Will Jets Strike Early to Boost Pass Rush?

[JetNation]

By Glenn Naughton

 

Not to say that NFL edge rushers ever went out of style, but given the emergence of some of the most prolific passing offenses in the history of the league, it’s never been more important to be able to find a player who can consistently pressure the quarterback when called upon to do so.

Outside linebacker Von Miller and the Denver Broncos recently won the Superbowl by beating some of the best signal callers the league has to offer, and they did it by pressuring and hitting the likes of Tom Brady and Cam Newton on a frequent and recurring basis.  Not since the days of John Abraham have the Jets had an edge rusher who posed a consistent threat to opposing quarterbacks, and like many teams, such a player will be a high priority this off-season.  Enter Oklahoma’s Eric Striker.

Built more like a safety at 5′ 11”, 226 lbs, striker is a player who has divided the scouting community when it comes to finding the “right fit” for the former Sooner who has shown the ability to be an absolute terror when getting after the quarterback.  His size however, has prevented him from being viewed as a surefire first round choice in the upcoming NFL draft.

In 39 collegiate games, Striker posted 22.5 sacks and he did it with a first step that often put him in the opponent’s offensive backfield just as their offensive tackles was coming out of his stance.  A trait that hasn’t gone unnoticed by some of the league’s most respected talent evaluators.

In a lengthy piece about Strikers dynamic playmaking ability, Todd McShay had this to say about the Tampa, Florida native:

“He reminds me a lot of Von Miller at Texas A&M,” ESPN analyst Todd McShay said during Oklahoma’s 31-26 win over Texas on Oct. 11. “Eric Striker is the type of guy that you have to account for in the rush, but also he’s so athletic, he can drop off in coverage.”

High praise without a doubt, comparing any player to Miller, the Super Bowl’s reigning MVP, is sure to open the eyes of anyone unfamiliar with Striker’s rare physical attributes, and it should.

Striker put himself on the map during the final game of his sophomore campaign.  Squaring off against perennial powerhouse Alabama in the 2015 Sugar Bowl, Striker dominated, registering three sacks in Oklahoma’s 45-31 throttling of the Crimson Tide.  He would go on to post impressive numbers against some of the country’s top programs, picking up multiple sacks and tackles for loss against TCU, Texas, Clemson and West Virginia.  All ranked opponents with the exception of the Longhorns.

None of this makes Striker the perfect prospect, because hes’ far from that.  His frame makes him a  player who struggles to get off of a block once an offensive tackle gets his hands on him, but that’s easier said than done given Strikers elite first step.

In regards to his size, Pete Prisco had this to say in an interview with JetNation.com during the NFL combine in Indianapolis, “I love Eric Striker.  I don’t care if people are going to downgrade him for his size, but when you put in tape, Eric Striker is always in the backfield.  He’s quick and athletic.  He won’t be a dominant pass-rusher, but you can use him in certain situations to get to the quarterback and some people are really going to miss on him.  There really is no ‘front-7’ in the NFL anymore, you move people around so much and he’s a guy who can be a good piece for somebody”.

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock had a similar take on Striker when I asked for an opinion on the defender during his Indy press conference and he liked his ability to get to the quarterback.  “He’s hard to grade because he has safety size, but the best thing he does is come off the edge and get after the quarterback.  I see as a good fit with a dome team.  Like I said, your sub packages are used 70% to 80% of the time and he could be one of those situational guys”.

CBSSports.com‘s summary of Striker does a good job of noting his strengths and weaknesses, while also emphasizing just how torn evaluators are in weighing his explosiveness off the edge, versus his undersized frame.

STRENGTH: A natural playmaker boasting terrific awareness, agility and closing speed to prove a consistent threat off the edge. Anticipates the snap count well, exploding past offensive tackles with his initial burst. Uses his short stature as an advantage as a pass rusher, dipping under the reach of would-be blockers and showing good flexibility to turn the corner.

