I'm suddenly a fan of Dion Jordan

[kearly]

A while ago I opined that I don't see Jordan as more than a 5th round pass rusher. While he does have good size, arm length, and edge speed, he has virtually no short area quickness or agility to make inside spin moves. He's a classic one trick pony as a pass rusher, using his speed to dominate against college athletes. To me he is a classic mid to late round guy you take a flier on because of his athleticism and size.

However, after seeing the following video (linked at Rob's blog today), I noticed something very interesting.

[youtube]VVicjLxsI_U[/youtube]

On some of the snaps, Oregon had Jordan lined up as a corner. A press corner. And if I may say so, his talent for press looks very promising. Like he's the Megatron of press corners.

Dion Jordan is rumored to run a forty in the 4.4 range. That would make him faster than both Sherman and Browner. He's a little stiff, so I'd probably limit him to being a pure nickle corner, but I could see him as being the perfect foil to the big TE's that are dominating the league as of late. And as it happens, the Seahawks might be looking for help at the nickle corner spot this offseason, depending on how things shake out the rest of the way.

It's true that you don't often see players converting from DE to CB. But Jordan is a one of a kind player that is essentially without a true role, but capable of playing almost anywhere on a defense with his size and speed. It would take some time for Seattle to coach up Jordan into a nickle CB role, but remember that Richard Sherman was playing WR just a few years ago, and Browner was out of the NFL and was initially foreign to the concept of press when he first came here. Carroll knows a thing or two about molding talent.

I'm not saying you blow a 1st rounder on Jordan, but if he slides in the draft due to lacking a clear role on an NFL defense, he could definitely be worth snagging in the mid rounds as a high upside gamble. For that matter, I'd be really curious how he'd do at LB. His athleticism and body type remind me a lot of Zach Brown. That's an added plus since Pete gravitates toward back seven players that are DB/LB hybrid types.

 

[JSeahawks]

He's spent more time as the drop end in coverage this year then he has rushing the passer. I think his best spot in the NFL will be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. I dont see him ever being any kind of defensive back, in fact i find the idea kind of laughable.. no offense Kip, cuz you're one of the best. For some reason youre just off though when evaluation Ducks: For example, Darron Thomas. If i were going to turn him into a project and switch positions, i think he'd be an elite TE.

 

[CPHawk]

Lots and lots of NFL teams are going back and forth from 4-3 and 3-4 , much like UO does. He will be a first round pick, just because he is what the NFL is looking for now a days. Kid is a baller, and IMO if he was a Husky every damn person here would want him. Oregon already has the best Dlineman in the NFL, Ngata, and Jordan can very well be one of the best DE in a few years in the NFL. I've even begun to hear NFL draft guys comparing him to Jevon Kearse.

I also see Kiko Alonzo being a stud in the NFL soon. At 6'4 245 he is a ideal NFL LB.

Also wanted to point our unsung TE David Paulson has started the last 3 games in Pittsburg, to bad we didn't snag him. He's a ton better then Moore.

 

[Kamcussion]

I hate Paulson being in Pittsburgh... Liking one member of their team makes me feel sick.

 

[Throwdown]

Sooo could he play OLB then?

 

[cover-2]

For me, Dion Jordan is one of the most intriguing guys in the draft. I have seen Jordan a couple of times this year, he looked smooth and agile when dropping back into coverage. Kearly, I like the idea of having Jordan line up at in the slot covering a TE. Pete Carrol has shown a knack being creative with defensive players, and I think Jordan could be our new weak-side LB. Jordan could be Swiss army knife type of player; press TE's, blitz from WLB or as a DE. He is one of my favorite players in the first round.

 

[pcbball12]

I love Dion Jordan, such a versatile player. I think you are way off on your assessment of where he will go in the draft. He will be a top 20 guy, and has the talent to go top 10. He is such a unique player because you just don't see players his size with the athleticism that he has. He is obviously projected as a 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB, but I think he could play 4-3 OLB because of his ability in coverage. Could you imagine a 6'6 OLB in our scheme that has the ability to be a monster rushing the passer, but is also good in coverage? To me it fits the Pete Carrol "unique player" mold. I would personally love to see this guy be a Hawk and see how he could be used by Pete.

 

[kearly]

Wrong forum, Kip. Nice write-up, all the same.

This didn't go in the draft forum? Methinks there is a glitch going on. That's 3 times in 6 weeks after zero times in 6 years.

For some reason youre just off though when evaluation Ducks: For example, Darron Thomas.

In fairness, bias/reputation/gut-feeling is king in the draft, and Thomas never even got his shot because of his reputation. There were quite a few decent QBs last year who didn't get drafted or even signed, and Thomas was one of them. Last year was a stacked QB class in the mid to late rounds, but demand didn't fluctuate so guys fell through the cracks. If not for a small handful of teams who knew better, Russell Wilson might have been one of them too. So I don't take him not getting getting his shot as an adequate piece of evidence that the doubters were right. By that standard, the doubters were right about Warren Moon. The doubters were right about John Kitna. To slightly lesser degree Kurt Warner and Jake Delhomme too. I said was that if Thomas got his chance, he could be a very solid backup with the upside of an NFL starter, but he never got that chance, unfortunately.

He's spent more time as the drop end in coverage this year then he has rushing the passer. I think his best spot in the NFL will be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. I dont see him ever being any kind of defensive back, in fact i find the idea kind of laughable.. no offense Kip, cuz you're one of the best.

I don't think Jordan would be a DB for most teams, even with his 4.4 speed he's too stiff in the lower body. But as a specialist press corner matching vs. tight ends, I could see him fitting like a glove in PC's scheme. Hell, even Chip Kelly is lining up Jordan at CB. I laughed too when I saw that, and then I saw how special Jordan looked at press. I'm not laughing anymore. I think Chip Kelly might be even smarter than I thought he was.

My guess is that Jordan ends up being drafted in the 2nd round as a LB, unless he has a late rise like Bruce Irvin and Chandler Jones had last year. I don't think he'll survive the pre-draft vetting process as a 4-3 end. He looks more like a giant WR than a DE. Jordan might be able to make things work as a DE, but his toolset indicates WR, TE, LB, or big DB.

I wonder why Jordan isn't playing TE/WR? Physically he's megatron-esque with similar speed. You'd think Kelly would at least try him there.

 

[CPHawk]

Matt Miller ‏@nfldraftscout
Basically, Dion Jordan is everything Barkevious Mingo was supposed to be. #NFLDraft

Matt Miller @nfldraftscout
Really like Dion Jordan's motor, just wish he played a little more angry.

Matt Miller @nfldraftscout
Hate player comparisons, but Dion Jordan is farther along as a complete OLBer than Aldon Smith was leaving Missouri. #NFLDraft

Matt Miller ‏@nfldraftscout
Aldon Smith much stronger than Dion Jordan coming out, more flexible off the edge, but you get the gist with pure athletic upside.

Basically, Aldon Smith was a bit more developed physically when he left college, whereas Jordan will be a more developed football player. Would not be surprised to see Jordan put on another 10-15 pounds when he goes pro.

 

[JSeahawks]

Left the game today with a shoulder injury. Hopefully nothing serious, we really need him next week at USC.