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| Youngstown State's Derek Rivers |
Trying to figure out who New England Patriots' head ball coach and general manager Bill Belichick is going to select with his draft picks is like attempting to predict all six Powerball numbers - in exact sequence, while training a moose to fill out complicated tax forms - but on Friday night, our prognosticators nailed Belichick's top pick with freakish accuracy:
3rd Round (72nd overall) - Derek Rivers, DE/OLB, Youngstown State6' 4", 245 lbs
At 6' 4" and 245 pounds, Rivers is more suited for an off-the-line role, and there are some that even liken him to a Jamie Collins-like talent. The precursors are all there, freakish athletic ability, able to bend the corner either from a standing position or with his hand in the dirt.
What makes Rivers unique is a rare second gear after making initial contact with the right tackle, giving him the speed-to-power ability to blow past most bookends, and has the natural body placement to make it easy for him to shed and disengage from his mirror to force an outside rush or screen to the sidelines - though not bulky enough to set a steadfast edge, he can hold the fort until help arrives. - Foxborough Free Press, April 26, 2017
Derek Rivers is a name that doesn't cause the light to come on when speaking of elite athleticism and edge talent in college football, and many can't tell you where Youngstown State University is - which makes it a sure bet that Belichick is all over the young defensive end, who at first glance looks like the second coming of Jamie Collins.
Youngstown State is located almost exactly between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, just a couple of miles inside the Ohio border, their football team playing in the Missouri Valley Conference for which Rivers broke the all-time records for tackles for loss and sacks, and did so in three seasons, playing both as a base end and as a stand up edge rusher.
In the Prog's article above, Rivers is compared to Jamie Collins in athletic ability, while NFL.com's Mike Mayock calls him a "rich man's Jaball Sheard", meaning that he has the potential to be better than the one-time Patriot.
Only time will tell, but for now, the Patriots' Prognosticators can celebrate nailing the elusive Belichick draft pick...
