Name: Chris Canty
Birthdate: November 10, 1982
Height/Weight: 6'7"/304
Position: 3-4 End, 4-3 Tackle
College: Virginia, 26 starts, 40 games played
Notable Stats: 243 tackles, 7 sacks, 24 tackles for a loss, 20 quarterback pressures, 6 pass deflections
Pros: Cowboys, 50 starts in 4 seasons.
Notable Stats: 10 sacks, 16 non-sack tackles for a loss, 8 pass defenses
Pre-draft measurables: 5.0 in the 40-yard dash...335-pound bench press...500-pound squat...319-pound power clean...31-inch vertical jump...33 -inch arm length...10 -inch hands...Right-handed... 21/26 Wonderlic score.
20 Word Scouting Report: Massive, powerful, hustle pass rusher, slow off the line, trouble shedding blockers, disappears, plays tall, limited hand-fighting repertoire, stiff.
My Interest: Canty is purportedly after a contract like Tommy Kelly's seven year, 50.5 million dollar deal. Canty's package of age, character, production and projectability will convince some team into signing him, but I think it's a mistake. Canty is not a centerpiece player. His overall contribution: sacks, hurries, hits, ability to tie up blockers and anchor, are that of a support player, if an excellent one. The counterargument is that money is the most fungible asset in the NFL. Few teams suffer a true cap crunch and when they do purge, it's often a blessing. The cap structure is so team centric, cap crunches can be cleansing, excusing teams to cut costly older players that are still popular but who no longer produce. A team signing Canty would have a productive player that'll be paid in full (for cap purposes) before turning 30. It's good to probe non-traditional solutions to filling Seattle's need at left defensive tackle, and Canty could be a beast at the position in Madden, but given his lethargic first step, his lack of consistent disruption, his inability to shed blockers and his massive price tag, he's not what Seattle needs.