This year I wrote the player rankings and evaluations for the USA Today 2012 NFL Draft magazine. It’s on newsstands now and available online here. Leading up to the draft, I’ll be reprinting some of my quick reports here.
Jerel Worthy 2012 NFL Draft quick report
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Jerel Worthy, Michigan State
Height: 6'3, Weight: 305 pounds
Strengths: One of the quicker defensive tackles in this year’s class. When he gets a good first step, Worthy excels at firing through the gap and getting into the backfield. Uses his hands really well. Will be able to play early in his career because of his strong technical knowledge.
Weaknesses: Was a non-factor early in his senior season which brings up questions about his effort. Is easily neutralized if his first step fails. Doesn’t have quite enough power to handle double teams and will get lost in the wash.
Combine quotable: (On questions about his effort) To an extent, but at the same time it’s just something that you have to work through. It’s something I’ve grown and gotten better at, from the beginning of my season last year to the end of my season. I showed up in a lot of marquee games and laid my imprint on the game, and it was something that I wanted to work at. Getting better at playing against high level competition -- Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio State -- with great offensive lines, I wanted to be dominant the whole game. That will only come with hard work in practice, and off the field growing in maturity and getting better.
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