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Today you get two profiles for the price of one. Andrew Hudson is the subject of today's break down.
4/26: Danny Shelton, DL
4/27: Marcus Peters, DB
4/28: Hau'oli Kikaha, LB
4/29: Shaq Thompson, LB/DB
Andrew Hudson | Defensive End | 6'3" | 246 lbs
Performance Notes: Hudson had an interesting career arc at Washington. He started off as a three-star prospect in the Class of 2010 and redshirted his freshman year. In 2011 Hudson played in all 13 games with a few starts and flashed some potential. 2012 appeared to be his breakout season, as he compiled 47 tackles and 6.5 sacks to go along with All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors. Seemingly out of nowhere, he fell out of favor with Sark and his staff during a rough 2013 campaign in which he saw action in 8 out of 13 contests and failed to record a single sack. Hudson fell so far in the eyes of the staff that he was not expected to return to take advantage of his final year of eligibility in 2014. With his career set to end with a whimper, Andrew's fortunes changed with the hire of Coach Petersen. He returned for his senior season in excellent shape and racked up 12.0 sacks starting opposite Hau'oli Kikaha.
Strengths: Above all else, Hudson's greatest asset is his extremely consistent effort level. If he is stymied immediately off the snap he will continue to make the opposing tackle work to keep him out of the play. He entered the 2014 season in great shape, which seemed to keep him from wearing down late in games or against up-tempo offenses. Solid speed off the snap and surprisingly strong against the run given his size.
Weaknesses: The criticisms of Hudson are similar to those you have likely heard about Hau'oli Kikaha: average athlete lacking ideal size. Hudson's frame appears just about maxed out at less than 250 pounds, meaning he is unlikely to be viewed as an every-down defensive end in the NFL. However, he is not the type of athlete likely to excel in space, so 3-4 teams may hesitate to draft move him to outside linebacker. The production is undeniable, but scouts and GMs will wonder if he earned those numbers out of sheer effort, something which is far more difficult to pull off against NFL offensive tackles.
Ideal Fit: Hudson has not received a lot of attention leading up to the draft, but he has been floated as a potential late-round pick by some analysts. Rob Rang recently listed him as one of his Diamonds in the Rough. Due to the aforementioned size concerns, his best shot will be to carve out a role as a 4-3 defensive end that rotates in on passing downs. I personally think he has a decent chance of being drafted in the 6th or 7th round, but it might be best for him to go undrafted to allow him the chance to choose his destination. Either way, he appears to have earned himself some type of legitimate shot at a roster spot this fall.
Prediction: Drafted, 7th round.
Draft Tape - vs. Stanford 2014