: 96View by: Player | NCAA School | Position | NFL Team | Flag | All Ranked Players | NFL Draft History You are signed into Insider and have access to the exclusive draft content below.
Strengths: Has the physical tools to develop into an every-down impact defender in the NFL. Possesses adequate height and bulk, but few prospects have a better physique. Very little body fat. Powerfully built with explosive strength for his size. Displays very good initial burst  not elite level of Dwight Freeney (Colts), but only a notch below. Uses a wide array of pass rush moves. Can beat OT's with speed, power and fluid double moves. He's the only defender in past two years (from what we saw on film) to give Michigan OT Jake Long problems. He is strong enough to take on some blockers and anchor versus the run. Plays with good discipline. Seals off the end versus the run and will take on bigger blockers when asked to. He does an adequate job of protecting his legs as he works across the line on runs away from him. Hard worker off-the-field and obviously puts in more than fair share of time in the weight room.

Weaknesses: Flashes upper-echelon skills but he's not consistent enough. Is strong but lacks ideal height/bulk to consistently anchor at the line versus bigger blockers. Would need to add some bulk in order to hold up as a fulltime end in a four-man front in the NFL. Still raw dropping into coverage and will need time to develop that aspect of his game  assuming he's used to some degree as a hybrid end-linebacker type. Played in a heavy rotation at Ohio State, which kept him fresh  a luxury he is not likely to have as a high picks in the NFL.

Overall: Gholston played sparingly in six games as a freshman in 2004 and was redshirted in 2005 after breaking his hand in the season opener. He emerged as a force a year later and didn't miss a start in his last two seasons. In 2006, he finished with 8.5 sacks, 49 tackles and an interception. Last year Gholston set single-season (14) and single-game (four) school sack records on his way to being named a second-team All-America selection. He returned a fumble for a touchdown and posted 15.5 tackles for loss (for a career total of 30.5). It can get frustrating studying Gholston on film because he's inconsistent. There are times when he is flat-out dominant and there are other times that he will disappear. However, most of his best games came in the Buckeyes' biggest games (notched & combined sacks in last two outings versus rival Michigan). Gholston has the potential to play wide-end in a four-man front and/or rush-linebacker in a 3-4 alignment. He is one of the top pass rushers in this year's class, so he should come off the board in the top-20 picks. But his inconsistency and lack of elite burst scares us for that kind of price tag.

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