Fairley vs. Dareus

[nosuchthingasapanther]

I think there is value later in the draft at DT. These guys have risks and are not elite in last year's draft. Trade down a few spots and take Green or Peterson for a second rounder. Then get a solid DT: I like Paea, Luigit (excuse spelling), and the kid from Temple, Muhammad something.

there may be value, but imo, the least risk is at dt.

the reason wr and cb are higher risks is because more often than not they are swallowed up by the nfl's game speed and physicality.

it's the reason most of them take several seasons to develop.

i've said it in the past, if anyone has truely watched dareus play, he's the perfect fit for the panthers defense...and the safest pick overall.

[ZedLeppelin]

saban also almost never let rookies/underclassmen have more playing time than his vets...

...dareus was an exception.

They weren't "his" vets, Saban only started coaching there like 3 years ago.

[mj4life]

FAIRLEY

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft

Are you Fairley Fans are sniffing the right jock? Seems like Dareus is the better fit for us. Both are awesome, but Dareus is solid in 2 phases of the game. Our D could use some gap control.

depends on what type of d you want to run, dareus is best suited to play a 4-3 nose or a 3-4 end while fairley is a true 3 technique ala sapp. i'll take either one but fairley has edge right now to me

[vorbis]

i think both Dareus and Fairley can play either UT or NT in the NFL, especially after a season or two in an NFL training program and experience against the elite G's and C's. they are different style players but i'm not convinced they are equals. dareus is a classic style DT who can control gaps and push blockers back, but he does not have the closing ability to make big time plays in the backfield that fairley does.

that said, fairley's attitude screams problems down the road to me. maybe they're worth it to the coaching staff and Hurney and his people. maybe not. i'm not convinced that one is better suited for the panthers D than the other because we don't know yet what sort of player Rivera is looking for. he may feel he can mold an undrafted free agent or another team's castoff to produce results a la Jacques Cesaire and Antonio Garay, rather than use extremely high draft picks on the position.

[Carl Spackler]

Picking Dareus #1 makes as much sense as picking Cam Newton #1. No one, absolutely no one with any credibility has him top 2.

[nosuchthingasapanther]

depends on what type of d you want to run, dareus is best suited to play a 4-3 nose or a 3-4 end while fairley is a true 3 technique ala sapp. i'll take either one but fairley has edge right now to me

that's just it.

carolina needs an effective nose tackle.

[nosuchthingasapanther]

dareus is a classic style DT who can control gaps and push blockers back, but he does not have the closing ability to make big time plays in the backfield that fairley does.

fairley will produce the highlight material, but dareus dictates everything the opposing offense can and cannot do.

[mj4life]

that's just it.

carolina needs an effective nose tackle.

we may end up going that way, i won't be surprised if we take 2 or more dt's in this draft

[thunderraiden]

FAIRLEY

Pass rush: Explosive initial burst off the snap. Good flexibility and balance to "get skinny" and penetrate gaps. Uses his hands well to slap away blockers' attempts to get their hands on him. Possesses a rare combination of long arms and quick feet, helping him avoid cut blocks. Good swim move. Locates the ball quickly and has the lateral agility to redirect. Good short-area closing burst. Good effort in pursuit. Surprising speed for a man of his size.

Run defense: Relies on his quickness to penetrate gaps and make plays behind the line of scrimmage more than his strength to hold up at the point of attack. Long, relatively thin limbed for the position and can be knocked off the ball due to his lack of an ideal anchor. Good flexibility to twist through double-teams. Locates the ball quickly and pursues well laterally.

Explosion: Quick burst to penetrate gaps. Can shock his opponent with his quickness, strong initial punch and quick hands to disengage. Has an explosive burst to close when he sees a playmaking opportunity and can make the eye-popping collision without needing much space to gather momentum.

Strength: Good, but not elite strength, especially in his lower body. Has a tendency to come up at the snap and can be pushed back because of it. Possesses very good natural strength, however, including in his core as he can twist through double teams. Very good hand strength to rip through blocks. Good strength for the pull-down and trip-up tackle.

Tackling: Possesses a good closing burst and brings his hips to supply the big hit. Good strength for the drag tackle. Willing to lay out and has good hand-eye coordination to trip up the ballcarrier running away from him.

Intangibles: Former high school basketball player who shows surprisingly quick feet. An ascending talent, but is nonetheless labeled as a player with some true bust potential, as there are concerns about his work ethic. Carries a little bit of extra weight around his middle and is more "country" strong than weight-room defined. Has developed a reputation as a dirty player; repeatedly flagged in 2010 for late hits and there have been instances when he has speared ballcarriers with his helmet, banged into their lower legs purposely and pushed off downed players to lift himself up.

