Round 5- Denver Broncos select: Justin Hollins, Edge, Oregon

[Draft Crazy]

Not a big surprise here as it was documented he was in for a workout. Raw, but has great tools as an edge to sit and learn and develop.

 

[megalodon30]

Hopefully can replace Shaq's production.

 

[fightinredantz]

With Shaq and Ray leaving some depth at OLB is not a bad thing. Seems to have upside from what I read on him on ESPNs website.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Hopefully can replace Shaq's production.

He has already pretty much replaced Shane Ray's production.

 

[fightinredantz]

Ray is still a free agent.

 

[Draft Crazy]

We know.

 

[SpringStein]

From Brugler:
JUSTIN HOLLINS | Oregon 6052 | 248 lbs. | rSR. Arlington, Texas (Martin) #11

BACKGROUND: A three-star defensive end recruit out of high school, Justin Hollins started his high school career at Arlington’s Grace Prep and posted 68 tackles and 11.0 sacks as a junior in 2012. He transferred to Martin for his senior season where he lined up opposite Myles Garrett, posting 59 tackles, 15.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks in 2013. Hollins also played tight end on offense and ran track, participating in the 100-meters, 200-meters, shot put and relays. He was ranked as the No. 103 recruit in the state of Texas and committed to Oregon over Oklahoma.

Hollins accepted his invitation to the 2019 East-West Shrine Game. YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES 2014: (14/0) 10 1.0 0.0 0 0 0 2015: Medical Redshirt Torn Achilles Tendon 2016: (12/12) 51 9.5 3.0 0 2 0 2017: (13/12) 59 11.5 3.5 3 1 1 2018: (13/13) 64 14.5 6.5 5 8 1 All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention; Led the Pac-12 in forced fumbles; Team Captain Total: (52/37) 184 36.5 13.0 8 11 2 [121] HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP COMBINE 6052 248 33 3/8 10 3/8 79 1/2 4.50 2.66 1.63 36 1/2 09’11” 4.40 7.06 25 PRO DAY N/A (stood on Combine numbers; positional drills only)

STRENGTHS: Rushes with twitch, length and a quick first step…edge speed to sidestep blockers and wrap the corner…retraces his steps and finds the football…hits his top speed quickly to chase from the backside…knack for dislodging the football (eight forced fumbles the last two seasons, including a conference-best five in 2018)…balanced redirect to turn and run with tight ends in coverage…tough-minded as an edge setter to shut down outside runs…senior captain…graduated with a degree in Applied Economics (December 2017)…has experience playing with his hand on the ground and standing up.

WEAKNESSES: Tweener size and bulk…needs to improve his functional strength to be a more efficient stack-and-shed player…upright rusher with core stiffness, making rounded, not tight, turns…slows once engaged, lacking grit or diversity with his hands…doesn’t move blockers with a bull rush…undisciplined eyes and can be late to read the play design…missed the 2015 season after tearing his right Achilles tendon (April 2015).

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Oregon, Hollins started in 2016 as a rush end before moving to a stand-up linebacker role in Jim Leavitt’s 3-4 base scheme the last two seasons. He produced career-highs as a senior and was the only FBS player with 5+ sacks, 5+ forced fumbles and 1+ interception in 2018. Hollins flashes burst to close on the football and the long-speed to cover ground, which should translate to special teams in the NFL. However, he tends to rely on his natural athleticism more than technical skill or power, limiting his ceiling at the next level. Overall, Hollins can be overmatched at the point-of-attack, but his quickness off the edge, initial acceleration and versatile experience dropping in space make him worth the day three gamble, projecting as a developmental linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

GRADE: 3rd-4th

 

[Duffman]

Overview
Three-year starter with athletic ability and length teams look for from edge talent. Hollins has shown consistent growth as a prospect and flashes every-down potential at times, but his lack of consistent aggression and force could be a limiting factor. He should find special teams reps early on, but his future might very well be defined by his team's ability to develop and unlock his capacity as a disruptive pass rusher.

Strengths

• Plays with plus athleticism and movement skills in both tight quarters and open field
• Possesses agility and looseness in both upper and lower body to be a slippery target
• Plays with eyes beyond initial block and into backfield
• Stick-and-move handwork allows him to punch and work around edge blockers
• Accelerates with adequate close-out range to challenge runners headed for the corner
• Can drop and and cover if asked to do so
• Hunts for football as pass rusher and has penchant for strip sacks
• Sudden inside move in pass rush could become dangerous weapon with more refinement
• Quality upfield get-off as pass rusher
• Unique "triple-jump" stride on third step upfield can propel him past kick-sliding tackles

Weaknesses

• Needs more dog in his fight; doesn't always play with aggressive demeanor teams look for
• Needs to confront and shed blockers at point of attack rather than riding on them
• Play strength is below average
• Has tendency to lose leverage when forced over top of blocker on backside squeeze versus run
• Will need to improve hand skill to more consistently grease the edge on edge rush
• Better upper-body turn at top of the rush arc could improve efficiency and tightness of path to quarterback
• Tends to disappear during stretches of the game

NFL Comparison
Obum Gwacham

 

[Mingo]

This guy runs a ligit 4.5 at 250 lbs and 6'6". I like this pick for developmental reasons.