Top Returning Big 12 Defensive Ends For 2017
With Kansas State’s Jordan Willis out of eligibility, there is a growing line of pass-rushing holdovers aiming to become the top defensive end in the Big 12 for 2017.
With Kansas State’s Jordan Willis out of eligibility, there is a growing line of pass-rushing holdovers aiming to become the top defensive end in the Big 12 for 2017.
With very few exceptions, the Big 12 won’t feature many three-down defensive ends in 2017, the type of complete edge lineman who stuffs the run as well as he hunts down quarterbacks. Instead, the Big 12 is a league comprised largely of situational pass rushers built more like outside linebackers than traditional NFL ends. Still, that’ll be small solace for league quarterbacks who’ll spend a portion of the upcoming season trying to dodge the oncoming pursuit of speedy defenders like Dorance Armstrong, Reggie Walker and Breckyn Hager.
Top Returning Big 12 Defensive Ends
5. Breckyn Hager, Texas
While Hager is not a traditional defensive end in the NFL glossary, no one in Austin is complaining about his production. The hard-charging 6-3, 227-pounder, who played the hybrid Fox position in the old regime, racked up 64 tackles and a team-high 13.5 stops for loss and six sacks as a sophomore. Hager plays the game with maximum speed and ferocity, a defensive catalyst who’ll run through a brick wall if it means making a play behind the line. Dubbed “Kamikaze” by his teammates, his attitude and emotion will be loved by the new staff.
4. Malcolm Roach, Texas
After one season, the Longhorns are fired up by the potential of Roach, a Freshman All-American in his debut. Like Hager, he lined up at Fox for Charlie Strong’s staff. But Roach is much bigger, a 6-2, 263-pounder who can beat his man with strength as well as speed. Plus, he has a great motor and an insatiable appetite to be around the ball. Hager and Roach started five games apiece in 2016, but Tom Herman and Todd Orlando must find a way to get both of them on the field more regularly this fall.
3. Reggie Walker, Kansas State
Walker is the latest underrated Wildcat who’s already surpassing his high school ranking. In his first season of action, he was named the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year for making 39 tackles, 11.5 stops for loss, 6.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries. At 6-2 and 239 pounds, Walker is built to impact the pass rush more than run defense. And without Jordan Willis on the opposite side of the line, he must now deal with the opposition’s best tackle and even the occasional double-teams.
2. K.J. Smith, Baylor
Although it may have been lost in the myriad negative headlines that dominated the Baylor landscape a year ago, Smith quietly emerged into one of the program’s best defenders. He shook off a slow start in Waco to deliver a breakout campaign in 2016. Smith earned a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team by leading league linemen with 67 tackles to go along with 12 stops for loss and seven sacks. He’s a very active defender, who slides well down the line and quickly diagnoses the flow of a play.
1. Dorance Armstrong, Kansas
Armstrong surprisingly erupted as a sophomore into one of the Big 12’s most feared pass rushers. As a junior, he’ll attempt to whet the appetite of NFL scouts and GMs. He sort came out of nowhere in 2016 to collect 10 sacks and a conference-best 20 tackles for minus yards. And he’s just beginning to fill out a rangy 6-4, 246-pound frame and perfect his technique. Armstrong’s get-off, closing speed and long arms are often too much for opposing tackles who are slow to get into their pass pro stance.
MORE: Top Returning Defensive Ends In College Football For 2017
