Scouting Report: It's not every year an athlete like Dunlap comes along. He's got a speed/size combination that reminds many of Mario Williams. The comparison is absolutely valid. Dunlap is huge with a massive wingspan, and is much faster than a 290lb should be. Much of the criticism around Dunlap centers around his lack of technique and questionable effort. If I recall, Mario Williams had many of the same criticisms. What cannot be denied is Dunlap is a matchup nightmare for offensive tackles. and when he's on, he's as disruptive a player as you will see.
Draft Status: The two things you have to account for with Dunlap are triangle numbers which will be impressive, and his potential which seems to be limitless. Then you balance that with his football acumen which seems to be low and his effort with hasn't been consistent. I think some team will jump all over the first two and hope they can fix the second two. Like him or not, he's almost certainly a first round pick, especially with a big offseason.
Final Analysis: I am not as critical of Dunlap as many. Haven't been all year. And in the past few weeks my patience as paid off. Dunlap over the past month as really improved, showing more variety in his pass rush moves, more strength in the run game, better tackling and just more awareness of the game, which allows him to use that athleticism to his advantage. If he can continue to build on the momentum he's had the past few weeks, he'll improve his draft stock greatly. He obviously has to improve in some of the technical areas of his game, but I am seeing improvement every week.
Reminds me of: Mario Williams, DE Houston Texans-Dunlap has every bit of the size and speed and athletic ability Williams had coming out of college. Williams proved to be a very hard worker in the NFL and has grown his ability into those measurables. Dunlap will need to do the same.
Subscribe to DBI's News Feed
