Because the Seahawks did the Seahawks thing and made some roster transactions on the day of a game, I thought I'd provide a quick scouting report on both new players, as they should get some time in the game tonight. It's very likely that these players will be dropped as soon as Kentwan Balmer, Alan Branch, and Brandon Mebane settle in and are ready for more snaps, but for now, we cannot leave you uneducated.
First, a scouting report on Ladi Ajiboye from Derek Stephens of the Blue Bird Herd. Stephens does some scouting for Lindy's and works with Rob Rang as well and just happened to do a scouting report on Ajiboye prior to the draft. He shared it with me and I had planned to publish it but Ajiboye was released before it went live. Regardless, he's back now, at least for today, so here's what to expect from Ladi Ajiboye, a probable 3-tech in our defense:
POSITIVES
Explosive jump off the ball. Gets hands up quickly and drives at a good angle off the line. Possesses lateral agility to step around blockers and penetrate the gap. Gets good lower body leverage to implement strong punch and knock opposing linemen off balance. Relentless fighter at point of attack who anchors and holds well for his size, maintaining balance through contact. Good motor and strong work ethic.
NEGATIVES
Under-sized for an interior lineman. Short arms make it tough for him to keep blockers off his chest, and he struggles to shed longer-armed offensive linemen once engaged. Has to rely almost solely on initial jump to beat his blocker, as he can be ineffective when opposing linemen are able to establish position off the snap. Character concerns after after a February '09 arrest for marijuana possession.
IN OUR VIEW
Ajiboye is a high-effort guy with nice technique off the snap, who may be worth a look in the 7th round as a situational passing-down rusher from the inside. His smallish frame and short arms, however, will certainly leave him off a fair amount of draft boards entirely and he's more likely to be entertaining training camp invitations as an Undrafted Free Agent.
Teryl White is a defensive tackle out of North Carolina Central. He's 6'4, 304, and was signed as a free agent by the Rams but then cut on August 5th. His Pro Day stats are as follows:
He ran a 5.03 40, 1.75 10-yard split, 4.99 short shuttle, 7.76 3-cone drill; recorded a 25" vertical jump, 8'07" broad jump, and pushed out 24 reps on the bench press.
According to RamView, a Rams' blog (and their sources are listed as Pro Football Weekly 2011 Draft Guide, NFLDraftScout.com, North Carolina Central Athletic site, NFL Draft Bible, DraftNasty.com, Durham Herald-Sun, Top End Sports):
Positives: Has unique combination of size and quickness. 10-yard split as good as Corey Liuget's or Nick Fairley's. Prototypical size for a Tampa-2 scheme defensive tackle. Rams think he's the ideal size for a 4-3 DT. Above average range. Can line up anywhere on the line. Intelligent. Caused problems for offenses at his level of play. Drew interest from several NFL teams.
Negatives: Drop in productivity his senior year. Needs to play more consistently from down to down. NFL Combine jumping marks indicate average at best explosiveness. Three-cone drill time was abysmal, which could mean he has poor agility, poor body control, poor flexibility, poor change of direction, or poor balance. Or that he ran the drill on a slick floor. If he's 287, he could probably stand to add 10 pounds, and he needs to get stronger either way. Plays at a level of competition where there's barely any freaking scouting information available.
There you have it. You can see a video profile of White here if you are intrigued. Two more guys to watch tonight.