Jerel Worthy, Junior, Defensive Tackle, Michigan State
Overview:
Jerel Worthy turned into a pleasant surprise for Michigan State during his redshirt freshman season. Despite his inexperience, the 6-3, 305 pound tackle played consistently and earned 11 starts. His 9.0 tackles-for-loss and 4.5 sacks were both second best on the Spartans. As a result, Worthy was on just about everybody’s first-team Freshman All-American squad or at least the Big Ten All-Freshman team.
Worthy was equally impressive during his sophomore campaign. He struggled through much of the season with a hyperextended knee, but he never missed a start and still performed admirably. On a front four that lacked consistency or a major pass rushing threat on the end, Worthy did his part to make the opposing quarterback’s life a little less easy. On the year Worthy totaled 8.0 tackles-for-loss and a team high 4.0 sacks.
Final Projection:
Worthy is extremely strong and usually has no trouble pushing around Big Ten offensive lineman. With his combination of size and strength, he looks the part of an NFL defensive tackle. Worthy has plenty of experience and has proven to be a tough player who can fight through injuries and the NFL will certainly like those qualities. Right now he may be the best defensive tackle who will be draft eligible in 2012 and that could put Worthy in the top ten if he keeps impressing scouts while at Michigan State.
1/5/12 Update:
Following the abosultely dominate performance in the Outback Bowl against Georgia by the Michigan State front four, Worthy has opted to head to the NFL after his junior season. There are very few reasons for him not to be one of the top defensive tackles in this class. He will have to prove that he belongs in the first round at the NFL Combine and at other pre-draft workouts, but he has the tools to do it.
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