2013 NFL Draft all-overrated team: Alex Okafor, Sam Montgomery overvalued at defensive end

Between now and April 25, we will be unveiling our All-Underrated and All-Overrated teams for the 2013 NFL Draft. Each team will be revealed position by position with a first-team selection, second-team selection and honorable mentions as we see fit. We continue with the all-overrated defensive ends.

by Matthew Fairburn

Apr 21, 2013, 5:43 PM UTC

US PRESSWIRE

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2013 NFL Draft all-overrated team

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The defensive end position is under a bit of a transition in the NFL. With plenty of teams switching to 3-4 and hybrid looks on defense, a number of different types of prospects are now being utilized to get after the quarterbacks. Teams need players that can do different things on defense.

Thus, the likes of Dion Jordan and Barkevious Mingo have become the talk of the draft community over the last few months. Both possess rare physical traits that will allow them to get after the quarterback in a number of different ways.

But which defensive ends don’t warrant the hype they are getting? Let’s take a look.

First team: Sam Montgomery, LSU

At the beginning of the season, Sam Montgomery was among my favorite prospects in this class. But a lot has change since last August. For starters, Montgomery put on a ton of weight, which seemed to be a good sign. Instead, he lost some of his flexibility as a pass rusher. To make matters worse, Montgomery has openly admitted to putting forth less effort in certain games and making bets with teammate Barkevious Mingo. I would avoid Montgomery at all costs.

Second team: Alex Okafor, Texas

Alex Okafor was another prospect that received plenty of preseason hype. While he has powerful hands and plays will solid leverage, he’s a bit limited in what he can do on defense compared to some others in this class. He’s likely just a weak side defensive end in a 4-3 defense, because he doesn’t have a wide array of pass rush moves and he’s somewhat stiff around the edge. There is a spot for him in the NFL, he just might not have the value to be a top 50-60 pick like some project.