My Vernon Gholston Analysis

Seeing as Vernon Gholston’s name is listed as the first alternate for the #1 overall pick next Saturday I thought it would be worth it for me to give my analysis. Now, as far as a player preference I like Chris Long and then Dorsey, both are very fine players and would love to have them on our team. However, as I stated in my Jake Long analysis, this is not about my personal preferences. I know you can’t wait to read this sniveling dribble and then poke holes in it like the “Al Gore invented the internet” theory.

As a caveat I should mention that where I live I get to see a great many Big 10 games, rather than the very few I get for the ACC, Big East etc. Therefore, even though I was asked to do an analysis of Chris Long, I just don’t have the tape to a valid post like this. I have contacted Pontel to see if I can get more game tapes (I only have 2 games for him), but as of yet I have had no reply. If I get the time and the tapes I will try to get it done, but it takes time and my wife will get pissed at this eventually.

Vernon Gholston is a physical specimen to say the least. He obviously has spent time in the weight room, in case no one noticed. However, I would like to “loosen up” a bit, as he appears to be too muscle bound. Now, I’m not saying that muscular means static, or immobile or anything. I really like my athletes to have a certain natural “looseness” about them, much like a boxers do. They don’t need to be ripped, or maxed out in terms of diet. Rather I’d have them carry a little more body fat, and have a slightly smoother look than Gholston carries. Football players often lose weight as the season goes on, especially with 16 games instead of 12. I just worry that the extra work will cause his body to breakdown if he doesn’t allow it to have a more naturally cut look. I realize that to many I am splitting hairs here, but IMO things like this count and need to be considered and measured. I hope I made my point here, and that everyone knows what I mean with the term ‘loose”. I just fear that he is too tightly wound for his own long term health in the league.

Gholston’s game is about explosive, attacking football. He is a physically dominant player on the college level, who manhandled many an OT. He is superb fast twitch athlete. However, he is a little stiff in the hips. Now he is not on the same level as Jake, but when compared with someone like Quentin Groves, Gholston’s hips let him down. He doesn’t just flip his hips like an Ernie Simms or Kamerion Wimbley when asked to change direction and move back after moving forward. (Moving forward will be brought up again soon) If Vernon is in full attack mode he doesn’t have the ability to stop on a dime and retreat from whence he came. What Vernon will do, is have to collect himself a little and then get moving. Gholston is in all honesty a downhill player; he does best when he is asked to come forward and attack, not to drop back and read and react. Gholston is also raw in terms of football experience so diagnosing plays seems to take longer. Misdirection, backside screens after faking strong side, reverses etc. will give him trouble at least initially. However, I don’t think he is unintelligent, or an average student of the game. To me it is just that at present, he is living off God’s work instead of his own. Gholston is very fast in a straight line, but he is not great in changing directions vertically (forward then back). Laterally he is adequate although he does need to gather himself a little more than you’d like. That may be a technique problem that may need to be worked on, as to me he doesn’t have great movement with his feet. What I mean by that is that he can run fast, but he is a straight line guy who because of his somewhat slow feet may not be able to plant and change direction quickly. Essentially, it might lead to him taking one more step to gather himself than a more agile player. But that extra step can hurt you in football, especially an OLB. Don’t get me wrong, Gholston can fly off the edge, and IMO is better standing up than down in a stance. Just don’t ask him to cover anyone one on one.

Because he is a little stiff in the hips, it affects his coverage ability in my view. He won’t be asked to man up on anyone soon, I can promise. If he is asked to drop into a hook zone or to watch the flat/wheel route by the TE he’ll probably do O.K. However, if you are dropping this man into coverage you are wasting his talent. With Vernon, it is best to have outside and operate in “space” (not with his hand in the ground) rather than have line up as strictly a DE. From what I’ve seen he doesn’t have the necessary experience, savvy, or pass rush repertoire to do it every down. In college he could physically beat many of the OT’s across from him. The NFL has some physical specimens playing LT too. He could do it in certain alignments, if you put him in a 3-4 ROLB spot with a DE playing man up on the OT you might have the recipe for Gholston to come off the edge without having to take on the OT firsthand. This will help him as he doesn’t have one great pass rush move that can consistently fall back on. Now, that has advantages in terms of falling into a rut like Dan Connor, who has only one pass rush move; the arm over. But, it also means he doesn’t have a solid base from which to expand a repertoire, as he still has to make it. A coach will have to put a lot of work in with him on these aspects if he is to ever really take off. It’s the little things that separate guys at this level IMO, everyone is a physical specimen compared to 98% of the population give or take.

