The 2017 UCLA Football team has to replace star pass rusher Takkarist McKinley who was taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Who can the Bruins expect to step up and who will surprise? Here are the grades for the 2017 UCLA Football defensive ends.
The defensive line, specifically the defensive ends are a major key to the UCLA Football team in how their defense functions. The Bruins want to be able to get pressure with their front four and not bring a ton of extra blitzers. Despite losing pieces all along the defensive line including first round selection McKinley, the Bruins do return plenty of talented DEs.
At this point in series you may be asking how do I arrive at my grades for players? Well it is a pretty simple formula.
- Physical measurements are graded on a scale of one to four with four being optimal.
- Any prior season experience is weighed but not mandatory. If said player did see action last year I grade that on a scale of one to four. Numbers are important but not everything with this grade.
- The circumstances headed into the new season for each player are also weighed. Are circumstances favorable or is there too much depth for this player to overcome? Again graded on a scale of one to four.
Alright now that we have cleared all that up let’s dive into the 2017 UCLA Football defensive ends.
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Defensive End Starters
First name on the list is Jacob Tuioti-Mariner. In 2016 JTM tallied five tackles for loss and three sacks while rotating in all across the defensive line. He often lined up at DE as the base end but has shown the ability to kick inside on passing downs.
JTM isn’t just a pass rusher though. He has a strong base that allows him to hold the edge when a run comes his way. He’s also a high effort guy who will make tackles down the line of scrimmage or down the field.
He uses his hands well to stack and shed against run blockers. In the pass rush department JTM shows a little quickness but is not a speed rusher by any stretch. Instead he relies more on power and effort.
Despite being a rotational player in 2016, he will now become the leader of the defensive line as a one of the more senior players on the defense.
The end of his 2016 is one of the reasons he’s going to grade out well here. He had multiple tackles in 11 of 12 games with a season high seven tackles against the Trojans. There was also a noticeable uptick in his playing ability indicating to me that he’s begun to put it all together.
Given his versatility, experience and the fact that he’s carrying momentum into 2017 I’m giving JTM a B- grade.
Now I’m not one to usually name a freshman a starter before Fall camp even begins but Jaelan Phillips will, in all honesty, be the starter opposite JTM come Sept. 3. He has an amazing blend of size, speed, strength that is incredibly uncommon for a college football player let alone a freshman.
In high school he was a man among boys. Now that phrase gets thrown around a lot but it was plain to see.
After enrolling early Phillips was able to test himself against more veteran UCLA Football players and he didn’t disappoint. After starting out with the second team unit, Phillips was bumped up and ran with the starters where nothing was too big for him.
Against the run Phillips holds his ground and can stone offensive linemen looking to knock him off the ball. He doesn’t just occupy blocks either. Stacking, shedding and finding the ball carrier is something he does with regularity.
When it comes to rushing the passer Phillips has a surprising arsenal for a true freshman. He has a solid club move and a rip technique. His length allows him to keep offensive linemen from getting into his chest and he knows how to get the most out of it.
While I will admit that the UCLA offensive line isn’t exactly the most formidable, his pure physical talent cannot be denied. At 270 pounds, Phillips has the explosion and change of direction that is typically reserved for a much smaller player.
I’m very tempted to give Phillips an A grade but because he “hasn’t been tested” in a collegiate game yet I’m giving him a B grade.
Backup Defensive Ends
Not being a starter at defensive end isn’t a bad thing necessarily. If you want to have a potent pass rush you need to have plenty of players to rotate in that can still play at a high level. This is why the NFL places such a premium on pass rushers. This UCLA Football team does have decent depth at the position.
One of the first reserves will be Rick Wade. I’m a huge fan of his play and potential especially given his measurables. Listed at six-foot-six and 280 pounds, Wade is built like the prototypical base DE.
He could start for a number of PAC-12 teams today but has found himself behind very talented pass rushers for most of his career and even had to deal with a scheme changes. While I do believe he can play at a high level as a 4-3 base end, I almost liked him more as a 3-4 DE. In that scheme he could use his power and length to control offensive linemen
Keeping his pad level low will be key for him because he is so tall. He will get out leveraged at the point of attack occasionally because he comes out of his stance too tall. Despite all of that, the flashes he’s shown are becoming more and more consistent and I wouldn’t be surprised if he started a few games this year.
I’m giving Wade a C+/B+ grade.
The second reserve Keisean Lucier-South hasn’t quite lived up to his billing. The DE was ranked as a five star prospect by some recruiting sites and made UCLA Football fans giddy when he signed.
Always a skinny player who beat tackles with speed, KLS has bulked up to 240 pounds but is still overly reliant on speed. Tackles simply overset on him and push him past the pocket. He has yet to develop an inside move (same knock scouts had on Takk) and has seemingly lost his job to a freshman.
In my opinion KLS needs to show dramatic improvement in the Fall if he’s looking to see the field more because the Bruins have some younger guys that could turn out to be very solid in 2017.
I’m giving KLS a C- grade.
One guy that might even leapfrog KLS in the Fall is Marcus Moore who red-shirted in 2016 while recovering from an injury. In Spring he surprised plenty of people with his burst and tenacity. He outweighs KLS by 25 pounds and is another speed rusher.
We obviously haven’t seen too much of him but the early reviews are promising. If he continues to play well when the season starts the Bruins could have a really nice gem on their hands.
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Moore gets an Incomplete grade from me because frankly we haven’t seen enough.
Make sure you guys tune in for the remainder of our series and look for the next installment where we grade the 2017 UCLA Football Defensive Tackles.