2012 NFL Draft Prospect of the Day: Illinois DE Whitney Mercilus

Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus had a fantastic breakout junior season, one that is very fitting to his last name. He was a ferocious pass rusher and absolutely dominated most anyone that stood in his way. He is slated to be a first or second round pick in the coming draft, and he is our prospect of the day. Here are Jesse’s thoughts on Mercilus:

"There is a lot to  like about Mercilus, but he still has some ways to go before he’s contributing on a consistent basis at the N.F.L. level. It’s remarkable how many plays he makes because sometimes it looks like he is playing slow, but that’s to be expected 2011 is the first season in which he really has seen significant time on the field and being relied on, the more he plays the more comfortable he will be. When he commits to rushing the passer pre-snap you can see how explosive he can be coming off the edge. His best feature is clearly his ability to play with a consistent leverage and his active use of his hands. I think he lacks the fluid and athleticism to drop back into coverage and play outside linebacker in a 34 at the N.F.L. level and I hope a team doesn’t draft him expecting that, but it’s possible they will. I hope he gets a chance to play Defensive end because I think he can be a pretty good RDE for a 43 team. He has pretty good bulk for a guy his size and I think he could even add more to his frame, to help him anchor against the run, but even if he doesn’t he can be a pretty good N.F.L. player and early in his rookie season can be counted on to be a situational pass rusher."