Really, you want Gholston as a pass rushing ROLB in the 3-4. Playing him on the strong side will not allow him to play to his strengths. Having him setting the edge on running plays to the strong side would be a mistake IMO. Having him moonlight at the position would help give him more opportunities, but putting him there full time would be a mistake. Vernon just does not use his hands well enough to play the LOLB in the 3-4 on a consistent basis IMO. He will get eaten alive by the mauling RT’s the NFL can trot out there. He has the strength to do it, just not the technique. From what I’ve seen of him his use of his hands will be the biggest thing he has to do. That, and just get more time on the field so that is football acumen will increase.

Gholston’s best attribute is his first step, it is explosive to say the least. He loves to use it to attack his opponents. However, Gholston prefers to drive up field almost too much and becomes too reliant on physical gifts in his pass rushing. The sack he got against Jake Long is a classic example, he could have gotten inside of Jake much, much earlier if he had simply used his left arm to push on Long’s inside shoulder. Long was essentially off balance after his third kick slide step. But Gholston didn’t seize the opportunity he had created for himself. He had pressed the outside successfully, leaving the tackle essentially beaten like he “actually” was on the play. But, if Vernon just planted that outside foot, set his base, and used his hands and the OT’s backward movement to gain position, he could have Henne with half the effort IMO. On that play Gholston had what most pass rusher want; the chance to really embarrass the LT and just blindside the QB. This play to me is what I mean by Gholston just getting on the field more. He needs to play another 2-3 years of football against high caliber opponents to reach his ceiling IMO. If he had stayed in school another year, it really may have allowed him to grow in terms of technique, and football acumen.

The Long play brings me to another point about Gholston’s game. He is not a technician by any means. That will hurt him as I have said, but not being a technician or even technically proficient leaves at a distinct disadvantage in the “mind games” dept. I rarely see him really set a guy up throughout the course of the game. He doesn’t counter well, and really needs to improve the use of his hands. He doesn’t do nearly enough with his 33 1/8” arms to redirect and apply pressure to the inside shoulder of the OT. He could be much more effective he had a consistent rip/swim/arm over response to being stoned on the outside speed rush, or just to vary his game. If he did ad a consistent inside move he could be deadly, I mean just deadly. If you get the situation whereby he can come somewhat clean onto a back in pass pro, well then,……I’m still laughing. He’d eat many backs alive with his upper body strength and just sheer speed at which he comes off the edge. He beat up Mike Hart on more than a few occasions and he isn’t a guy who’s afraid to stick his head in.

In Gholston, you get a raw kid who needs to be projected not just in terms of position but as far as where his ceiling will be. He can grow a great deal, but because he has so much to work on he can just be overwhelmed if not coached effectively. If he gets used as a 4-3 DE by someone I think he’ll have higher chance of being a flop. Having him in space without his hand in the ground is the best way to use him IMO. He just doesn’t have the hand technique to be that close to an OT right from the start. Too many OT’s would just be able to get their hands on him and redirect him, especially against the run. There is no way Gholston could be relied on to set the edge as a DE in a 4-3. No way does he have the base for that. He is a 3-4 guy all the way IMO, and a raw one at that. But this is my take; he just might be the most physically gifted player in terms of potential, but he has some serious growing to do. He should have stayed in school one more year, to hone is game in terms of hand use etc. He was already physically dominant just on natural talent. If he had polished his game a little, there would be no question IMO would be a serious candidate for #1 overall. If this guy ever gets to know what his hands are for, I as a GM, would be too afraid to pass on him seeing as I might have to face him one day.

That’s the way I see it , so now have at it and enjoy a late night snack of dim witted musings ala Conuficus; Confucious’s second cousin twice removed on his mother’s side.

Thanks for reading guys.

 

Thanks man.

I just really question his abiliy to set the edge against the run. IMO if left at DE he will just die there, he doesn't have the technique to play the hand fight game.

 

As long as you guys keep reading, I'll keep doing it.

I know it is a vicious cycle I know

 

Yeah he would, he can chase around guys and help on the run. but primarily he would just be there to cause havoc anyway he could. He can be moved around too, but he has to get stronger at the POA IMO.

I posted a stat the other day that he was invovled in 35 plays against the run for -46 yards I think.