Wallace Gilberry DE 6’3 267 Alabama

After a redshirt year, Gilberry had a very good freshman season with 28 tackles, 13 for loss, and 6.5 tackles for loss. He only had 1.5 sacks a year later, but he was more active, finishing with 37 tackles, ten for loss. As a junior last year, he had 43 tackles, 10.5 for loss, and 3.5 sacks. Gilberry bounced back from those two mediocre seasons to have an amazing senior season finishing with 72 tackles, 22 for loss, and nine sacks.

Gilberry is a strong, tough, active defensive end. He has a compact build, is tough to move off the line of scrimmage, and is a real threat against the run from his end spot. He can take on blocks and get off to make the play. He shows the quickness off the snap to get initial penetration and his desire and intensity allow him to finish off a lot of plays.

Gilberry will probably not be much of a pass rusher in the NFL. He lacks the change of direction ability to beat tackles and does not have the pure speed to run by tackles or close on the quarterback. His size is also a question mark. He is not the short side for an end, and may have maxed out his frame.

Gilberry’s potential seems limited in the NFL. He does not have the playmaking ability to be a pass rusher off the edge, but he is a quality run stopper. There aren’t too many teams looking for 260lb run stoppers though. If he can pack on some weight, he may be able to play end in a 3-4 defense or possibly move inside to a tackle position. His toughness and tenacity should allow him to land a spot on a team, but he looks like a day two pick at this point.