NFL: Carlos Dunlap to Enter 2010 NFL Draft
It comes as no surprise that after his legal issues that junior defensive end Carlos Dunlap is forgoing his final year of eligibility at the University of Florida and entering the 2010 NFL draft. Dunlap is considered one of the top defensive end prospects in the country and is expected to be a first round pick.
Prior to his DWI arrest Dunlap spent most of the season atop a lot of draft boards. He was once considered to potentially be the top pick in the draft and prior to his arrest was the consensus top defensive end prospect in the nation. Dunlap is still considered to be a top 10 talent but it is expected that his arrest may scare some teams off causing them to opt for the safer “character” guys in Derrick Morgan and Jason Pierre-Paul.
What makes Dunlap so attractive is he has the speed and quickness to play in a 4-3 defense and the size to able to play end in a 3-4 scheme. At just under 6′ 6″ and 300 pounds he has the prototypical size teams look for in defensive ends. He is extremely athletic and versatile and the Gators often lined him up at different spots along the line to leverage the best matchup for Dunlap. He basically has all of the physical skills teams look for, however, he had a reputation at Florida for being inconsistent and a bit immature.
Dunlap is going to be a true wild card in this draft. If he does all the right things between now and the combine and interviews well with prospective teams he could still go towards the top of the draft because his physical abilities are that great. But, if he does not interview all that well and teams think he has not learned from his mistakes he will fall to the middle of the first round a-la Warren Sapp when rumors of a positive drug test got out just days before the draft.
He could go as high as fifth to the Kansas City Chiefs who need a pass rushing end out of their 3-4 alignment.
Al Davis has never been one to shy away from problem children and he could sneak into the 8th spot where Oakland currently resides.
If things go as expected and teams become gun shy over his character issues then look for him to end up some place like Tennessee or Atlanta, who pick 16th and 19th respectively, who both have needs for a play-maker at the defensive end spot.
