Shilique Calhoun: Prospect Breakdown (with GIFs)

Pros, Cons, and a Summary of Shilique Calhoun

Pros:

• Excellent all-around athlete
• Quick get-off, explosive first-step
• Actively uses hands to keep himself clean
• Variety of moves in pass rushing arsenal
• Flexibility to bend around the edge
• Speed to power conversion
• Above-average arm length
• Well-balanced; withstands cut blocks
• Disrupts passing lanes
• Multi-year Team Captain

Cons:

• Undersized for DE (6’4″, 251 lbs.)
• Plays upright, with high pad level
• Needs to be more disciplined; 11 penalties in 2015
• Not very effective in run support
• Struggles at the point of attack
• Has to get stronger, both upper and lower body
• Lacking counter pass rushing moves
• Occasional missed tackles

Summary:

Pro Football Focus fans will love the Calhoun pick — by their metrics, he graded as the number one edge rusher in 2015 (+46), with 78 total pressures (11 sacks, 17 hits, 50 hurries). PFF also graded him as the 5th best edge rusher in 2014, so there is consistent top performance.

On film, that pass rushing productivity is evident. Simply put, it’s what Calhoun does — he gets after the quarterback.

He’s an excellent all-around athlete, with an explosive first-step that he often uses to win around the edge. He also has great lateral agility and impressive change of direction ability.

At 6’4″, 251 lbs., he is undersized for a defensive end. More so when it comes to weight, so expect the team to push for him to gain at least 15 pounds. He has more of a lanky frame, but at his height, it shouldn’t be much of a problem to put on that weight, and hopefully maintain all of that athleticism.

Even at 6’4″, Calhoun is productive coming around the edge. Usually for taller/lanky pass rushers, it’s difficult to bend the edge or to dip under blocks, but he does well in both areas. One more note regarding his size is that Calhoun has great arm length, with 34 1/4″ arms.

Going back to his pass rushing productivity, this is what Calhoun’s game is all about. He can rush the passer, and he can do so in a variety of ways.

Calhoun showed a nice arsenal of pass rushing moves — a spin move, a rip/swim, speed to power, a hesitation/juke, great hand usage, bending the edge or dipping under blocks. The only thing is he would use these moves on his first attempt, but he rarely ever would use them in counter situations.

To touch on his hand usage a little bit further — this is a crucial area that pass rushers need to be savvy in to be productive, especially in the NFL. Calhoun showed that he is already well-versed here, actively and effectively using his hands to keep himself clean.

As a speed rusher, Calhoun doesn’t bring much to the table from a power standpoint. But he did show plenty of capability converting his speed to power. Combined with his quick first-step and great hand usage, Calhoun could usually get some power going that way.

There are a few areas that Calhoun needs to improve, particularly when it comes to run support. He’s mainly just a pass rusher at this point, offering little value in the run game.

A lot of the reason why is because he needs to get stronger, both in his upper and lower body. This will allow him to hold up stronger at the point of attack, so he can stand his ground and/or set the edge.

Calhoun plays with a high pad level, so he’ll need to clean that up. Out of his stance, he’ll shoot straight up instead of out, and better offensive linemen took advantage of that, getting under his pads and moving him out of the way.

He’ll need to get more disciplined as well. Calhoun committed 11 penalties in 2015, with 9 of them being for encroachment. That was the most amongst any pass rusher in 2015.

There were also an occasional missed tackle on film, but other than the things already mentioned, there aren’t many areas of weakness for Calhoun.

The good news is, other than the needing to get stronger, most of his weaknesses can be fixed with coaching — something I hear Jethro Franklin is good at.

As far as his value in the third-round goes, I think Calhoun was an excellent pick. I’d give him a solid second-round grade, so he’s a steal at 75th overall.

He’s a senior and a two-time Team Captain, both of which McKenzie values in his draft selections. Using the thresholds I put together based on McKenzie’s draft history, Calhoun measures up very well. He only missed the weight threshold (by 11 pounds) and hand size (by 3/8″). So largely, he fits the mold we’ve typically seen in the past.

I do find his contrast with second-round pick Jihad Ward interesting. Back to back defensive end selections by Reggie McKenzie, but completely opposite players. Ward is the big, physical run stopper — while Calhoun is the smaller, athletic pass rusher. So when each player was selected, there was a clear vision and plan in place for both.

For Calhoun, he’ll primarily be used at his listed position. Per PFF, while at Michigan State, only 35 out his 1,648 snaps were played at outside linebacker. So he is inexperienced here, but he has the size and athleticism to play OLB in a 3-4, so look for him to get some run there.

Add Calhoun to the mix with the current stable of pass rushers, and something special is brewing in Oakland.

Not to mention big Dan Williams and Mario Edwards Jr., who has been medically cleared.

As Bruce Irvin likes to say, this is going to be the Raiders defense this year (and for years to come).