Cincinnati Bengals Select Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson 2012 NFL Draft

With the 93rd pick in the 2012 NFL draft, the Cincinnati Bengals have selected Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson

Here is our report on Thompson:

Pros:

Great initial quickness

Very strong at point of attack

Team Leader

Disrupts line of scrimmage and demands attention, freeing up others

Can play in both a 4-3 or as a NT in a 3-4

Very consistent

 Great motor

Uses his hands well

Cons:

 Will not sack the quarterback a lot

Does not bat down many passes

Does not force many fumbles

 Hasn’t beaten a lot of the double teams he’s faced this year to make plays

Not super productive in 2011, more of a eat up blockers and clean up what’s left kind of player

Could be over-drafted because the DT position is weaker than last year

Player Comparison:           Marcus Stroud

 Round Projection:               2nd round

Summary:

Just like Marcus Stroud he will impact many games but will not have great stats.  He has great initial quickness and pushes the line back causing the OL and RB to key on him; and allow others to benefit from the attention he demands.  He will be a key part to many teams run defense.  He is also able to play in a 3-4 as a NT though probably is a better fit in a 4-3.  The easy sum up of Thompson is “good run stuffer, average pass rusher”.

NFLmocks preseason bio

Big nose tackle prospect who played on an extremely talented defensive line last year, but with Jarvis Jenkins and Da’Quan Bowers moved on to the NFL, he will assume a much larger role on a pretty young Clemson defense. As a junior, he tallied a whopping 56 tackles to go along with 6.5 for a loss and one sack. He also hurried the quarterback 15 times, so he made  the most of the talented defensive line. Last year, he was quite an opportunist, and when he leaves Clemson, he will have a lot of games started under his belt provided he can stay healthy. The question becomes whether or not Thompson can break through to the next level this year. Can he become a dominant force on a much less talented, or at least experienced defensive line and stand out on his own? Some have him rated as the top senior defensive tackle available in this year’s draft, and that could wind up being so. The key for Thompson is that he is opportunistic while opening plays for others, meaning he will take on double teams and clean up what’s left. He could fit in the NFL in either a 3-4 or 4-3 system, though he is doing quite well in the latter.

Pick Grade: A

This is a fantastic value pick for the Bengals, who also got another defensive tackle earlier in Devon Still. Very solid second day values for the Bengals here, who are winning the draft in my opinion.