Building the Perfect College Football Defense for 2017
The Atlantic Coast Conference already boasts the defending national champion in Clemson, but if we were to handpick a perfect college football defense, the conference would dominate the nominees in that activity as well.
The ACC is full of elite playmakers, thanks to the recruiting efforts of Tigers coach Dabo Swinney, Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher and others.
On the defensive line alone, players such as Clemson's Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins, North Carolina State's Bradley Chubb and Boston College's Harold Landry are a who's who of potential All-Americans who'd be ideal difference-makers on this all-star team.
The other conferences have their share of next-level stars, too.
Still, just because a player has the best pro potential doesn't mean he'd fit in the starting lineup when building the perfect defense. Situational players and guys with versatility are vital when you're creating a unit that can match up with all types of teams.
In today's college football landscape, you need dominant defenders on the back end to combat against the speed-based spread. That's taken care of on this team, which enabled the selection of a base 4-3 defensive set with three traditional linebackers.
Pass-Rushing DE: Harold Landry, Boston College
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The Starter: Harold Landry, Boston College
If you can't get to the quarterback in this day and age to disrupt plays before they can develop, you can never truly have a dominant defense. That's why it's vital to have a guy coming off the edge quarterbacks fear.
Nobody fits that mold like the Eagles' Landry, who led the country with 16.5 sacks and 7.0 forced fumbles. He added 22 tackles for a loss, and at 6'3", 250 pounds, he's versatile enough to put his hand down or even stand up on the second level, though he'd be better-suited as a linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.
Regardless, he's a player you must have on your first team when it comes to fielding the perfect defense. He's the definition of "disrupter," and opposing coaches must scheme for him on every down. The NFL must wait another year before Landry enters.
When asked by the Orlando Sentinel's Matt Murschel what would be on his bucket list, he replied: "Be a first-rounder."
Whether he winds up an edge-rushing end or a Von Miller-type linebacker, Landry is well on his way.
Runner-Up: Tyquan Lewis, Ohio State
3-Technique DT: Ed Oliver, Houston
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The Starter: Ed Oliver, Houston
The biggest recruiting coup for Tom Herman when he was the head coach for the Cougars was keeping Oliver home when the athletic defensive tackle had the opportunity to go anywhere in the country.
He's proven in his season at Houston that he was worth the hype.
In one of the greatest seasons ever for a freshman tackle, Oliver racked up 66.0 tackles, including 22.5 for a loss, 5.0 sacks, 3.0 forced fumbles and 9.0 pass deflections. He's an ideal all-around interior lineman who can get after the quarterback or stand his ground against the run.
That was just the start, he said.
"It's about to get hot and heavy," Oliver told the Houston Chronicle's Joseph Duarte. There's no reason to believe he's bluffing, either. The 6'2", 290-pound sophomore's best games a season ago were against the best competition, logging 24 tackles and four sacks against Oklahoma, Navy and Louisville.
Oliver makes another ridiculous athlete along the defensive front.
Runner-Up: Christian Wilkins, Clemson
1-Technique DT: Dexter Lawrence, Clemson
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The Starter: Dexter Lawrence, Clemson
Men as big as Lawrence shouldn't be able to move the way he does. So, when looking for an ideal run-stopping force to stand firm and clog up the middle while your horses gallop off the edge toward the quarterback, why not pluck a player who can do that and more?
That's Lawrence, a freakish talent at 6'5", 340 pounds who broke the Clemson freshman record with seven sacks while registering the fifth-most tackles on the team as a first-year defender. He was a huge part of the national champion defense, and the Tigers get to mold him for two more years.
Defensive coordinator Brent Venables probably rests well at night just thinking of it.
"Dexter Lawrence is just a freak of nature. You don't see a guy come in at 18 years old, weigh 340 pounds and have 20 percent body fat. It's insane," Clemson center Jay Guillermo told the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell.
What else is ridiculous is Lawrence wound up with 79 tackles in his first year and added 23 quarterback hurries. That screams somebody who can plug the gaps but also can get after the passer when the situation calls. He's not a budding star; he already is one.
Runner-Up: Da'Ron Payne, Alabama
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Defensive End: Bradley Chubb, North Carolina State
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The Starter: Bradley Chubb, North Carolina State
With all these pass-rushers roaming the field for the defense, you've got to have somebody who can stay at home and gobble up the leftover tackles.
