Why Florida's Dante Fowler Is the 2015 NFL Draft's Best Pass-Rushing Prospect
Playing a position that is annually valued at a premium in the NFL draft, there are at least five edge pass-rushers who are in the potential-top-10-pick conversation in 2015.
Many draft analysts project Nebraska’s Randy Gregory as the top 4-3 defensive end/3-4 outside linebacker prospect, while many media mock drafts also include Missouri’s Shane Ray, Clemson’s Vic Beasley and Kentucky’s Alvin Dupree as top-10 picks. All four of those players, however, look as though they could be limited to situational roles until they make necessary developments in their game.
The most complete edge defender prospect in the 2015 draft—both in terms of his ability to rush the passer and to project as an every-down, scheme-versatile player—is Florida’s Dante Fowler Jr. (Leonard Williams is the top defensive prospect in this year’s draft and played some on the edge at USC, but he projects best to the NFL as an interior defensive lineman.)
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Fowler, like the others, still has areas of his game he must develop to reach his potential. That said, he has all the tools to be a star if he is drafted by a team that will coach him effectively and play him where he wins.
Explosiveness to Blow Up Plays
While there are other edge prospects in this year’s draft who are more technically refined and had better collegiate production than Fowler, such as Washington’s Hau’oli Kikaha and Utah’s Nate Orchard, the pass-rushers selected at the top of the draft are typically those who have outstanding physical traits, which Kikaha and Orchard do not have.
Fowler, on the other hand, is as explosive as any player in this year’s class. Given any path to the quarterback, Fowler has the burst to close in a hurry, while he has also good size for his position at 6’3” and 260 pounds.
In addition to his elite first-step quickness and a rare ability to accelerate for a player of his size, Fowler also has great lateral agility. That combination is demonstrated in the clip below from earlier this year, when Fowler (No. 6) made a cutting inside move to blow by Kentucky right tackle Jordan Swindle and lay a hit on quarterback Patrick Towles that forced an incomplete pass.
What makes Fowler especially dangerous is his ability to bring the heat from a wide variety of spots on the field. While he frequently creates disruption from the defensive-end spot, he can be moved all around the formation and generate pressure from anywhere because of his speed.
The following clip shows Fowler hitting Towles to force a fumble on a play he blitzed from the middle linebacker position. Below that, you can see Fowler cover almost 15 yards of ground for a sack against East Carolina on a play in which he initially dropped into coverage from outside linebacker.
Fowler’s athleticism also presents a serious threat to ball-carriers, as he is a tough player for running backs to evade. On the following play, also from this past season’s game against Kentucky, Fowler put his motor on display as he tracked Braylon Heard all the way down to the sideline despite starting the play in contain on the edge.
On the season, Fowler recorded 15 tackles for loss, including 8.5 sacks, and 17 quarterback hurries, according to CFBStats.com. Add in the occasions that Fowler drew holding penalties from blockers and the frequent occasions on which he was double- or triple-teamed by opposing offenses, and Fowler computes as being one of college football’s most disruptive players during the 2014 season.
For most productive collegiate playmakers, the question is whether their skill sets will translate when playing against bigger and more athletic NFL opponents. Those questions need not be as significant for Fowler, however, because he will continue to be a top-tier athlete for his position—even at the next level.
More Than Just a Pass-Rusher
Fowler’s ability to get after the quarterback gets the emphasis here because that’s what NFL teams prioritize on draft day. Being a great run-stopper does not always make one an early-round selection at an edge position, but being a great pass-rusher usually does.
That said, Fowler has shown himself to be more than capable of holding his own as a run defender, which could be what pushes him ahead of some of his counterparts in the draft order.
Fowler exhibits the strength to maintain his ground against bigger blockers at the line of scrimmage, while he has enough block-shedding ability to take advantage of his lateral agility and slide his way into running lanes.
Between those attributes, his seemingly always-running motor and aforementioned ability to chase down plays with his speed, Fowler has the potential to make an immediate difference against the run on an NFL defense.
