http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1689559/whitney-mercilus
Latest News
02/25/2012 - Only quarterbacks are in greater demand than pass rushers. In the 2012 draft class, the need outweighs the supply, pushing players such as Illinois' Whitney Mercilus and Nick Perry of Southern Cal up draft boards. Mercilus and Perry lack prototypical size, but both have the natural quickness and whatever-it-takes attitude. Both entered the NFL early after productive junior seasons. Both are expected to be selected in the top-50 picks and make a living collapsing the pocket in the NFL. They just have different stories and styles. Mercilus was a relative unknown entering the 2011 season with only two career sacks. But he shined as a junior and first-year starter last year, leading all of college football with 16 sacks, earning him All-American honors. Mercilus decided to capitalize on his breakout campaign and enter the 2012 NFL Draft as an early entry. "I was just able to put everything together," said Mercilus. "It was just due to hard work, that's all I have to accredit it to. Can't say I'm surprised, but it happened. I made it happen." With top production for only one season, teams must figure out whether Mercilus is a one-year wonder. That's a description Mercilus doesn't necessarily agree with and the connotation can be damning. It was applied to the FBS sacks leader Da'Quan Bowers out of Clemson, and he fell to the late second round. "I think it's a negative label. Once you have it, you have it," Mercilus said. One of the most impressive statistics by Mercilus from his prolific 2011 season was his nine forced fumbles, a mark that is second all-time in NCAA history. How does he explain his ability to strip the ball? "I just have a knack for it, I time it up right," he said. - Dane Brugler, NFLDraftScout.com
Full *Whitney Mercilus News Wire (http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/archive/1689559)
<table class="data" width="100%"><tbody><tr class="title"><td>Overview</td></tr><tr class="row1"><td>
A one-year starter, Whitney Mercilus was a two-star defensive line recruit out of high school, choosing Illinois over Cincinnati, Kansas, Purdue and Michigan State. After redshirting in 2008, he saw limited action as a reserve in 2009 as a redshirt freshman, finishing with 8 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack.
Mercilus saw more playing time in 2010 as a sophomore, recording 16 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack and 2 forced fumbles. He started all 13 games in 2011 and had his best season as a junior, finishing with a NCAA-best 16.0 sacks (tied school record) and 9 FF (second in NCAA history), adding a conference-high 22.5 tfl and 57 tkls. Mercilus earned first-team All-American and All-Big Ten honors and was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. Mercilus decided to capitalize on his breakout campaign and forego his senior season to enter the 2012 NFL Draft.
Mercilus entered this past season with just two career sacks, but he had a break out performance in 2011 as a first-year starter, leading the Big Ten in several categories and ranking among the tops in all of college football. He has adequate size and build, but lacks the frame to get much stronger and add bulk -- has long arms and big hands to create problems for blockers. Mercilus is still developing and is more of an athlete than polished pass rusher at this point, but he is a high effort player with a nonstop motor and simply finds ways to get to the backfield. He looks like a poor man's Aldon Smith and will be best used by a creative defensive coordinator who moves him around the defensive front -- a one-year performer, but has the make-up to be a top-40 pick.
</td></tr></tbody></table><table class="data" width="100%"><tbody><tr class="title"><td>Analysis</td></tr><tr class="row1"><td>
Pass rush: Very active and plays with top effort on every snap. Moves all around the defensive line, lining up off the edge and inside at defensive tackle. Has the natural speed to win the edge and closes in a flash. Attacks gaps and is a pesky rusher, finding ways to squirm into the backfield. Hard player to block cleanly. Plays with a fighting mentality and has the violent hand usage to battle through the trash and make the play. Hustle player with a nonstop motor. Tends to play high and doesn't worry much about technique or fundamentals. Still developing his snap anticipation and will jump offside at times.
Run defense: Lacks an obvious power element to his game and struggles to shed blocks on run plays. Doesn't consistently set the edge and will over run his responsibilities. Still developing his recognition skills and instincts. Struggles to consistently locate the ball and will get caught out of position at times.
Explosion: Fires off the snap with a first step burst that really stands out. A bit tight in the hips and straight-linish in his movements. Lacks great change-of-direction ability to explode laterally or smoothly redirect his momentum.
Strength: Has adequate build with very good length and overall measureables. Plays tough with the hand strength to rip the ball out and force fumbles. Lacks an ideal frame for the position and doesn't have the prototypical muscle definition. Lacks great bulk and doesn't have a lot of room to get much bigger.
Tackling: Physical in the trenches and doesn't try to avoid contact. Has long arms to wrap and wrestle ballcarriers to the ground. Takes pride in his ability to finish and complete tackles.
Intangibles: Has only one year of starting production under his belt, causing questions about being a "one year wonder" and was a relative unknown entering the 2011 season. Had above average production in 2011, leading the nation in sacks (16.0) and forced fumbles (9) and finishing second in tackles for loss (22.5) -- consistent production week-in and week-out as a junior in 2011. Decided to leave early to help his family financially (both his parents are immigrants from Haiti).--Dane Brugler
</td></tr></tbody></table><table class="data" width="100%"><tbody><tr class="title"><td>2011 Season</td></tr><tr class="row1"><td>Leads the nation and the Big Ten in sacks (13.5) and sacks per game (1.23), and leads the nation with eight forced fumbles … Has tied the Big Ten record and broken the Illinois mark with eight forced fumbles this season … Is sixth nationally in TFLs per game (1.75) … Had a sack and a forced fumble against Wiscosin on Nov. 19 … Posted three tackles, one forced fumble, one TFL, one QBH, and one sack against Michigan to move into sole possession of third place on the Illini single-season list for sacks … Recorded six tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble against Penn State, moving into a tie for third on Illinois' single-season sacks list … Had five tackles and 2 TFLs against Purdue … Against Ohio State, had a career-high nine tackles and recorded 1.5 sacks and reached double digits on the year … Had five solo tackles, 4.0 TFLs, 3.0 sacks and two forced fumbles in victory over Indiana … Had six tackles along with 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery in win over Northwestern … Recorded four tackles, a career-high three QB hurries and one sack against Western Michigan … Had five tackles, 2.0 sacks, one forced fumble, one PBU and one QB hurry in win over Arizona State … Had three solo tackles, 2.0 TFLs and a forced fumble against Arkansas State.
</td></tr></tbody></table>