Vinny Curry, Senior, Defensive End, Marshall
Overview:
Vinny Curry was not always a standout performer at Marshall. During his freshman campaign he made seven appearances and accumulated just nine tackles. By his sophomore season Curry earned a starting job at defensive end and finished the season with 59 tackles, 8.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks.
It was as an upperclassman when Curry really made his mark. Curry continued to get pressure in the backfield and totaled 18.0 tackles-for-loss, 12.0 sacks and 16 quarterback hurries. Those are some very impressive numbers, but they do not tell the whole story. Curry also ranked second on the Thundering Herd with 94 tackles. That is a huge amount for a defensive end and his quickness and instincts means he can find whoever has the ball and make a play.
Final Projection:
At 6-5 and 252 pounds, Curry does not have the weight to play at the end spot on most NFL teams. However, he would be a great fit as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. Then Curry could use his speed and pass rushing skills to get to the quarterback or drop back and use his quickness and instincts to read the play and go make a tackle. Curry has another year to put up solid numbers at Marshall and could be one of the best defensive ends or rushing linebackers in the class of 2012.
1/5/12 Update:
Curry had a superb senior season and even when the opposition did everything they could to stop him, he still got to the quarterback. Curry has been adding weight and strength and that will likely keep him at the defensive end spot at the next level, although switching to a rush linebacker is certainly an option. Pending on how the workouts go leading up to the draft, Curry could fit as a rush linebacker in a 3-4 scheme or an end in a 4-3 scheme. That makes him draftable to every team out there and in that scenario he could sneak into the first round.
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