Fowler still might have to bulk up by five or 10 pounds if he is drafted to play as a 4-3 defensive end. But he is already stronger and more well-built than Gregory (who is listed at 6’6” and 240 pounds), Ray (6’3”, 245 lbs) and Beasley (6’3”, 235 lbs), who each need to get bigger and stronger to play in four-man fronts.
Of all Fowler’s strengths, the most exciting might be his versatility. As you can see in the following screenshots, Fowler saw playing time at defensive tackle, defensive end and linebacker this past season at Florida, and was even split out into coverage at times:
In his NFL career, you probably won’t see Fowler lined up over the opposing center or opposite a receiver on the numbers very often. The team that drafts Fowler, however, should have a plan for how it can take advantage of his versatility. His physical gifts enable him to play a wide variety of roles; moving him around a formation could be an asset for keeping opposing offenses guessing.
Still a Project
While there is much to like about Fowler, especially the fact that he is oozing with physical potential, he is far from being a finished product at this point. As such, there are legitimate reasons why some evaluators will be less confident in Fowler’s chances of becoming a star.
One such analyst is Bleacher Report’s Ryan Riddle, a former NFL defensive end, who only considers Fowler to be the eighth-best edge defender in this year’s draft class.
“He could be the best athlete at the position in this draft but lacks instincts and functional strength,” Riddle wrote. “He also misses too many tackles, is often out of position and doesn't have many pass-rush moves.”
Fowler might not be able to hang his hat on being strong, but he still stacks up relatively well in that capacity to many of the other potential top-tier draft picks.
Instinct, as Riddle noted, might be Fowler’s biggest question mark. The following example from this past season’s contest against LSU was just one of many plays on which Fowler traveled away from the ball due to his own misread.
Nonetheless, that play ended the way many others did in 2014: Fowler using his speed to get himself back into the play and catch the ball-carrier. He won’t be able to get away with recognition mistakes as easily at the next level, but his athletic range does enable him to recover in situations many other edge defenders cannot.
Tackling is another area in which Fowler must improve, and it’s one of the reasons why Fowler had twice as many hurries in 2014 as he did sacks.
While getting to the ball is often no problem for Fowler, finishing plays has been, like it was on the following near-sack against Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston.
Fowler’s NFL coaching staff will also need to work with the defensive end on developing his hand skills. Although he has shown the ability to incorporate a number of pass-rushing moves to beat blockers over the course of his career, he has often been more reliant upon his physical ability than he can afford to be when he starts going up against professionals.
The good news for Fowler is that all of his issues are in areas in which he can progress with proper development. He can legitimately become stronger, improve his tackling form and advance his pass-rushing technique, and his physical gifts give him upside that few others have.
Where Will Fowler Be Drafted?
Ultimately, the preferences of the teams that decide to target pass-rushers early in the draft will determine Fowler’s draft position.
The good news for Fowler, as well as his counterparts, is that a majority of the teams who hold top-10 picks this year are likely to consider the edge defenders among the options for their selections.
It would come as a surprise if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went in any other direction than a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick, but Fowler could presumably be in play as early as the Tennessee Titans at No. 2.
The next seven teams in the draft—the Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders, Washington Redskins, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants—are also teams that could target Fowler and would be smart to do so.
Some teams might favor Gregory because of his length and growth potential. Others might have favor Ray or Beasley, as each is a more refined pass-rusher who had higher collegiate production than Fowler.
Dupree could also be a favorite for some teams, as he is a better run defender than Fowler, Gregory, Ray and Beasley, but he is also a weaker pass-rusher than the other four at this point in his development.
All five players have great strengths and legitimate weaknesses, which make all of them projects and none of them sure things. But Fowler’s physical attributes, ability to play the run and capacity to play myriad positions makes him the best bet for a team looking to make a big investment in its pass rush this April.
All GIFs and screenshots were made using videos from Draft Breakdown, YouTube and Dailymotion. All GIFs were made at Gfycat.com; all screenshots were illustrated by the author.
Dan Hope is an NFL/NFL Draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
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