Phins Draft: Jerry Tillery Could Be A Steal

Jerry Tillery would be a perfect fit in Flores’ amorphous defense

Jerry Tillery could be a complete steal after a trade back

Three years ago PFF touted 6’6” 310 lb Defensive Tackle Chris Jones in the lead up to the draft. Last Season Jones came into his own notching 15.5 sacks. This year PFF is just as high on Notre Dame 6’6” 295 lbs DT Jerry Tillery…

… maybe even higher.

Some swear by PFF, some scoff … most opinions of their work are somewhere in between.

But, hand it to PFF on this one however you slice it. Before the 2018 Season started they called Jones a secret superstar here. Jones had 6.5 sacks in 2017, but the explosion he had last season was a geometric increase in production.

They nailed it.

Even before getting drafted by the Chiefs in the 2nd Round, PFF rated him a Top 10 talent and ranked him the 2nd DT in the class. No one else agreed. The Chiefs grabbed Jones with the 39th pick with was more in line with NFLDraftScout.com who had him ranked as the 48th best prospect.

D-line players taken before Jones in 2016

San Diego Chargers, DE Joey Bosa #3
San Francisco 49ers, DE DeForest Buckner #7
New Orleans Saints, DT Sheldon Rankins #12
Buffalo Bills, DE Shaq Lawson #19
Green Bay Packers, DT Kenny Clark #27
Arizona Cardinals, DT Robert Nkemdiche #29
Carolina Panthers, DT Vernon Butler #30
Cleveland Browns, DE Emmanuel Ogbah #32
Tennessee Titans, DE Kevin Dodd #33

Only four Defensive Line players have current grades that range around Jones. Based on value, Jones was taken five Linemen too late.

Jerry Tillery is being compared to Jones and is being billed as a Top 10 talent by PFF.

PFF, “The scary thing is, that between Jones and Tillery, the latter tested out as a far superior athlete. Tillery bested Jones 40-yard dash (4.93 vs 5.03), vertical (32.0” vs 29.5”), broad (9-7 vs 8-10) and short shuttle (4.33 vs 4.62) while barely losing in the 3-cone (7.45 vs 7.44).”

Because of a deep defensive line draft, teams needing other position filled, and the quarterback crazy that may have 3-5 of them taken in the 1st Round, Miami can easily land Tillery at #13… and likely if they trade back into the bottom end of the draft.

If they can acquire extra picks and Tillery (as long as PFF nails it), this would be stellar returns with the 13th overall.

I’ve been watching Common Man Football for some time. His approach to analytics is straightforward and easy to digest. He matches up college stats and combine results with the averages of All-Pro, Pro Bowl, and starters.

His analytics don’t project the same height as PFF… but they indicate substantial production at a Pro Bowl level from the D-tackle position.

Tillery Analytics

With both PFF and Common Man Football’s analytics combined with the tape on Tillery, it’s a good bet with the pay per head services like AcePerHead.com he’ll be at the very least a solid pick.

Highlights by SJ Sports

The modern game is focused on pass rush from the A Gap

In the modern game, the interior pass rush is more crucial than ever. Seven-step drops have gone the way of the dinosaur and even five steps drops are diminishing. Because of this emphasis on quick passing, the outside pass rush is less critical—especially against the quarterbacks adept at climbing the pocket. This is one reason Brian Flores moved on from Cameron Wake and Robert Quinn.

PFF had Tillery the highest pass rusher grade despite ‘only’ being the 3rd ranked interior player statistically. Beyond Tillery’s 48 total pressures, he also had 32 one-on-one wins that didn’t result in pressure. In essence, he was near unblockable without a double team on passing downs.

Given this potential and Flores’ desire to move players all over the front, Tillery fills a ton of roles as a DE in the base, 3-4 End, or a base and 3rd Down DT.

With interior linemen like Tillery, Lawrence, or maybe even Wilkens sitting at the bottom of the 1st Round, a trade back is even more enticing than in many previous drafts. Go Phin!!!