| Much of the talk leading up to the NFL draft is about
quarterbacks. Does Tim Couch have the arm strength? Is Akili Smith the real deal or a
one-year flash in the pan? Can Donovan McNabb run a pro-style offense? Can Daunte
Culpepper read a pro-style defense? But many people seem to be ignoring a guy who I
think can be one of the top two players to come out of the ’99 draft — Jevon
Kearse.
A lot of scouts and draftniks are scared of Kearse, because he’s a square peg who
doesn’t fit in the round hole of the 4-3 defense that is the prevailing trend in the
NFL these days. As a result, Kearse appears to be slipping just a bit on many draft
boards. It now would not be a shock if the Florida star fell out of the top 10.
I believe that all those teams too scared to take Kearse will end up wishing they had
been a little more courageous before too long. Kearse is a special player who will make a
big splash in the NFL.
It’s true that, at just under 6-5, 260 pounds, Kearse is a little too big to be a
traditional linebacker and not big enough (at least right now) to play defensive end.
But I believe Kearse, along with Champ Bailey, will have the most impact of any player
in this year’s draft class. True pass rushers are born, not made, and Kearse was born
to rush the quarterback. That natural ability is something every NFL team should keep in
mind. There are very few pure pass rushers in the league today, very few corner rushers
whom opposing teams have to double- or even triple-team. Kearse can be one of those guys,
a true game changer.
The thing that’s scaring so many clubs is that a team may have to change its
system to fully exploit Kearse’s talents. He’s not the type of player who can
simply be plugged into any old scheme.
Such logic seems extremely faulty to me. You don’t decide not to pick a
tremendously talented player because he doesn’t fit. You find a way to make him fit.
The main difference I see between Kearse and other highly rated tweeners who have
disappointed in the pros, such as Mike Mamula or John Thierry, is that Kearse is good
enough to build a defensive scheme around.
A coach’s job is to produce a system that allows his players to perform at an
optimal level. That’s what the Chargers have done with Junior Seau. Defensive
coordinator Joe Pascale and his staff know that Seau is at his best when he can take
calculated gambles and fly to the ball, so they’ve designed a scheme that allows Seau
to guess without leaving gaping holes in the defense.
That’s the kind of thing coaches are paid to do. If a creative coach gets a hold
of Kearse, he could become a nearly unstoppable force in the near future. Kearse is a
freakish athlete who can blitz off the corner and drop into coverage. His hands are the
size of radial tires.
In PFW’s 1999 Draft Preview book, Joel Buchsbaum writes that
Kearse’s upside could put him on the Lawrence Taylor level if it all comes together.
That’s massive potential that teams can’t ignore.
There are also questions about Kearse’s instincts, and those need to be considered
carefully. But the visions of an unleashed Kearse rampaging through a backfield can’t
be ignored.
So, NFL types, here’s my advice: Take Kearse. Build a system around him. Clear
space in your trophy case for some NFL sack titles and maybe even a Defensive Player of
the Year award. The guy is a special talent who is too good to pass up. |
