2010 Recruiting Grades: Defensive End

Tag: Ken Wilkins

9Mar 2010
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2010 Recruiting Grades: Defensive End

Jordan Paskorz: Bringin’ sideburns back

Defensive end was one of the biggest needs for the Wolverines in 2010, and just like in the defensive backfield, Rich Rodriguez went after a bunch of them. With defensive MVP Brandon Graham leaving and precious few options to replace him (Ryan Van Bergen will likely slide over from 3-tech defensive tackle), Michigan successfully recruited five players who are headed for either the 5-tech defensive end position (Graham’s slot) or the Quick end (DE/OLB hybrid like Craig Roh).

Technically, four of the five were recruited for the Quick: Jordan Paskorz, Ken Wilkins, Davion Rogers, and Jake Ryan. Only one (Jibreel Black) was expressly recruited to play strongside end. However, I think it’s likely that a few players will filter to either inside linebacker or the 5-tech end.

The first to commit was Paskorz, a 6’3″, 225 lb. Pennsylvanian. Paskorz committed in May of ’09 and not much was heard from him after that. He chose Michigan over some middling offers from Virginia, Bowling Green, and Minnesota, among others. He looks bigger than his listed size, and he lacks the quickness that we’ve seen from the other Quicks who saw significant action in 2009 (Roh and Brandon Herron). I’ve maintained since he was recruited that I think he’ll end up as a strongside end before all is said and done. The Quick doesn’t drop back into coverage a great deal, but Paskorz would be a liability in coverage.

Shortly after Paskorz’s commitment, another Keystone Stater tossed his hat into the ring for the Quick position – Ken Wilkins. Wilkins is 6’3″ and 244 lbs., and there were quotes floating around from his coach that he has like a 30″ waist and a 60″ chest. He’s like a male Barbie doll, except his chest is made from P90X alloy instead of plastic. I might have exaggerated those measurements, but basically, Wilkins isn’t the type of kid who’s going to suffer from weight issues. I think Wilkins has the athleticism and speed to play Quick, but he’s another candidate to move to 5-tech defensive end, as well. (There was a Rivals article mentioning that Wilkins was told he could play 3-tech DT, but I have to believe that was a typo or a misunderstanding.)

Warren, OH, linebacker Davion Rogers flipped from West Virginia to Michigan in mid-January. He’s listed at 6’6″ and 210 lbs., and he mentioned at one point that WVU’s coaches mentioned that he could play safety for them. That comment convinced me that WVU has some coaching woes coming down the pike. Regardless, Rogers changed his mind almost immediately upon receiving an offer from the Wolverines, so he obviously wasn’t gung-ho about being a Mountaineer. Six-foot-six and 210 lbs. might get a wide receiver on the field immediately, but to be a DE/OLB hybrid, Rogers needs to start hitting the supplements.

A day after Rogers committed, Michigan raided Ohio for another linebacker in the form of Jake Ryan, whose 6’3″, 220 lb. frame might make him a body double for Paskorz. Ryan picked Michigan over a handful of MAC schools, but he outperformed Ohio State-bound teammate Scott McVey (perhaps in part to an injury that slowed McVey). He played outside linebacker for St. Ignatius in their 3-3-5 stack defense, so he doesn’t have much practice being an edge rusher. That being said, Ryan is the most likely of these four Quicks to end up as an inside linebacker.

A week after the commitments of Rogers and Ryan, Jibreel Black was the final end to commit. The last of 11 players from Ohio to pledge, Black is a 6’2″, 253 lb. strongside end. He could grow into a defensive tackle, but with the shortage of 5-techs on the roster, I doubt he’ll move inside. Despite not being an extremely highly touted player to all the recruiting sites, his offer list (including Illinois, Michigan State, South Carolina, and Wisconsin) was the most impressive.

Predictions: In my opinion, Jordan Paskorz is headed for a redshirt year, during which he’ll bulk up and become a 5-tech DE; I do not see him contributing in any more than a backup role throughout his career. Wilkins could be a very good player at either position; I think he’ll start off at Quick but eventually play DE. Rogers is almost certainly headed for a redshirt, but his position is perhaps the most defined – he’s a Quick through and through; his athleticism could turn him into a feared speed rusher in the Big Ten, but he has to put on some weight and refine his fundamentals. With the shortage of inside linebackers, I think Jake Ryan might end up at inside linebacker immediately, and I would not be surprised to see him play in mop-up duty this year; the coaches need to groom some guys to take over for fifth-year senior inside linebackers Jonas Mouton and Obi Ezeh. Black will likely play in 2010 as well, because the depth at strongside end is essentially Van Bergen, redshirt freshman Anthony Lalota, and walk-on Will Heininger.

