ProFootballCentral.com

The NFL Draft is filled with players who are now household names. Everyone by now know the names of BC quarterback Matt Ryan, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden and Virginia defensive end Chris Long but do we know the name of Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston? If Gholston is not a household name then he will be. Vernon Gholston is a remarkable talent, but he’s only just begun realizing his vast potential.

He never picked up a football until his sophomore year in high school and had just one season of defensive experience as a linebacker before being converted to defensive end when he arrived at Ohio State. Blessed with incredible speed (clocked at 4.56 in the 40-yard dash), long limbs and superb strength, Gholston is the prototype pass rusher that professional teams look for — big, fast, strong and explosive. An avid performer in the weight room, he boasted the best bench press on the team at 455 pounds. He also put on an impressive performance for teammates, squatting 405 pounds 20 times.

Gholston was actually discovered at the age of 14 when he was walking in the halls of his high school and was noticed by the high school football coach, by the name of Thomas Wilcher. Gholston at the age of 14 was 6-3 and 240 pounds and the coach convinced him to give football a try due to his incredible size. As a sophomore in high school, Gholston was first tried at linebacker, but he was overwhelmed by the plays he needed to know to play that position.

One of the offensive coaches “stole” the youngster away from the defensive squad and had him play offensive guard as a sophomore. His junior campaign was limited by ankle sprains, which forced him to stay on the offensive line and scrap plans to also play linebacker.

By his senior season, he had already earned All-State honors as an offensive lineman and gained experience playing linebacker for the first time in his career. In just one season on defense, he was regarded as one of the best linebackers in the Midwest region. He would go on to record 75 tackles with six sacks in his final season, as Rivals.com rated him the 11th-best defensive end prospect in the nation and the 12th-best overall prospect in the state of Michigan.

Gholston enrolled at Ohio State, becoming the only player from Michigan on the squad. He turned down scholarship offers from Michigan, Michigan State and Iowa to join the Buckeyes. The coaching staff immediately began giving him a crash course in playing the “Leo” position, which incorporates dropping into pass coverage and rushing the passer from either side of the field.
He mentored under Mike Kudla his first year with the team, appearing in six games as a true freshman in 2004, but did not record a tackle. In 2005, a broken hand suffered in the second game vs. Texas earned Gholston a medical hardship. He had one tackle in that game and spent the rest of the year on the sideline.

Gholston used that time wisely in the weight room, bulking up from 238 to and incredible 264 pounds, as he took over “Leo” duties in 2006. He garnered All-Big Ten Conference second-team honors, as he ranked fourth in the league with 15 stops for losses of 86 yards and was fifth in the Big Ten with 8.5 sacks. He added a quarterback pressure with two pass breakups and an interception. He also finished sixth on the squad with 49 tackles (21 solo).

In 2007, Gholston who began to earn the national spotlight, earned All-American recognition and was a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, given to the nation’s top defensive end. He posted 37 tackles (25 solo) and was a terror in the backfield, ranking eighth in the nation with 15.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and second nationally with 14 sacks. He also scooped up a fumble and returned it for a 25-yard touchdown.

In 34 games at Ohio State, Gholston started 25 times. He registered 87 tackles (47 solo) with 22.5 sacks for minus-184 yards and 30.5 stops for losses of 199 yards. He had two pass deflections and an eight-yard interception return, as he also recovered a fumble that he returned 25 yards for a touchdown. Gholston’s 22.5 quarterback sacks rank fifth in school history behind Mike Vrabel (36, 1993-96), Jason Simmons (27.5, 1990-93), Matt Finkes (25, 1993-96) and Eric Kumerow (25, 1984-87).

His 184 yards in losses on those 23 sacks are topped only by Mike Vrabel (minus-245 yards) and Jason Simmons (210). His 8.5 sacks in 2006 tied Darrion Scott (2002) for 12th on OSU’s season-record list while his 14 sacks in 2007 broke the old school record of 13 by Mike Vrabel in 1995.

Gholston is heading into the NFL Draft as probably one of the fastest defensive ends ever to go Pro. His speed and quickness combined with his strength and incredible motor made offensive tackles such as Michigan’s Jake Long make mistakes against Gholston. The pure quickness that he has off the snap sometimes allows him to just swing by the tackles without being touched.

Like any NFL player there are flaws in someone’s game. The knack on Gholston is that he again may have to learn a new position with some teams thinking about converting him to linebacker. A big reason why he didn’t do so successful with playing linebacker in high school was due to the fact that he didn’t catch on with the playbook as much. I know that was high school and this is pro but learning a defensive playbook is not the easiest thing to do.

The other knack on Gholston is the fact that if he does convert into linebacker he will have no experience at all dropping into coverage which an be a huge negative. The sheer fact, that the positives do outweigh the negatives with Gholston. I do expect him to be a top 5 pick and that with any team that drafts him will get a very good football player who has yet to reach his pinnacle.