Whitney Mercilus - First Round Pick

[GuerillaBlack]

Discuss.

[Quick II Draw]

Well, at least we will have no shortage of "Merciless" "No Mercy" etc. slogans any time soon

[Mr. Texan]

meh.

wanted stephen hill to get jacoby jones out but i have confidence in wade phillips

[drunkcookie]

Either Hill or Mercilus sounded fine to me... Not unhappy with it that's fo sho...

[EllisUnit]

i think its a good pick, he is very quick and powerful. We lost Mario and i see a lot of the same physical features in this young man, so i am please overall.

Was wanting a WR until Wright went off the board. i guess J.J it is

[axisv]

I am shocked this guy was still available. Our defense is going to be feared!

[Playoffs]

One of the most intriguing players I watched on tape was DE Whitney Mercilus. He rarely aligned wide in Illinois’ defense, which significantly limited his pass rush space and minimized his initial burst off the ball and his overall athleticism. The Titans need to rush the quarterback better (only 28 sacks in 2011), and they will select Mercilus and line him up wide to maximize his pass rush ability. At this point, Mercilus is a little bit of a straight line rusher with a limited repertoire but there’s no question he has burst and closing speed.

Cosell had him at 20th overall, Shonka had him at 19.


http://www.nfl.com/draft/2012/profil...lus?id=2533049

[Mr teX]

not thrilled with the pick, thought he'd be gone by the time we picked...but i knew we'd probably go olb....

[TexanSam]

This article says he had a high motor all year long. Sounds like Wade's type of player. He's also missing part of a finger.

http://www.herald-review.com/sports/...9bb2963f4.html

When he lost the tip of his left index finger during a freak weight lifting accident one year ago, Whitney Mercilus wondered how the missing digit might affect his chance to become an NFL draft pick.

Could he still rush the passer? Could he still wrap up with tackles?

Would teams back off due to the injury?

The weightlifting nightmare, which occurred last April while Mercilus was spotting for a teammate who lost control of a bar holding 405 pounds, pulverized the end of Mercilus’ finger.

But after the initial shock wore off, Mercilus was soon back out doing drills, determined to have a big junior year.

“The work he poured into getting ready for the (2011) season was unbelievable,” former Illini head coach Ron Zook said.

And the payoff was prompt. Almost immediately, Mercilus emerged as a non-stop pass rushing force. By the time the 2011 season was over, Mercilus had recorded 16 sacks, forced nine fumbles and emerged as the best story on an Illini team that played so poorly in the second half of the season it cost Zook his job.

As one NFL scout said in praise of Mercilus’ work ethic, “His motor ran on red all season long.”

[97roc]

In Wade we trust.

[Fili]

Our D better be the best D for the next 1000000000000 years. Or else bye bye

[Goldensilence]

Was hoping for Fleener or Hill.

Disappointed really. He's not likely going to be an every down player.

He can still be an impact player in rotation at OLB at least.

[bigbrewster2000]

He was BPA. Good pick. Didn't think he would be there

[CretorFrigg]

Don't know anything about him...but I really wanted a WR.

[drunkcookie]

I wonder, does this pick show us Kubs has confidence in Maehl/Jean?

[le14]

Like it.

Hill was highly unproven, I didn't want to touch Fleener. I had us taking Hill on potential, but WR are a crapshoot when it comes to the first round picks

Texans - Winning with that D and Giants blueprint.



the possibilities with that defense and the likes of Luck, Locker, Gabbert along with spotty OL play.

[CloakNNNdagger]

Whitney Mercilus Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:
Raw speed to turn the edge
Agility to sink his hips/shoulder
Strength
Repertoire of moves
Active hands
Has the strength to anchor and hold his ground vs. the run
Always looking to force fumbles
Quick get off
Shedding blocks when pass rushing
Ability to bull rush heavy tackles and guards
Extremely athletic



Weaknesses:
One-year wonder
Lacks complete body of work in college
Quality of tackles he faced

Summary: Whitney Mercilus was the most productive pass-rusher in college football in 2011. He led the nation in sacks (16) and forced fumbles (9). It was a record-setting season as Mercilus topped Simeon Rice's school record for sacks in a year. Like Rice, Mercilus is a fabulous athlete. He has a special combination of size, speed and strength to go along with excellent technique. Mercilus also recorded 57 tackles and 22.5 tackles for a loss.

Entering the NFL, Mercilus is an advanced pass-rusher. He got the better of the best tackles he faced this season. Against Ohio State's Mike Adams, Mercilus recorded 1.5 sacks with a forced fumble. The Wisconsin Badgers' powerful offensive line couldn't contain Mercilus. He bull rushed through massive right tackle Josh Oglesby to get a sack-fumble on Russell Wilson. Mercilus also knocked out left tackle Ricky Wagner for part of the game.

Mercilus has a very impressive repertoire of pass rushing moves. He attacks with speed around the edge. As a counter to the speed, he has the strength to execute rip moves and shed offensive linemen. Mercilus has the raw power to get under offensive linemen's pads and bull rush into the pocket. That catches linemen by surprise as they are so cognizant of being ready for his speed rush. Beyond his great physical skill set, Mercilus is an advanced pass-rusher technically.

Mercilus holds up well in run defense. Linemen don't push him around, as he is strong at the point of attack. He also will burst into the backfield to disrupt running plays.

The big question regarding Mercilus is why didn't break into the lineup sooner and why didn't he produce more earlier. In 2009 and 2010, Mercilus combined to record 24 tackles with two sacks and 6.5 tackles for a loss.



Player Comparison: Jason Pierre-Paul. There are a lot of similarities between Mercilus and JPP. Both are fantastic athletes who come to the NFL with a special combination of speed and strength. They also were one-year wonders at the college level. Mercilus had more production than JPP in their final college season, and the latter has turned into one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL.
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[Goldensilence]

Originally Posted by drunkcookie

I wonder, does this pick show us Kubs has confidence in Maehl/Jean?

Nope, this staff for one reason or another is committed to JJ.

[G27RR]

Little surprised since Martin and Glenn were still on the board at OT/G. Not unhappy about it, but would have preferred someone who had more than one year of production. He does project out well. Keeps our D looking solid.

Hopefully we find a way to get a good WR in the 2nd-3rd.

[DocBar]

OK with the pick and want us to trade up and get Hill now.