Grade: B. Despite going after a bunch of highly touted ends, Michigan ended up with 3-stars galore. While a few are headed for solid careers, in my opinion, only one is certain to be a very good player (Black). Luckily, by sheer quantity, at least one or two of the other guys will likely end up as pretty good players. If you can’t get great quality, go for quantity.

26Jan 2010
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Jibreel Black, Wolverine

Jibreel Black: football player, Wolverine, jungle sniper
Jibreel Black, a 6’2″, 253 lb. defensive lineman from Cincinnati, OH, committed to Michigan on Sunday. He’s the 26th addition to Michigan’s 2010 class.

Black is a 3-star defensive end to Rivals and a 4-star defensive tackle to Scout. It seems a bit up in the air as to what position he’s going to play at Michigan. Some seem to think that he’ll pack on some pounds and play 3-tech defensive tackle for the Wolverines, and some think he’ll lean out and remain at strongside defensive end, the position he played in high school. If it means anything, his brother Larry is a 6’2″, 306 lb. redshirt freshman defensive tackle for Indiana.

As a junior, Black racked up 76 tackles and 8 sacks. He added 61 tackles and 10 sacks as a senior. Michigan offered him prior to his senior season, so the coaches have been going after him for a while. Black has suffered from a bout of indecision, however. He’s been committed to Indiana and, most recently, Cincinnati before settling on Michigan. There’s only a week before National Signing Day, but I’m not going to trust that he’s set on Michigan until he faxes that letter of intent to Ann Arbor. He might end up back with Cincinnati or Indiana, or perhaps he’ll entertain his offers from Illinois, Michigan State, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, among others.

As for projecting him forward, if Black remains at Michigan, I expect that he’ll step into the 5-tech defensive end spot previously held by Brandon Graham. When watching his film, he looks almost like a clone of Graham. He’s short-ish and thickly built. Perhaps the best thing I see on film is the way he keeps his shoulders square to the line. Too many talented athletes in high school fire off the ball and shoot straight for the ball carrier, but college opponents will take advantage of that lack of discipline. His fundamentally sound positioning shows that not only is he coachable, but the biggest obstacle for him might be his strength and conditioning. He does play a little upright, but at only 6’2″ and going up against tackles who are three to five inches taller than him, leverage shouldn’t be a major issue. I’m sure Michigan’s coaches will work with him on staying lower, being explosive, and using that leverage to the best of his ability, but that’s not a big concern.

Black will probably redshirt in 2010. He’s got some bad body weight on him and needs to lean out. There’s very little depth at defensive end, but I imagine the 5-tech defensive end spot will be played by Ryan Van Bergen. Will Heininger is an experienced backup, and Anthony Lalota will be a redshirt freshman, but he’s a project. I think Ken Wilkins, who’s 246 lbs. and a workout warrior, will eventually be a 5-tech. But Black might be the best of the bunch.

21Jan 2010
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Jake Ryan, Wolverine

Everyone smiles when they leave Ohio
Jake Ryan, from St. Ignatius High School in Westlake, OH, committed to the University of Michigan on Sunday. Ryan is a 6’3″, 225 lb. linebacker and Michigan’s ninth defensive commitment of the last ten. He’s rated as a 3-star recruit by both Scout and Rivals.

Ryan’s teammate, Scott McVey, was the more heavily recruited player at St. Ignatius, but Ryan outplayed him during their 2009 season. McVey had an offer from Michigan but chose Ohio State and, thus jinxed by God, suffered nagging injuries as a senior. While McVey played middle linebacker in St. Ignatius’s 3-3-5 stack defense, Ryan mostly played right outside linebacker.

Other schools to offer Ryan included Bowling Green, Toledo, Ohio, and Eastern Michigan. But when he officially visited this past weekend, Rich Rodriguez extended an offer that got accepted almost immediately.

