Thread: DT B.J. Raji BC

I have a tremendous boner for this guy. I want him so bad my weiner hurts.




B. J. RAJI/DT/B.C./6-1/325/5.15/40 #90

I�ve now seen RAJI play three times this season, and my conclusion is that he is going to be a beast in the NFL. He is so strong he demands triple-team blocking at times. I have seen him push his blocker into the runner, in the backfield, a couple of times each game. He has excellent pad level and almost always wins the leverage battle. I think he can play NT if needed, but see him showing to best advantage in a WILLIAMS-Boys type 4-3 duo. He compares favorably to CASEY HAMPTON coming out of Texas. It is going to take a large number of top tier underclassmen coming out to push RAJI out of the 2009 First Round in my estimation. Round 1.

Strengths: Elite size, bulk, and strength to play defensive tackle in the NFL and hold up against the bigger offensive linemen ... Complete wall in the middle of the defensive line against the run ... Somewhat athletic with fluid hips ... End-to-end defender who can make plays outside of the phone booth ... Best pass rush move is the bull rush ... Very strong hands, occasionally manhandles opponents ... Tough and plays through pain ... Solid stamina despite his size ... Able to play the highly valuable 3-4 nose tackle/zero technique.

Weaknesses: Outside of the bull rush, Raji does not have much of a pass rush repertoire ... Does not consistently dominate as much as you want him to as a pass rusher ... Has a tendency to get too high ... Misses easy tackles ... Not much experience.

Summary: Raji is a very talented player with high upside, but his lack of experience worries me. If Gerald McCoy does not declare, Raji is likely the first defensive tackle off the board. Raji was suspended for the 2007 season for academic reasons; however, it was not a GPA issue rather it being with not earning enough credits. This will not hurt his draft status.

Player Comparison: Casey Hampton. Hampton might generate more sacks if he were in a 4-3 system rather than taking on two gaps. Raji and Hampton have a similar physical presence on the line of scrimmage, especially against the run.

vids
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAs7UtO5-S4 -bj raji using one nd player to tackle the other

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM3AmHWAGEg -nice highlight vid against vatech( it also seems to go against walterfootball's talk about raji only having a bullrush as he uses a spin move, and does so very well)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXrhwRTkxfI -Raji dominating vandy

Thats a pic of Everette Brown about to unload on Cody Hawkins. I dont hear a peep out of anyone else on here about him except from me.

thank you sir, fixed

I think they are looking at it more from a body standpoint, having seen hampton in college and raji a couple times, I think raji is a better pass rusher with a better first step.