Purdue product loves to train and watch film
ASHBURN – Purdue defensive coordinator Gary Emanuel rattled off the impressive list: Ray Edwards, Anthony Spencer, Shaun Phillips, Rosevelt Colvin, Akin Ayodele. All Purdue defensive linemen he once coached, all playing in the NFL.
Emanuel said the latest addition, Redskins first-round pick Ryan Kerrigan, tops them all in one area.
“The one thing that separates him from the other guys who have come through here is that he has a tremendous, relentless motor, a nonstop motor, and that’s the one thing that pushed him over the edge,” Emanuel said.
Naturally, Emanuel is going to be high on his former player. That’s to be expected. But in his one season with Kerrigan, Emanuel saw enough to be impressed. It wasn’t the stats, though he finished with 33.5 career sacks; it was Kerrigan’s approach.
And given the players he has coached in the past, Emanuel knows the blueprint. No player is a guaranteed success, but Emanuel likes Kerrigan’s base.
“The thing about Ryan is that he loves everything about football,” he said. “He loves to train; some guys don’t like to lift or train or study film or play hard all the time. He does all those things. There are no chinks in his armor.”
He called Kerrigan a “sponge” in meetings. Kerrigan watched film like an NFL player must, seeking clues from opposing linemen as to what they might be doing. It could be the way a tackle kicked out at the snap. Anything to find an edge. Emanuel said he constantly asked him to help him improve his hands or his footwork.
Before the draft, Emanuel and some of the other Purdue defensive coaches worked with him on linebacker and even secondary drills to improve his coverage skills.
“He had a thirst for knowledge,” Emanuel said. “And most defensive linemen at the college level could only tell you about their position. He could put the whole defense up and draw up the linebackers and the secondary.”
Emanuel raved about Kerrigan’s hands and his ability to stay low when rushing. But the question is can Kerrigan adjust to playing a 3-4 outside linebacker after playing a 4-3 end at Purdue? Emanuel said they often had Kerrigan work on dropping into coverage in practice. Rarely did that happen in games — with good reason.
“The biggest reason we didn’t drop him is because he was so good rushing the passer,” Emanuel said. “But he could do it easily because he’s a smart player. He’s a complete player.”
One scout agreed with Emanuel.
“It’s very, very overrated and overblown of 3-4 outside linebackers having to drop and cover,” the scout said. “Ninety percent of the time they’re rushing the quarterback, and that’s something this guy can do. He’s not a one-trick pony.”
For more information on the Redskins’ draft, visit the Redskins Confidential blog.
