Derek Landri DL 6'3 288 Notre Dame 5.00

Derek Landri was the best player on the famed Concord(CA) De La Salle team that won a ridiculous 151 straight games over 13 season. He broke into the rotation as a sophomore in 2004, and finished the year with 40 tackles, seven for loss, with .5 sacks on the year. As a junior, his numbers improved a bit to 43/8/3. This season though, Landri put it all together. He had career highs with 65 tackles, 15.5 for loss, and seven sacks on the year.

The thing that jumps out about Landri is his toughness and his motor. He never quits, and is constantly scrapping to make the play against much bigger players. Along with his intensity, Landri stays low after the snap and it allows him to hold his ground at the point of attack and clog running lanes. Landri also displayed more consistency in his penetration ability this year. He quickly gets upfield off the snap, and gets into the backfield to disrupt the action.

Landri’s lack of size is a glaring weakness. For an interior lineman, he is very small, and must get bigger to be able to last in the NFL. At his current size, he will wear down and bigger lineman will be able to drive him off the line of scrimmage.

Landri is a player to watch in the post season. If he can add some weight, he has a chance to be a very good defensive lineman, with the ability to play inside in a 4-3, and out at end in a 3-4 alignment. If he is unable to add any weight, he may only last as a role player in the league, as a pass rushing defensive tackle. Despite only average size, Landi is a hard nosed lineman that will never quit. He is a player on Day Two that could find his way into a line rotation and make an impact.