In interviews with Ryan and his high school coach, they have said that Michigan recruited him as outside/rush linebacker. That seems to be in line with the Quick end position, currently manned by rising sophomore Craig Roh. However, that seems odd, considering that no less than four other players in the class of 2010 have been recruited to play Quick at various times: Jordan Paskorz, Ken Wilkins, Antonio Kinard, and Davion Rogers. A recent Rivals article quotes Kinard as saying he’ll play WILL, so that makes a little more sense. And personally, I think Paskorz is better off as a defensive end. But still, I have questions.

Regardless, I think Ryan is best suited for middle linebacker. He seems to do a good job of diagnosing plays and taking good angles toward the ballcarrier. He has a solid frame and could easily play at 240 or 245. He’s reported to run a 4.6 forty yard dash, but I question that time.

Ryan is stiff in the hips. He moves well for a high school linebacker, but he looks like a defensive end who’s playing out of position at outside backer. He does not have great lateral speed, and I do question his tackling ability. Despite a couple highlight films I’ve seen, I haven’t seen a single de-cleater. All of his tackles seem to be him falling on a player who’s already going down or grabbing a runner and letting his 220-225 lbs. drag down the ball carrier. He doesn’t have the aggressiveness I would like to see in a kid that size at the linebacker position, but he was suffering from a wrist injury, so that might have made him a bit tentative.

Ultimately, Ryan is either a Quick linebacker or a MIKE. I’m leaning toward the MIKE position because of the shortage of inside linebackers on the roster, but it won’t surprise me either way. No other player who was recruited for the Quick position has the ability to play middle linebacker, so either Ryan plays there or Michigan better go after some good inside linebackers in 2011.

Image via the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

9Jun 2009
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Ken Wilkins, Wolverine

The University of Michigan football team picked up a commitment today from OLB/DE Ken Wilkins, who hails from Trinity High School in Washington, PA. Wilkins grew up as a fan of Michigan but had never visited until the BBQ at the Big House over Memorial Day weekend. Apparently, Rich Rodriguez does BBQ like Kelly Brook does bikinis, because this is the third recruit who was wooed into the fold by that event (Jordan Paskorz and Christian Pace are the others).

Depending on whom you believe, Wilkins is either 6’3″ and 244 lbs. or 6’4″ and 225 lbs. . . . or some combination of the two. I’m going to pretend that he’s 6’3 1/2″ and 234.5 lbs. just so I can make everyone happy, but I’m 6’3″ and 234, and he doesn’t look as big as me (although I’m sure he’s a much better athlete than me). He’s also listed at a 4.61 forty yard dash, which is a lie if I’ve ever seen one. Pat White ran a 4.55 at the NFL Combine, so you’re telling me a high school junior DE is just .06 seconds slower than White? Not a chance. Anyway, He made all-state as a junior when he racked up 89 tackles, 11 quarterback sacks, and 2 touchdowns on defensive returns, so that’s positive.

According to recruiting services, Wilkins is being recruited as the “quick” OLB/DE hybrid for Greg Robinson’s defense. I would not be surprised if Wilkins grows into a full-time defensive end. Not only does he already have good size, but he lacks the fluidity and change-of-direction skills that I think are necessary for dropping back into coverage.

In watching video of Wilkins, I noticed several things. First of all, he’s not afraid to hit. Once he latches onto a ballcarrier, ballcarrier goes BOOM. He also seems to have good play recognition; he’s not a player who seems to make bad reads but then compensates by overwhelming athleticism.

Unfortunately, I see more negatives than positives in regards to the “quick” hybrid. As I said above, Wilkins lacks agility in open space. I think Big Ten running backs and tight ends could have a field day if he’s expected to cover them in pass routes. His three-point stance begins with his butt too low, meaning his first movement is straight up instead of bursting forward; he can beat offensive linemen and tight ends with pure strength, but that won’t be the case at the next level. If he expects to be a good pass rusher, he’ll need to play lower and work on disengaging from blockers. He does not use his hands well to fend off linemen. He has good straight-line speed for a defensive end, but not so much for a linebacker. He also does more hopping than shuffling and occasionally tries to leap over blockers and tackle ballcarriers after leaving his feet. Many of these issues are technical and can be corrected, but he has a lot of them.

Overall, I think Wilkins can be a productive player at the next level, but it won’t be for a few years. His potential is evidenced by offers from WVU, Illinois, NC State, Wisconsin, Pitt, and North Carolina, all good-but-not-great programs. But I wouldn’t expect him to emerge until he’s at least a junior. If he hits any kind of growth spurt, I think we’ll see him playing inside as a defensive end with his hand down.

(Image via Scout.com)