Bjoern Werner DE Florida State #95
Wt: 266
[divider top=”0″ style=”solid”]
[draftace membership]
Size/Athleticism: Shorter than the prototypical 4-3 end. Lacks the length that most elite pass-rushers possess.
Run Defense: Very smart run defender who shows the ability to quickly diagnose the play and shows impressive anticipation skills. Takes good angles in pursuit. Very patient. Doesn’t over-pursue and stays in his area in the zone until the offense commits to a direction. Struggles to shed blocks at times, but he holds his ground at the point of attack. He possesses impressive strength, and is tough to move off his spot. Does a nice job fighting through traffic to track down the ball carrier.
Pass Rush: Has experience lining up with his hand on the ground and at linebacker. Shows great awareness, keeping his eyes in the backfield and making adjustments mid-play. Not a threat to consistently get to the quarterback. He lacks the explosive athleticism to be an elite speed rusher, and lacks the strength to consistently bull rush his way into the backfield. Despite his somewhat limited skill set as a pass-rusher, he has a relentless motor and he finds ways to impact his fair share of plays throughout the game.
Versatility: Lined up at defensive end on most plays, but does have experience with his hand off the ground. Occasionally dropped into coverage. Can play end in the 4-3 or linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.
Intangibles: Intelligent on and off field. Grew up in Germany and moved to Connecticut as an exchange student in high school. Played only two years of high school football. A quiet lead-by-example type. Married.
Durability: Played through a minor left hand injury in 2012.
Comments: There’s very little about Werner’s game that immediately excites you, but he is simply a model of consistency. Basically, what you see is what you get with Werner, and that’s a good thing. Don’t expect him to be the type of guy that alters the play on every down, or racks up 10+ sacks year after year. But he’s also not going to be a player that hurts you. He makes smart decisions, is always in the right place and can be a leader on and off the field. While his ceiling may be relatively low, his bust factor is even lower.
[/draftace membership]
