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JARED ODRICK
6-5/304
Penn State Senior
40: 5.03

PROS: Has a good first step that has a knack for shooting gaps and making plays in the backfield. Does a nice job as a disruptive presence that can press the line of scrimmage. Has quickness upfield when working in the 3-technique and closes well on the quarterback. Has good strength and fights through double teams. Has a nice swim and rip move. Shows good recognition and can sniff out screens, with enough athleticism to get some work in space. Has a good motor and can make plays laterally along the line in pursuit.
CONS: Needs to improve his hand use and technique, which can help him better disengage from blocks and get leverage vs. the run. Will get engulfed at times vs. the run, particularly against double teams.
OVERVIEW: There is a lot to like about Odrick. He's a disruptive player that is at home living behind the line of scrimmage. He has the size, strength, and athleticism to really develop as an impact two-way defender because of his superior quickness. Two full years as a starter where he combined for 20.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. Started 7 games as a sophomore before broken hand and dislocated ankle caused him to miss rest of the year. But managed 4 TFLs and 2 sacks in that year.
NFL FORECAST: Odrick needs a bit more polish, and I think it will come with his hand use and technique. He just doesn't use them as much as you'd expect in a top defensive tackle, particularly in comparison to guys like Suh and McCoy. Although he does offer similar disruptive potential. So I think he may get off to a relatively slow start. But by his second or third year, he should be impacting. He fits best in a one-gap scheme that wants him to get upfield and make plays behind the line of scrimmage. In such a scheme, I think he could excel on a level comparable to that of Jonathan Babineaux this past year. He coudl also work in a 3-4 scheme because he has the ideal frame for that scheme as an end. But he'll need to improve his hand use there as he'll be asked to hold more blocks than to shoot gaps. In such a scheme, he'll be a better pass rusher than run stopper, at least initially. I see little reason to not expect him to make the necessary improvements to be a good pro. I think he's a guy that can be a productive pass rusher in either scheme, regularly racking up 4-6 sacks with maybe a few 8-sack seasons sprinkled in there.
ATL FORECAST: He is a potential upgrade in the middle. I think he has similar potential to impact as a disruptive run stopper and pass rusher as Babineaux showed this past year, although because of his physical tools likely won't take four years to impact like Babs did, instead he should be able to cut that time in half. He definitely would bolster the rotation early on and could become our best defensive tackle within three or so years. He'd be a great insurance policy in case Jerry doesn't stay healthy, although ultimately he may be targeted to replace Babineaux down the road. Regardless of which player he replaces in the starting lineup, he would be a good Falcon that fits very well in their attacking upfield scheme, becoming a fixture for the better part of a decade if not longer.
VALUE: Odrick's potential means he is worth a first round pick as a guy in a scheme that likes to get upfield and make plays. But because he still needs a lot more polish in comparison to the top defensive tackles, I wouldn't take him until the twenties.

SKILLS
1-poor, 2-weak, 3-above average, 4-very good, 5-elite

STRENGTH: 4.0
POINT OF ATTACK: 3.0
QUICKNESS: 4.0
PASS RUSH: 3.5
MOTOR: 3.5

Pros: Good size and quickness off the ball, and does a good job of shooting gaps and splitting double-teams to get into the backfield. Has a good motor and will not quit on a play while blocked, and just keeps coming as a pass rusher and will get hustle pressures and sacks as a result. Does a good job of peeling off of 1 on 1 blocks to wrap up ball-carriers coming up the middle. Flashes some potential as a bull-rusher, and shows some pass rush moves. Shows pretty good recognition skills and is a pretty good tackler. Has active hands and will keep lesser blockers off of him with them.

Cons: Needs to get stronger to help him anchor at the point of attack. Will get engulfed at times or pushed off the line, especially against double teams. Needs to improve his hand usage to shed blocks quicker against bigger, stronger offensive linemen. Doesn’t do a very good job of making plays in space and will miss tackles in the backfield when he tries to arm tackle and doesn’t form tackle when he is shooting a gap. Needs to develop his pass rush moves more.

Overall: Odrick is a good prospect and is pretty well-rounded, but he could get better. If he can get stronger to hold up at the point of attack better as well as improve his hand usage to shed blocks better he would be a very nice 3-4 DE prospect. As it stands now he is still a good prospect for the 3-4 DE spot, and his frame, quickness and motor are easy to like. If he is going to defend two gaps in the 3-4 he is going to need to get stronger at the POA and get better at fending off some double teams. But he is good at peeling off of blockers to make stops and if he gets stronger he should offer something as a pass rusher outside of out-quicking the offensive linemen. His ceiling is a quality 3-4 DE starter, and his floor is probably a #3 or #4 DT who can penetrate upfield and make plays in the backfield and get a few sacks a year from hustle and quickness alone, but not necessarily polished technique. He doesn’t have a very low floor, and has some room to grow still from a technique standpoint, making him a pretty good option later in the 1st round.

Projection: Late 1st-Early 2nd: He is a solid prospect at 3-4 DE and at 4-3 UT, which increases his value. He doesn’t have a low floor and his bust potential isn’t very significant, because even if he doesn’t develop much past where he is now (which I personally think is unlikely) he will be able to make some impact in a rotation in a 4-3. If he is drafted into a 3-4 he will need some time before he is ready to start, but I think he can be a quality starter in that defense.

SKILLS
1-poor, 2-weak, 3-above average, 4-very good, 5-elite

STRENGTH: 3.5
POINT OF ATTACK: 3.0
QUICKNESS: 4.0
PASS RUSH: 3.5
MOTOR: 3.5