Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine made the journey to South Carolina on Wednesday to attend the Gamecocks pro day. Their eyes were firmly fixed on Melvin Ingram who again showed why he is an elite talent at the OLB spot in the 3-4 and why he will have numerous teams interested come draft day.
The more I watch, the more I hear and the more I think about it, Melvin may be a better pass rushing prospect thatn Coples in, although most seem to think that Coples will be the first guy off the board. Coples more suited to a 4-3 DE and he can even move inside to play a little tackle too. Melvin much more suited to the 3-4 standing backer in space.
On to his pro day, I have read 3-4 accounts from scouts, draft experts in attendance and spoken to one scout specifically about Ingram and all came away saying the same thing. The guy is going to be a handful at the next level. ESPN currently have him with a 94 draft grade which is elite, and Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine saw first hand why that it.
I think most are already aware that he has violent hands and knows how to get after the quarterback. However everyone wanted to know how he would hold up in space. By all account he was fluid changing direction, he showed excellent balance and footwork in drills and tests. Showed an ability to track and make plays on the ball in coverage. He had already showed he had the ability to shed blockers easily.
All this translates into a top talent. Melvin performed extremely well on tape, at the combine and now at his pro day. There are no illusions here and the team that does end up grabbing him will be getting a fantastic player. His arm length was measured 29.7 which is shorter than he was measured at the combine and very short for a player at his position, but measuarables don't matter when you show up on game day.