Skip to content
Eagles
Link copied to clipboard

Penn State's Odrick turning heads at Senior Bowl

MOBILE, Ala. - During practice for Saturday's Senior Bowl, Penn State defensive tackle Jared Odrick got his practice jersey caught in a tackling dummy and nearly had his shirt ripped off.

Jared Odrick is the highest-rated defensive tackle at the Senior Bowl. (Carolyn Kaster/AP file photo)
Jared Odrick is the highest-rated defensive tackle at the Senior Bowl. (Carolyn Kaster/AP file photo)Read more

MOBILE, Ala. - During practice for Saturday's Senior Bowl, Penn State defensive tackle Jared Odrick got his practice jersey caught in a tackling dummy and nearly had his shirt ripped off.

But Odrick kept right on chugging and finished the exercise.

"The fact that he's got a great motor and had great production in college is his highest testament," said Mike Mayock, a draft analyst for the NFL Network. "He's got great size, his motor runs all the time, and he's smart and tough. It will be tough for some of those teams at the end of the first round to pass on him."

The Eagles have one of those late first-round picks in the draft, which begins April 22. They hold the No. 24 selection, and there has been a lot of speculation that the team will address an aging defense in the draft. There are needs at free safety, strong-side linebacker and defensive end, but if Odrick is the best player available left on the Eagles' board, the native of Lebanon, Pa., could find himself in Philadelphia.

"Today was the first day I've spoken to someone from the Eagles," Odrick said Monday. "So it's way too early to speculate. After talking to them, I don't feel they're more interested in me than any other team that I've spoken to."

If the 6-foot-5, 301-pound Odrick is the highest-rated defensive tackle at the Senior Bowl, there are a few others who are comparable. Tennessee's Dan Williams and Alabama's Terrence Cody, at 329 and a whopping 370 pounds, respectively, are viewed as two-gap run-stoppers. Odrick, while not as big, is more versatile.

"What I like about him is that he'll fit in both schemes," Mayock said. "Four-three teams will look at him as a defensive tackle and 3-4 teams might say he'll be a nose [tackle] or a defensive end. All 32 NFL teams look at him and say he can fit somewhere on our defensive line."

Over the last few seasons, the Eagles have increasingly moved their ends to tackle on passing downs. Starting tackles Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley combined for only 21/2 sacks last season. Both are solid run-stoppers, but they were part of an Eagles run defense that surrendered 377 yards to the Dallas Cowboys in the last two games.

The 22-year-old Odrick is considered a tackle who is good at stopping the run and rushing the passer, but is not great at either. He tallied 43 tackles last season, with seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss, and was named Big Ten defensive player of the year by the league's coaches. He could have left for the pros after an equally successful junior season, but he felt he needed an extra year.

"Getting another year under my belt, I felt I played that much better my senior year," said Odrick, who missed half of his sophomore season with a broken ankle. "Looking back, I can't really complain about the [draft] grade I got my junior year. I definitely think it was the right decision."

Penn State, always known for developing pro-caliber linebackers, has had recent success with its defensive linemen in the NFL. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson has had six all-Americans in the last 10 years under his stewardship and has five products on pro rosters.

Odrick is considered the third- or fourth-best tackle in this class. Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh and Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy could go first and second overall.

If the Eagles are looking to draft a defensive end to complement Trent Cole, one who could play immediately, he is probably not at the Senior Bowl.

The top-rated end is Georgia Tech's Derrick Morgan, a graduate of Coatesville High. Florida's Carlos Dunlap and Southern Cal's Everson Griffen also could be gone by the time the Eagles pick.

Odrick would be considered a solid, if not spectacular, selection. After the Nittany Lions' Capital One Bowl win over LSU, he flew straight to Atlanta and began workouts with trainer Chip Smith. He will head back to Georgia after Saturday's game to resume training and will take part in next's month scouting combine in Indianapolis.

If he has to improve on how he disengages from blocks, as Mayock suggested, Odrick may want to wear a tighter jersey.

"We were running 'shedding' drills," Odrick said. "I guess the only thing I shed was my shirt."