strato

My pick is a safe one...

Lamarr Houston


Pass rush: Extremely agile for a 300-pounder and works relentlessly to reach the quarterback. Gets under the shoulder of his man if lined up in the gap or slanting. Beats most cut blocks with quickness and strong hands and is able to recover from initial stalemate to get after the passer. Good backfield awareness. Gets his hands up to deflect passes, though his height and length leave something to be desired. Dangerous on twists inside. Short arms cause him to work harder to get off blocks against top-level guards. Must improve pass-rush moves.

Run defense: Excellent pursuit down the line. Upper body and hands are strong enough for him to pull down ballcarriers while engaged with blockers. Regularly lines up at the five-technique, standing his ground against larger linemen using a strong punch and leverage. Stays square to the line, able to move laterally while engaged. Lacks the bulk play inside on run downs at the next level.

Explosion: Has a good first step, but not elite first-step quickness. Lines up with two hands down so often he must prove to scouts he can get off quickly from the three-technique; his ability to penetrate on slants shows he's capable. Gets his hands into a blocker's jersey quickly and pushes them back using leverage and brute strength.

Strength: Massive upper body. Should wow teams pumping bench-press reps at the Combine. Plays strong and has a good punch with violent hands to disengage. Uses low center of gravity to keep leverage against the run. Holds up larger lineman and double teams but will be engulfed by larger NFL linemen, unable to disengage when head-up.

Tackling: Very strong tackler, comes with aggression and does not let go once in contact with the ballcarrier. Agile enough to get through trash inside. Good flexibility and strength to bring down backs coming through the hole. Good burst to the quarterback once through the line. Does not break down in space and lacks the change-of-direction skills to capture elusiveness quarterbacks and running backs, but will chase them down with hustle and good straight-line speed.

Intangibles: Very competitive. Has an above-average motor and is willing to play hurt. Generally quiet, but took over vocal defensive line leadership role as a senior. Suspended for one game in 2008 after DWI arrest. Parents are

Lamarr Houston, Texas, NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com