DAREUS

Pass rush: Good initial quickness off the snap. Doesn't possess the burst upfield to cross the tackle's face and turn the corner. Quick enough, however, to split the gap and collapse the pocket from the interior. Explosive hands to disengage from blocks. Needs a clear lane to close, but shows a late burst toward the ball when he has it. Flashes some legitimate pass-rush technique, including a swim move and good inside rip. Possesses surprising lateral agility and balance to track down elusive quarterbacks.

Run defense: Stout at the point of attack. Plays with good leverage and can anchor to create a pile. Cognizant defender who works hard to keep containment. Good lateral agility and balance to slide while fighting blockers. Long arms and good strength to lock-out. Explosive hands to disengage. Won't shed the block until he reads where the ballcarrier is going. Good effort laterally and downfield in pursuit. Surprising speed for a man his size.

Explosion: Can provide an explosive initial punch to jar the offensive lineman back onto his heels. Powerful and quick hands to shed blocks. Flashes some explosiveness as a hitter, needing little momentum to rock the ballcarrier.

Strength: Thick lower body, which helps him anchor well against the run. Powerful bull rusher with good hand strength to disengage quickly. Good upper-body strength to pull down ballcarriers while occupied with a blocker.

Tackling: Shows surprising lateral agility and balance to break down against elusive athletes. Isn't always capable of making the tackle in the open field himself, but often does a good enough job of forcing elusive ballcarriers to dance in an effort to elude him that secondary defenders are able to get there and help make the play. Good strength for the pull down tackle inside. Good effort laterally and downfield in pursuit. Will lay out for the diving tackle, showing good hand-eye coordination to trip up the ballcarrier. Flashes some explosiveness as a hitter.

Intangibles: Suspended by the NCAA for the first two games of the 2010 season when it was discovered that he'd accepted inappropriate benefits from an agent. Endured a troubled childhood. Father died when Dareus was six, leaving mother to support six children. Dareus has lived with others throughout much of his life, including an assistant coach in high school and a sponsor family while in college.

--Rob Rang

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft

Are you Fairley Fans are sniffing the right jock? Seems like Dareus is the better fit for us. Both are awesome, but Dareus is solid in 2 phases of the game. Our D could use some gap control.

Ya know, MHS ive had a lot of respect for you and your opinions normally but after reading your thread where you thought Beason would be a bust and second round talent I can't follow anything you say anymore, im sorry bro.

I kid.

[Jackofalltrades]

Pundits have Dareus as the perfect NT, which we've had once before in Kemo. That's not a knock by any stretch, but for that money I want a playmaker.

[nosuchthingasapanther]

Pundits have Dareus as the perfect NT, which we've had once before in Kemo. That's not a knock by any stretch, but for that money I want a playmaker.

i don't remember kemo ever being perfect...decent, yes.

[MHS831]

i think both Dareus and Fairley can play either UT or NT in the NFL, especially after a season or two in an NFL training program and experience against the elite G's and C's. they are different style players but i'm not convinced they are equals. dareus is a classic style DT who can control gaps and push blockers back, but he does not have the closing ability to make big time plays in the backfield that fairley does.

that said, fairley's attitude screams problems down the road to me. maybe they're worth it to the coaching staff and Hurney and his people. maybe not. i'm not convinced that one is better suited for the panthers D than the other because we don't know yet what sort of player Rivera is looking for. he may feel he can mold an undrafted free agent or another team's castoff to produce results a la Jacques Cesaire and Antonio Garay, rather than use extremely high draft picks on the position.

Bolded: These two points (attitude, work ethic) are why they may be equal now but different, but why Dareus will make a better pro. He will outwork Fairley unless Nick changes his attitude and work ethic.

Good points. We don't know which style Rivera woulld prefer, but I think the player he'd rather have is Dareus because he can do more along the front. I think the ability to control 2 gaps and shed is crucial to a 1 technique in the 4-3. But he can penetrate if he chooses to do so. Not as well as Fairley, but Fairley has not shown the ability to maintain 2 gap responsibility

[MHS831]

Ya know, MHS ive had a lot of respect for you and your opinions normally but after reading your thread where you thought Beason would be a bust and second round talent I can't follow anything you say anymore, im sorry bro.

I kid.

I never said he would be a bust, Thunder, but I sure was upset by the pick. Now, I repent. I actually told him that I was upset when we picked him at an OTA last June. He lauged and said,"Hope you know better now." I told him that the jury was still out. He laughed, and said, "No pleasing some people." He is a better person than he is a player. One of my top three all time favorite Panthers (Hoover is my favorite, and I liked Jake as well--great people).

[MHS831]

[radio voive]This thread brought to you by the A.J. Green For First Pick Club.[/radio voice]

I am for Green right now, but my mind is not so closed I won't read up on other possibilities. If you read this very carefully, you would see that the point is centered around selecting the best DT. Green is a WR. I think the report is accurate and one of the most intelligent pieces I have seen.