Brian Price Scouting Report

Price's decision to skip his senior year at UCLA and enter the NFL draft has shuffled the first round order. A highly decorated high school defensive tackle, the product of South Central, LA became a dominant force late in his freshman year. He played in the last 10 Bruins games in the 2007 season after which he went on to earn several All Freshman Team honors. Price had a strong sophomore campaign in 2008, registering 14 tackles for loss with 4.5 sacks. He easily eclipsed those numbers this past season with a huge 22 tackles for loss and 5 sacks effort. He is young (21 years old) and blessed with a lot of upside. Has good size with excellent footwork, ethic and intangibles. Has the rare ability to elevate the play of those around him. Is quick off the blocks with decent (5.03) speed and agility. Plays with good leverage. Is always moving. Shows top notch spin moves, especially to the inside. Great energy level. Shows some strength once he is in the gap. However, he tends to play too upright, thus struggling to unlock his hips. Lacks the pure strength to defeat linemen one-on-one on a consistent bases. Struggles to beat the double-team and gets hung up on combo blocks. Price is a great fit for a 4-3 defense because if his natural speed and agility. He is at his best when he is slating and playing the gaps. Brian Price is a playmaker that will find a home in the late stages of the first round. 3/3 Update: There is not a lot of room for error for defensive tackles like Brian Price. On many draft boards he is jostling for position against players like Dan Williams, Jared Odrick, Terrence Cody and Tyson Alualu. While some of those guys would work better in a 3-4 scheme (and Price is certainly a 4-3 guy), Price did not do himself too many favors during the workouts at the NFL Combine. He proved his strength, but he was a little slower than many expected and that could drop him down into the early part of the second round.