Miller's Mailbag: Who Is the Best Pass-Rusher in the 2012 NFL Draft?

With just shy of 8,250 followers on Twitter, inevitably there are great questions asked that there simply isn't enough time or character-space to answer. With that in mind, a mailbag has been created. 

Each week the best five or 10 questions submitted through Twitter, with the hashtag #MillerMailbag, will get answered here. Feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments and head to Twitter for more NFL draft analysis and random musings.

LaMichael James' draft stock isn't as high as his college productivity. There's no arguing his ability in space, but to be a high draft pick a running back must be more versatile, and generally show the ability to play on all three downs.

James currently sits at No. 85 overall on my board, placing his stock in the middle of the third round. The biggest concerns I have with James are a lingering issue with his elbow, fumble problems and then of course, a lack of size and strength to be a featured running back. 

This is a great question, and hopefully more people will ask about the scouting process. 

When looking at a running back I prefer to find a player who can be a featured back. Think LaDainian Tomlinson, who never left the field for the San Diego Chargers. If a team can find someone who excels in all three phases (run, catch, block), that player becomes an elite prospect.

It's rare to find all three traits in a college running back, although Trent Richardson from Alabama in this year's class has them, which is when as a scout we look for individual traits. On my personal board of importance, patience and vision are weighed more heavily than things like speed, hands or blocking. Like you said, if a player is willing, you can teach him to block. Having soft hands is something you can't teach as well, though. This is certainly a trait players need to show some ability at during film evaluation.

It is very easy to get caught up in the hype and excitement of the Senior Bowl and scouting combine, but they are only smaller parts of the puzzle when truly evaluating a player.

Nothing compares to in-season film study and player evaluation in person. This makes up the bulk of my grade on a player. The Senior Bowl is then used to refine my notes and go back and make adjustments if I see something on the field in practices that doesn't mesh with what game film showed. A good example was Joe Adams, who looked much stronger off the line in this year's Senior Bowl. I will be re-evaluating Adams with my Senior Bowl notes in-hand to see which is more accurate.

The scouting combine, in my system, is used only as a tie-breaker. For instance, Alshon Jeffery and Justin Blackmon are neck-and-neck on my big board. I will use the combine to make a final decision on which player ranks first among wide receivers based on their 40-time, the interviews we conduct there and the myriad of other tests they are put through.

The 2012 class of pass-rushers is deep, but largely based on potential. I will go out on a limb and say Nick Perry from USC. He's the most athletic of the group and has the best burst off the edge. Of course, this is also the one position that has the highest "bust potential" in this year's group. There is no safe pick at defensive end—which is in line with how most year's drafts shake out.

As of today, Luke Kuechly ranks as the No. 65 player overall on my board. Intangibles are great, but they rarely win football games alone. 

The issue with Kuechly is the large majority of his tackles come several yards downfield. He does boast incredible tackle numbers, but a closer look and most of these are not quality tackles. The Boston College defense was far from great, and he will have better protection from defensive tackles in the NFL, but his false steps led him away from the ball on his first read too many times for me to trust him as a first or second-round draft pick.

You can read my full Luke Kuechly scouting report here.

I should warn that I am a big fan of Chris Polk. 

Polk has the power, vision and patience to be an elite running back in the NFL. Think Arian Foster, but without the injury question marks coming out of college. Polk is an NFL runner who can work between the tackles and even flex out at wide receiver when needed (something he did at Washington).

The biggest question mark surrounding Polk is his perceived lack of speed. He was on my podcast this week and discussed that with us. He makes a bold prediction to lead off the show. Listen in here.

 

With Chuck Pagano at head coach and Greg Manusky running the defense, it does seem the Indianapolis Colts will begin making a full transition to the 3-4 defense. That doesn't mean they have to draft for it, though.

Like you mention, the first step is drafting Andrew Luck. In rounds two through seven the Colts should ignore positions and simply draft the highest ranked player on their board. A team so devoid of talent cannot afford to reach to fill needs. A one-year turnaround is a very slim possibility, so it makes more sense for the front office to load up the roster with as many talented players as possible to create competition and build up the team from the ground.

Thanks for the great questions this week. Send in any questions you have on Twitter and leave your thoughts on the questions and answers in the comments.

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