Striker has above average pursuit speed with the initial quickness to beat blockers to the corner, forcing holding penalties as a pass rusher. Showed encouraging awareness and overall fluidity in coverage during linebacker drills at the Senior Bowl. He has also done a better job staying patient, making the correct reads and controlling himself on the move to finish tackles. Plays with the maniacal style conducive to special teams.

While there will be plenty of concerns over his size, Striker has shown toughness and durability at Oklahoma, playing in all 52 games of his career and starting the last 39 consecutive games for the Sooners while also electing to participate in the Senior Bowl.

WEAKNESSES: Comes with obvious size limitations. Possesses a short, compact frame, including just 31″ arms. While he possesses terrific snap anticipation and agility to elude would-be blockers, Striker is too easily when opponents are able to latch on. Frankly, once blockers get their hands on him, he’s usually done.

Was rarely asked to drop into coverage at Oklahoma, knocking down more passes out of the hands of quarterbacks at the line of scrimmage than breaking them up downfield over his career, recording just one interception and 11 total passes broken up in 52 games.

IN OUR VIEW: A polarizing player in the scouting community. He is a dynamic athlete with a versatile skillset who could land him in the early rounds, but his lack of size and muscle lead to fit concerns at the next level.

Striker’s limitations could make some team very happy come draft time.  He’s been projected anywhere from a bottom of the first round choice to a 4th round pick.  As Prisco said, some teams are going to miss out on Striker.  Will the Jets be one of them, or will Todd Bowles’ creativity on defense make Striker a valuable early round chess piece for Gang Green?  We’ll have our answer when the NFL draft wraps up in Chicago on April 3oth.

 

 

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[AFJF]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/25426789/eric-striker-oklahomas-emotional-leader-college-footballs-social-conscience

Found this regarding Striker's leadership.

 

NORMAN, Oklahoma -- Eric Striker flops on a couch in the Oklahoma players' lounge looking like he's talked out. No, he says. Not even remotely. You have to ask because, if the senior linebacker gets started, it's hard to slow him down.

And when he does get revved up, you know -- he knows -- the conversation will hardly be about football.

“I always thought,” Striker says, warming to the conversation, “about changing the world.”

In a way, the ground rules on this dialogue were set along ago. College football and its playoff will proceed, but not without his influence. Striker has become this season's -- this sport's -- social conscience.

Until a transformative moment in the spring, Striker was known as little more than a hard-charging third-team All-American. Change the world? It actually happened here just a little. Striker was the tip of the sword that swung back against racism in the spring.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon's viral video racial remarks seemed to stir something deep in the Sooners.

“I don't think there's any doubt,” offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley said. “Things like that either totally destroy you or end up being a positive.”

This was a positive. The Sooners freely admit they wouldn't be at this point in history playing No. 1 Clemson without the bonding that took place. It completed Oklahoma more than any film session or practice.

You know by now, after the insensitive comments, the Oklahoma players met and marched (across campus in solidarity). Football became secondary as three spring practices were missed.

Mostly, the Sooners reveled in what they had accomplished.

“At first, it just came from team meetings,” Striker said. “We said, ‘We gotta to do something. We can't just let this fly by. We've got a stage. People listen to us, let's make a statement and bring positive change.'"

And so they did. The Oklahoma team you will see this week will go down in history. Not just because it rebounded from a tie for the worst record in Bob Stoops' career (8-5). Not just because of the Baker Mayfield phenomenon. Not just because Riley was deemed the best assistant coach in the country.

A lot of it will be because of the Audacity of Eric. Yup, he has compared himself to Rosa Parks. Yup, he cursed out the haters in that now infamous Snapchat. Yup, he basically regrets none of it.

He and the Sooners made a difference in the world. In the wake of the SAE incident, the fraternity was shut down. OU president David Boren created a new position, vice president for diversity. Striker was among a group of selected OU athletes who met with contrite SAE members.

“They spoke their piece and apologized,” Striker said. “I did [accept it]. Some people just weren't ready for it. They needed more time.”

All of it, “definitely brought us closer together,” center Ty Darlington told reporters. “It allowed us to get to know each other on a completely different level.”

