Dallas Cowboys 2012 Draft: Michigan State DT Jerel Worthy an Option in 2nd Round
I absolutely love Jerel Worthy, ranking him No. 3 in my 2012 Defensive Tackle Rankings. After watching him in even greater detail, there’s a good chance I’m going to move him to No. 2, ahead of Devon Still.
I doubt there’s another board in the world that has Brandon Thompson and Worthy as the top two defensive tackles, so I am probably wildly off. Nonetheless, that is what I see. I urge you to compare my scouting reports and watch tape on all of the defensive tackles I have assessed this offseason, listed below.
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Now, head over to the New York Times to compare those players to today’s feature, Worthy. Here’s a preview of that post:
"Jerel Worthy has the best snap anticipation of any defensive lineman I have reviewed this year. He times the snap count and uses his quickness to get into the backfield faster than any tackle in this class. I’m really not sure how he does it on such a consistent basis. As you might expect, Worthy jumps offside more than average, but so do some of the top pass-rushers in the N.F.L.
To see examples of Worthy’s quickness, watch him get off the line at the 36-second and 2:50 marks against Georgia below, as well as at the 51-second clip in the second video against Ohio State. Perhaps the king of all such plays comes at the 2:07 mark against Ohio State, when Worthy jumps the snap, knifes his way into the backfield and tackles the quarterback before he can hand off. I watched five full games of Worthy’s, and I saw multiple plays like this in each of them. He’s a play-making defensive tackle who is going to be a terror as an inside pass-rusher at the next level.
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For the Cowboys, Worthy’s fit is speculative. While most consider the prospect a better fit as a three-technique, I believe he can play the five. He will be a top 15 player on my board. A player with such talent, athleticism, upside and versatility can be molded into a five-technique.
Plus, at 310 pounds, he could play some nose tackle. He’s not your prototypical space-eating nose, but hey, neither is Jay Ratliff. The two could rotate along the defensive line.
Worthy could be selected near the end of the first round, but if he falls into the second then he should absolutely be a consideration for Dallas.
Previous Scouting Reports
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