Quote:
Originally Posted by Stellar
Oh trust me, you'll see it again. And not just at Ohio State - watch any team and you'll see it. Everybody tries to grow DTs from DEs. There are just such few natural young DTs out there that already have the size and quickness to play tackle. Once you get past a handful there just aren't enough to go arond. So the idea is that it's better and easier to take a guy whos already quick and athletic and put some weight on him than it is to take a big huge guy whose not quick enough and try to make him faster. As I said before, everybody does that. You'll find them on pretty much every team. In fact on those Florida, LSU, and USC teams you listed all featured DTs that were grown from DEs.
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I agree that big athletic guys don't grow on trees, especially up north. However...Al Woods, Marlon Favorite, and Glenn Dorsey (LSU), Cedric Ellis and Fili Moala (USC), Torrey Davis (Florida) etc...all recruited as DT's and are the dominant ones. Sure there is Ricky-Jean Francois who converted and is a stud but it really isn't all that common. Trying to take 6-4 to 6-7 DE's with rangy frames and converting them doesn't usually work well. 6-2 or 6-3 heavier strongside seems to work sometimes, like a Darion Scott. They don't always have to be giants like Woods or Favorite but at least true DT's if they are lighter, like Goebel or Mobley.