It started with Striker, who helped make SAE a national story by posting that profanity-laced Snapchat. It was quickly taken down, but nothing on the Internet truly dies.

Striker regrets only the profanity because the message got through.

“Same motherf------ talking about racism don't exist are the same motherf------ shaking our hands, giving us hugs, telling us how you really love us. F--- you, you phony-ass, fraud-ass bitches.”

It was basically the same message communicated by the protesting Missouri players last month when they boycotted for a couple of days before the system president resigned.

You love us on Saturday, but after that, it's the same old thing.

“Somebody has to stand up and say this is wrong, generation to generation,” Striker said. “Somebody has to say, ‘I'm not going to have this in my fraternity. I'm not going to have this in my family.' Unfortunately, people keep teaching it.”

That's the same thing Stoops communicated to me during an interview last month.

“It's sad that some this behavior [racism] would still be taught,” he said. “When it's learned behavior, to me that's what's appalling about it.”

All of it is a bit strange because Oklahoma under Barry Switzer had been a foundation for diversity. Growing up poor in Arkansas, Switzer has often said he related to underprivileged black athletes and their struggle to use athletics to get a college education.

Striker is well aware of that legacy as well as the inspirational Prentice Gautt, OU's first African-American football player.

Armed with a desire to lead, he does not avoid comparing himself to Parks. That's inspiring to some, perhaps outlandish to others.

“What I did -- personally, individually -- I felt was right,” Striker said specifically of his leadership in the wake of SAE. “I didn't think I'd touch and inspire as many people as I did. I just needed to do it in my heart, my mind and my soul.

“I compared it to Rosa Parks. She didn't know she was touching hearts. She was just tired of giving up. She was tired of giving up her seat.”

Eric Striker leads Oklahoma's defense and its game day emotion. (USATSI)

This far into the conversation you expect all of it from the son of a mother who pursued a law degree at age 44. Striker himself is a political science major who chose to write a paper comparing the influence of Herbert Hoover vs. Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression.

He's here because, like a lot of youths, Striker wanted to get away from home (Seffner, Florida). He's the leader of a historic defense. No other defense in Big 12 history has -- like the current Sooners -- led the conference in scoring, total, rushing and pass defense.

Mostly, he's a leader -- period. Striker is happy to absorb a new piece of information: He is part of game that has a record number of African-Americans (53 percent in FBS) but less than 10 percent black head coaches.

“In this country, race has always been a strange, funny thing,” Striker said. “It's how you deal with it.”

They talk in Norman about a Striker who, in the past, was withdrawn, didn't have much to say to the media. This year, he was given an award by the local beat writers -- most media friendly.

That matters little to the outside world. Inside the program, it was an awakening, not unlike what a lot of young adults go through as they mature physically, socially and academically in college. This change just happened to be on the national stage.

As the Sooners came together on the field -- winning their last seven straight -- Striker did not turn down interviews. Stoops did not shield him.

Turns out it's best to talk these things out. Spread out on that couch, Striker ruminated some more. It seems like something close to pity he felt watching an aged, withered George Wallace -- the once-strident racist who spit segregationist poison back in 1963.

“I saw an interview with him in a wheelchair [later in life],” Striker said. “He was old and very apologetic.”

Striker is also familiar with Selma, both the turning point in civil rights history, but also the compelling 2014 film.

“We're going to keep getting our heads beat in,” he said. “Those protests, police siccing their dogs on us. The pressure from those hoses -- on women and young children. You get tired of it. You can only push so much.”

“I always think about, 50 years ago is not that long ago.”

There is a lull in the conversation. Striker isn't talked out, but he has to get to a workout. For the moment, changing the world takes a break.

[SenorGato]

I was rooting for him but his combine suuuuucked. 

[AFJF]

57 minutes ago, SenorGato said:

I was rooting for him but his combine suuuuucked. 

His 40 was pretty slow at 4.8, but he'll most likely be couted on to cover 7-10 yards at a time which he looked good doing in games.