Edge rushers are among the prime targets for the Washington Redskins in the first round, and they'll be sending their defensive staff to work out one of this year's best in Kentucky's Bud Dupree on Monday.
The workout will take place in Macon, Ga., according to the Baltimore Sun. Dupree is from Irwinton, Ga., a town of about 600 that is 30 miles east of Macon. The last day for prospects to visit team headquarters was Wednesday, but teams are allowed to travel to visit prospects through April 29.
Dupree (6-foot-4, 269 pounds) is one of the most intriguing edge rushers in the draft. He is a freakish athlete: He ran the 40 in 4.56 seconds and had a vertical jump of 42 inches and a broad jump of 11 feet, 6 inches at the NFL Scouting Combine. All that at 269 pounds.
Dupree got by on sheer athleticism to register most of his 21 sacks in his final three seasons at Kentucky. Numerous teams feel that once Dupree gets NFL coaching, he can be molded into a high-caliber player. Even if he can convert that athleticism into production, he'll be a future All-Pro. But is the No. 5 pick too early to take Dupree?
Jacksonville, which owns the No. 3 pick, is the only team picking ahead of Washington that would figure to have an edge rusher as its top draft priority.
Because of issues surrounding Nebraska's Randy Gregory, who failed a drug test at the combine, and Missouri's Shane Ray, whose toe injury has put his draft status in question, Florida's Dante Fowler Jr. (6-3, 261) and Clemson's Vic Beasley (6-3, 246) would seem to be the top two edge rushers available. Gregory and Ray could slide down draft boards, and Dupree could be a beneficiary, along with Virginia's Eli Harold, another rising edge rusher. In addition, Dupree is much bigger than Beasley, and that size difference might be appealing to some teams, including the Redskins.
All six NFL Media analysts who have done mock drafts have Dupree off the board no later than pick 13, but none has him going earlier than sixth.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
