theENGLISHseahawk
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TeamoftheCentury":3pc4d5v7 said:He's not? There's different types of pass rushers. From what I saw of him, I think he could be disruptive and it's not a stretch to anticipate he will get better and better. He also creates openings for teammates.theENGLISHseahawk":3pc4d5v7 said:Secondly -- I think he could have some use in Seattle but he isn't a pass rusher. Mo Wilkerson, who he gets compared to, was a terrific pass rusher in college. Butler played a bevy of weak opponents in college and was never a pass rusher. That, IMO, limits his stock as a draft prospect. Now maybe they believe they can get that out of him -- but it's a question mark. And I can't see the Seahawks drafting a non-pass rushing D-liner in round one.
Able to eat up double teams and keep his linebackers clean when asked to. Excellent athleticism. Can make plays all along the line of scrimmage. If blocker doesnt finish, Butler will work himself back into the play. Able to coordinate hands and feet smoothly and has change of direction and closing burst to become a dominant pass rusher from inside. Can slide from gap to gap as a pass rusher and is a perfect fit for twist-based defense. Generally attacks gaps with forward lean and ability to corner the edge when he has his man beat. Can stutter-step into pass rush to disrupt offensive linemans timing or generate a speed-to-power bull rush that can severely dent a pocket. Gives consistent effort and plays like a lead dog looking to eat.
BOTTOM LINE Athletic interior lineman with long arms and outstanding athleticism that allows him to work on offensive linemen with a combination of power and quickness. Butler has a raw but diverse skillset as a pass rusher that should excite NFL evaluators who see the potential of what he can be with more coaching and experience. With his effort and defensive ball awareness, his ceiling appears to be high with a chance to become a high-level starter for an odd or even front defense.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/profiles/ ... id=2555243
Just my own personal opinion, but I find Lance Zierlein's takes on NFL.com to be slightly bizarre overall. So with the greatest respect, I'm not going to be swayed by his take here. He says he has raw potential. To me all that means is he hasn't done it yet. I would counter by saying -- I want an early round defensive lineman to be an effective pass rusher on talent alone when he's facing the rank bad teams Butler faced. I want to hone his technique -- not create a pass rusher suddenly against vastly superior opponents.
I've watched four Louisiana Tech games and Butler never looked like a pass rusher. He can be disruptive, of course, he wouldn't be going to the league if he didn't have the occasional play in the backfield. But let's be right here -- there was zero evidence on tape of him moving QB's off the spot, recording splash plays, even impacting the passing game much at all really.
Wilkerson was an absolute beast at Temple as a pass rusher. Butler, even against weak competition, never got anywhere close to that.
I think Butler could be good as a run-stopping nose or one tech. He could play anywhere on a bigger 3-4 front. But an 8-10 sack guy -- I don't see it.