NCAA Scouting - Player Profile:
Vernon Gholston, DE
by James Izzard
14/2/2008
 
Getting to the quarterback is a necessity for any successful NFL franchise. Bill Parcells started the trend with Lawrence Taylor and this 'fashion' has continued until present day as newly crowned champions the New York Giants have shown us they had pass rushers in abundance.
 
The first player profile leading up to this draft looks at a junior pass rushing specialist out of Ohio State, Vernon Gholston.
 
Vernon Gholston from Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Michigan had a fantastic career at Ohio State breaking awards and claiming records including team records for quarterback sacks in a game (4) and sacks in a single season (14) which beats the record held by a certain Patriots player by the name of Mike Vrabel. He was selected as part of the 2007 Pro Football Weekly All-American team.
 
What we like about Gholston
 
NFL franchises will love this prime physical beast of a prospect. He has the combined speed and strength that will ensure he is a first round pick. A former weightlifter at High School he regularly bench presses +450 pounds and will open some eyes at the forthcoming combine if he can beat that. He has awesome speed off the edge and his engine is sure to impress the scouts. It's not clear cut what position he will project as, although rated my many as the second best DE prospect we feel his best chance to be drafted in the upper echelons of the first round is to be drafted as an outside linebacker for a team that runs the 3-4. The tag line for this prospect: 'A sack machine.'
 
Question marks over Gholston
 
The obvious question mark over Gholston is the fact that if he is drafted as a linebacker he has very limited experience dropping back into coverage. Will he have the horizontal speed to change direction? Answers could appear as early as the Scouting Combine.
 
Highlight of his College Career
 
Humiliating Michigan rival and another first round prospect Jake Long in the season just gone by, Gholston had 3 sacks which ensured Ohio State a victory and a place in the Rose Bowl. Long probably has slipped a few places because of this one dominating performance by Gholston.
 
Other Snippets of Info

• Mel Kiper has him rated as his 9th Overall Player, in his latest mock draft he has him going 6th to the New York Jets.

• Ohio State coaching staff were always impressed by his personality and work ethic, he is expected to interview well.

• He made numerous plays throughout his career on third down and was quoted in an interview stating the importance of third downs and execution: “Third down is the biggest down in football to me. Biggest thing, we executed well. It always goes back to execution. It was situations where we had a chance to get off the field and we didn't do that, not because their scheme was great or they were faster, it was just simply execution.”

• NFL players you could compare him to would be DeMarcus Ware or Manny Lawson.

• Potential good fits – Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers.

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