That's Chubb, a bit of an under-the-radar star for head coach Dave Doeren's Wolfpack who should already be playing in the NFL but passed up millions to return to Raleigh and help his coach rebuild the team. A year ago, Chubb had 57.0 tackles, 21.5 stops for loss, 10.0 sacks and 3.0 forced fumbles in an All-ACC campaign.
Most importantly, he hardly ever comes off the field. He's a perfect three-down lineman who is just as good against the run as he is the pass. That's why NFL teams love him so much; he isn't a one-trick pony. At 6'4", 275 pounds, he's the prototypical end pro teams covet.
After what was a second-round grade a season ago (according to the Raleigh News & Observer's Joe Giglio), Chubb elected to return and play his way into the first round. That shouldn't be an issue for the seasoned star.
"You watch it and you know you could be there," Chubb said of this year's draft. "I made a decision that I felt like was right for me, and I'm happy for the decision I made."
That's good news for this perfect defensive all-star team and better news for the 'Pack.
Runner-Up: Duke Ejiofor, Wake Forest
Weak-Side Linebacker: Arden Key, LSU
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The Starter: Arden Key, LSU
You can never have too many pass-rushers, and though Indiana's Tegray Scales may be a better, more all-around outside linebacker, Key has lined up in that situation multiple times for Tigers defensive coordinator Dave Aranda's defense in Baton Rouge.
Pairing Key with Landry on the field at the same time would be impossible to defend, especially when you have the perfect all-around defensive end in Chubb who can take care of the rest.
Key's future on the next level is probably best-suited as a 4-3 defensive end or a 3-4 outside linebacker, and at 6'6", 238 pounds, he has the body type to do either. He's lightning-fast, and after a sophomore campaign where he broke out with 56 tackles and 12 sacks, everybody wants to see what he has for an encore.
The best part of Key's game is he's still developing and has a body that can hold 20 more pounds at least depending on where you want him situationally. On this team, he's coming off the edge on Chubb's side, and he and Landry are meeting at the quarterback.
Runner-Up: Tegray Scales, Indiana
Middle Linebacker: Josey Jewell, Iowa
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The Starter: Josey Jewell, Iowa
In the toughest decision on the entire list, Jewell gets the slight nod over Virginia's Micah Kiser because of his innate ability to always be around the football.
Want proof that Jewell is more than just a run-stopping force? He finished with nine pass breakups a season ago and corralled four interceptions in 2015. All the while, he led the team with 250 combined tackles over the past two seasons and was a Butkus Award finalist a season ago.
Jewell is a staple on head coach Kirk Ferentz's defense, and he is such a dynamic leader that he was named a captain as a sophomore. That's the kind of guy you want anchoring the middle of your defense. He can make all the calls and all the plays.
Jewell is also a student of the game. This spring while sidelined, he studied his teammates, working to refine his speed, reaction time and pass-defense skills, according to Landof10.com's Bobby La Gesse.
It's only a matter of time before he's a longtime staple on an NFL team, but he'll be the focal point of the Hawkeyes defense in 2017.
Runner-Up: Micah Kiser, Virginia
Outside Linebacker: Azeem Victor, Washington
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The Starter: Azeem Victor, Washington
With Key starting on the second level for this exercise, you want another veteran, all-around star at linebacker to make up for some potential holes he leaves while pinning his ears back and getting after quarterbacks.
That's where Washington's Victor comes into play.
Though he missed four games after suffering a season-ending injury a year ago, Victor was still third on the Huskies with 67 tackles, and though he plays in the center of the defense, he can shift out and play on the exterior, where he's likely to reside in the NFL.
This spring, the Seattle Times' Adam Jude said Victor flew around and hardly looked like he'd been hurt. But the missed time still gnaws at him.
"It was tough to see my guys out there," Victor said. "You want to play with 'em. Obviously, we didn't get the outcome we wanted, but I was the biggest cheerleader."
This year, he won't be reduced to cheering. On this team, he'd help anchor the linebacking corps as a ball-hawking, do-it-all force.
Runner-Up: Travin Howard, TCU
Boundary Cornerback: Jaire Alexander, Louisville
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The Starter: Jaire Alexander, Louisville
Every team needs a dynamic star on the boundary, which is the short side of the field where cornerbacks most often play on an island. Due to there being more territory to cover on the opposite side, that's where most of the safety help shades, more often than not.
