Over the last five to 10 years, the 3-4 defense has become popular and no longer run by only a few teams. With that in mind, more draft followers are interested in which players can make the transition to the 3-4 out of college.
2012 NFL Draft 3-4 defensive end rankings
But not every defensive lineman can be worked into a 3-4 system. There is a lot more doing on with 3-4 defensive ends than you may think. The key, obviously, is that they have to play the run first. But more importantly, ends in a 3-4 have to be able to maintain two gaps, the B and C gaps, which are between the guard and tackle and between the tackle and tight end.
Size and strength are critical for a 3-4 end, which is why most of those in the NFL were college tackles. After the jump, my top 10 3-4 defensive end prospects.
| 1. Jared Crick | 6'6, 285 pounds | Nebraska |
| 2. Billy Winn | 6'4, 285 pounds | Boise State |
| 3. Devon Still | 6'5, 312 pounds | Penn State |
| 4. Fletcher Cox | 6'5, 295 pounds | Mississippi State |
| 5. Kheeston Randall | 6'4, 295 pounds | Texas |
| 6. Derek Wolfe | 6'6, 295 pounds | Cincinnati |
| 7. Trevor Guyton | 6'3, 289 pounds | California |
| 8. Tony Jerod-Eddie | 6'5, 302 pounds | Texas A&M |
| 9. Matt Conrath | 6'7, 280 pounds | Virginia |
| 10. Ryan Van Bergen | 6'6, 288 pounds | Michigan |
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