If he runs in the 4.5 range at the combine like he says he can, I think he'll vault up to the top of the draft boards.
Very similar situation w/Ronnie Brown in 2005, you only heard mostly about Cadillac Williams up until Ronnie blew everyone away at the combine.
He's going to rack up pretty good #'s and with Holliday, Rodrique Wright, Roth and maybe Chase Page, I really don't see a true 3-4 DE as a pressing #1 overall pick type of need.
There's no true 3-4 NT available in that slot; I'm not sold on Dorsey's ability to play it coming from an UT spot in a 4-3 defense at LSU.
I think Gholston comes in somewhere betwee DeMarcus Ware and Shawn Merriman and could play either OLB spot in our 3-4, though probably better suited for the strongside as we still have Porter who thrived as the weakside OLB in Pittsburgh, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Quentin Moses get some looks on the weakside as well in due time.
A lot of forecasters had projected him as a 3-4 OLB in last year's draft.
With Porter/Moses and Gholston I think you see the equivalent pass-rushing ablities of Vrabel and A. Thomas in NE, and Shaun Phillips and Shawn Merriman in SD.
That's what I envision at least.
Chris Long just doesn't strike me as the hybrid type that Jason Taylor currently plays for us, nor do I think he'll make that drastic of an impact in the NFL as a pure 3-4 DE.
Obviously, as you say, if we could trade down 3-5 spots and still get Gholston, I'm all for that, but I still like Gholston at #1 overall if he really proves his #'s at the combine and pro day workouts.
Click to expand...