Oct 6, 2012; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators defensive lineman Dominique Easley (2) during the third quarter against the LSU Tigers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Florida defensive tackle Dominique Easley is an interesting prospect that could turn into a draft day steal. His future could rely on his ability to bulk up and remain healthy at the NFL level, which is two things he has struggled with at the college level.
Weighing in at 288 pounds while standing 6’2″ tall, he leaves a lot of room to bulk up. There are concerns that his size may make him a bit too easy to throw around in the trenches in the NFL. But with the help of a team’s staff, Easley could be able to put on the healthy weight necessary to help anchor him.
Easley tore his ACL in his left knee back in 2010, which forced him to miss time before coming back with a fury in 2012. He accumulated 8.5 tackles for a loss, including 4 sacks that year from the interior defensive line. This shows that he could be a freakishly fast healer when it comes to severe injuries.
Sadly, those injuries come fairly often for Easley. He missed 12 games after he was named a starter for his sophomore campaign because of injury and that could be a major concern for a team willing to take a chance on him. That concern may make him drop into the third round of the NFL draft.
Here are his statistics over 4 years at Florida:
April 6, 2013; Gainesville FL, USA; Florida Gators defensive lineman Dominique Easley (2) during the spring practice for the Orange and Blue Deput at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
29 games played
38 solo tackles
72 total tackles
18 tackles for a loss
5.5 sacks
1 pass defended
1 fumble recovery
Recently, Easley has been doing workouts for teams that have been described as “impressive”. Recovery from his ACL and meniscus injury to his right knee during the 2013 season is said to be at about 80%, so he should be good to go by NFL training camp time.
Strengths
- Quick first step
- Great work with hands
- Good strength
Weaknesses
- Significant injury history
- Needs to add mass
Fit For The Vikings
Minnesota needs to add depth for the defensive tackles behind the starting players.
My Take
Personally, I’m curious to see what Sharrif Floyd can do as a starter at defensive tackle after the departure of Kevin Williams this year. However, I could see Minnesota adding competition for Tom Johnson as his backup. Dominique Easley looks to be a day 2 pick and could see his name called early or late depending on what teams are willing to gamble on his health.