2012 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Former Boise State Broncos DE Tyrone Crawford Built For the Pro Game

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Nate Kuester/National Football Authority

By Nate Kuester
Senior Writer

As teams continue to update their big boards for the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft the name of Boise State defensive end Tyrone Crawford is getting more attention.

The 6'4" pro prospect, who weighs in at 285 pounds, has the build most scouts identify quickly. Crawford was recently named as the No. 5 draft prospect from those who played in the East-West Shrine Game by Wes Bunting of National Football Post. Boise State's talent evaluators saw that as well when they came across the Canadian native in his juco days in Bakersfield, Calif., before making an impact with the Broncos. (It is worth noting, the staff knew of him during his high school career and waited for him to qualify to play at Boise State.)

The Broncos coaching staff had hoped to redshirt Crawford, however they abandoned that plan as he fit in exceptionally well in the rotation-heavy Boise State defensive line. Back at the beginning of the 2011 season I spoke with him about his work ethic at practice and the praise he received from the coaching staff. He credited his family with helping him to maintain his focus.

"I talk with my mother a lot," said Crawford. "She's always just telling me to keep doing what I've been doing.

"It's just going in to practice and doing the same thing I've been doing."

In his senior season Crawford recorded 6.5 sacks (second on the team) 44 tackles (20 solo, 24 assisted), and led the team with 13 tackles for a loss. Crawford has proven very effective as a part of a defensive unit that ranks among the best in the country (16th - 2011, 2nd - 2010). He was named All-Conference by the Mountain West in 2011.

Those stats are all well and good, but the question as to how his success at the collegiate level will translate to the NFL. Of course his aforementioned size is reason enough to warrant a look by the pros, but it is his abilities that will likely earn him the opportunity to hear his name called on the second or third day of the draft.

The defensive lineman is raw and has a lot of upside when taking his coachability into consideration. Those familiar with the Boise State program know that is one of the traits they zero in on with their recruits, so the pro scouts will likely keep that in mind when judging his ability to contribute at the next level. Another aspect that bodes well for Crawford's draft status is his sheer power; something the scouts picked up on at the recent East-West Shrine Game.

“The scouts that watched film, they knew that I was a powerful defensive end, and they knew that I could collapse the pocket and stop the run,” Crawford said. “I’ve just been trying to show that I have more moves in my pass rush, and I think I have been doing a pretty good job of that. I have been showing them that I have a little bit of speed off the edge, and I can also use my hands and use different moves to get to the quarterback.”