Chicago Bears Draft Scout: Dorance Armstrong

Could Dorance Armstrong be a mid round fit for the Chicago Bears?

Dorance Armstrong was a strong signing for Kansas on the edge coming out of high school. He was able to get on the field and start the final five games of his freshman year. As a sophomore, he blew up and forced 10 sacks. However, he came back down to earth as a junior, and finished with just 1.5 sacks as a junior. Was the sophomore year an anomaly or is he the risk worth taking in the middle rounds?

Measurables:

Strengths

Dorance Armstrong is a long armed individual who knows how to use his length to help his pass rush. He is able to maintain separation from lineman and can churn out a variety of pass rushing moves from the jump. The combination of length, foot work and pass rushing moves gives a higher ceiling than players who will get drafted a head of him.

Armstrong also plays with strong determination and has shown the ability to sift through traffic to fight against the run, as shown in the play below. Armstrong is also able to use his length to get into the ball carrier early and jar the ball free as Armstrong brings him down.

Weaknesses

Dorance Armstrong spent a lot of time with his hand down, but due to his frame, he will likely have to find some time off of the ball and in space. There were moments in which he looked comfortable in space, as shown above, but most of his impact plays were made in the backfield. With his lack of size comes a lack of strength and balance that can see him on the ground more than you would like.

He also tends to rely on his physical traits, and is not rushing with a plan. While he has a variety of moves to choose from, he still needs to learn how string moves together, and stem moves off of each other.