Louisville's Alexander is getting comfortable on that island. Like his cornerback counterpart on this team, the 5'11", 188-pound junior needs to learn some consistency. He finished with five picks and nine breakups a season ago.
Alexander gets the boundary corner for his exceptional speed, which makes up for his mistakes. Once he gains that experience, he'll take the leap this year to being an All-American. Performances like his two interceptions against Clemson and game-turning pick against Virginia a season ago are flashes.
He needs to take the next step, though, under new coordinator Peter Sirmon.
"Last season, we didn't finish good enough," Alexander told ESPN.com's Andrea Adelson. "Coach Petrino has been beating into our minds that we need to finish. The strength staff says we need to finish. The coaches say we need to finish."
The transformation from special teams force and quality corner to household name will commence in '17.
Runner-Up: D.J. Reed, Kansas State
Field Cornerback: Tarvarus McFadden, Florida State
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The Starter: Tarvarus McFadden, Florida State
Lining up on the field side for our star-studded defense is Florida State defensive back Tarvarus McFadden, who tied for the national lead a season ago with eight interceptions.
Very few defensive backs have the type of pro potential as the 6'2", 198-pound junior McFadden and are able to couple that with immense production. But as he progressed a season ago after his rough start mirrored his Seminoles defensive teammates, so did coordinator Charles Kelly's unit.
He needs to be much more consistent in 2017 for the 'Noles, but his elite, immense potential is enough to hope that he's having one of those stretches where he looks like the nation's top corner. He won the Jack Tatum Award a season ago despite his ups and downs.
That should show everybody what kind of talent he has.
With Derwin James on the field for FSU (and on this hypothetical team), it should allow McFadden to be a little more comfortable. That's why we'll keep him on the field side and shade James his way.
That could lead to a lot of tomahawk helmet stickers after big plays.
Runner-Up: Jordan Thomas, Oklahoma
Free Safety: Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
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The Starter: Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
With all that elite potential at cornerback, there's still some inconsistency. That's why the most versatile member of the secondary in the nation is going to remain on the back level where he replaced Eddie Jackson a season ago.
Though Fitzpatrick moved back to corner for the Crimson Tide this spring, he can do it all. He has excelled at the "Star" spot for head coach Nick Saban, which is a hybrid position that combines corner and safety skills. All that matters is he's all around the ball, and he's normally making plays and taking it the other way.
The 6'1", 203-pound defender was a first-team All-American a season ago playing mostly at safety. That's why he'll stay here. In his career, he's returned four interceptions for touchdowns, setting the school record. This will almost certainly be his final year in Tuscaloosa.
Fitzpatrick is the best defensive player in the country, and he'd be a superstar for any team. He'll even stand out on this all-star group, and it's impossible to envision a unit without him. He can read defenses, is great in the run game, has a nose for the ball and runs a 4.44 40-yard dash, per AL.com (h/t BamaInsider's Tony Tsoukalas).
In other words, he's a must-have on this team.
"He pretty much can do everything in my eyes," Alabama defensive back Anthony Averett told Tsoukalas. "Put him at corner, safety, Star, wherever you want to put Minkah he can play."
Runner-Up: Armani Watts, Texas A&M
Strong Safety: Derwin James, Florida State
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The Starter: Derwin James, Florida State
James is back for Florida State, and his return may just be enough to help push the Seminoles back into the national championship hunt.
He's that kind of impact playmaker.
At 6'3", 211 pounds, he's built like a linebacker but runs like a safety, which is where he'll make millions on the next level. He's a throwback who is in the mold of former Miami Hurricanes and Redskins late great Sean Taylor. He can absolutely destroy runners and make plays on the back end, too.
NFL.com's Bucky Brooks said James was a mixture of former Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster and former LSU safety Jamal Adams.
"He's a grown man. One of the best specimens you'll see," Brooks said, according to NFL.com's Chase Goodbread. "A guy that is 6'3", and an old-school safety. He's athletic, he can come down in the slot, he can blitz off the edge, and he can play the deep middle. He's a natural leader and an alpha dog."
He suffered a season-ending knee injury in the season's second game a year ago, crushing FSU's hopes. With Fitzpatrick roaming all over and taking away any jump balls thrown downfield against this team, James is going to be the cleanup crew.
James is the cherry on top of this unstoppable D.
Runner-Up: Quin Blanding, Virginia
Recruit rankings courtesy of Scout.com unless otherwise noted. All stats gathered from CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted.
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