The '06 Draft Pass Rushers:

Tamba Hali

January 7, 2006

By Fred Pasek

When the draft rolls around in April of 2006, there will be 32 teams lined up around the corner, hoping for a chance at a handful of players who will have proven themselves over the 2005 season to be pass rushers worthy of high draft picks.   Each of these players will have a “signature move”, a move they will rely on as their most effective at getting to the quarterback.   Invariably, this move has a direct correlation to the player’s physique and strengths.   DraftBoardInsider.com has taken a closer look at the best moves of some of the most likely players to fill the top of the 2006 NFL draft board.

Tamba Hali, DE ― Penn State, 6’3”/267 lbs.  [official bio]

The old Bugs Bunny cartoons had a character who would show up in a twirl of violent knees, elbows and snarls.  Watching Tamba Hali play is like watching the Tasmanian Devil make an entrance.  At 267 pounds, he is not the biggest of ends, but he throws one of the most wicked forearm shivers you’ll find in the players in this draft, and that’s just how he starts the game.  In their game with the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Nittany Lions found that the Buckeyes paid close attention to Hali, generally keeping an extra man in to help block him.  But early in the game, Hali showed that wasn’t going to be easy.

Ohio State was on the move early, but they allowed themselves to get into a third and long.  On this play, Hali decided to line up well outside the right tackle, two yards to the outside.  At the snap, he faked an inside move, and then took two quick steps up field to fake an outside speed-rush.  Since he was lined up so far outside, the right tackle had to exaggerate his slide out to meet him, to keep the angle cut down between Hali and the quarterback.  Hali had been giving him fits with his combination of speed and violent bull rush, so he braced himself for one of those maneuvers, but Hali crossed him up.  As soon as Hali made contact with the tackle, he stopped on a dime and cut hard to the inside.

Hali’s ability to make cuts as he runs full speed rivals those of a running back.  Couple that ability with his foot speed and you begin to see the problem Hali presents for tackles.  When lined up outside in such a way that a tackle can’t get his hands on Hali quickly, Hali essentially becomes the scat back trying to avoid the defensive tackle in a game of chase, only this scat back carries 267 pounds. 

After he cut the rush inside, he jammed his right hand under the tackle’s pads so hard that he got the man up onto one foot, then swam over the top with a strong left-handed swim move – a move he does equally well with either hand.  Buckeye quarterback Troy Smith however is not easy to bring down.  His reflexes allowed him to avoid Hali’s first rush by running to his right to get his tackle between him and Hali.  But this is where the real gem that Hali is comes to light – though the tackle rode Hali to the ground in pushing him past Smith, Hali popped up off the ground so swiftly that the tackle was left lunging at air.  Hali shot by the tackle and closed the eight yards between himself and Smith so fast, that Smith was unable to take off in another run.  Hali brought him down for the sack in, what some might describe as an effort sack, but in this age of speedy NFL quarterbacks, efforts sacks are what is required with increasing frequency.

Hali appears to be able to add another ten pounds of muscle to his frame once he is in the NFL and his foot speed will make him invaluable in the chase and contain game he will undoubtedly be asked to play.  The ferocity with which he plays every down is impressive.  Adding some muscle will make him increasingly difficult to move in the run schemes and he will most likely command some help for whatever tackle he lines up across from.