Better Know a Freshman: Jaquelin Roy

Despite the growth and ever increasing attraction of flashy, big play football, controlling the line of scrimmage remains incredibly important. The more important the forward pass becomes, the more important it becomes to harass and disrupt the passer. Edge rushers get much of the glamor, but strong, athletic interior D lineman are just as significant in the pass rush. Aaron Donald, Fletcher Cox, and others have become dominant forces in the pass rush.

LSU has missed this, despite featuring talented interior lineman, they haven’t really done a fantastic job generating interior pressure, instead utilizing the defensive big men as pure gap stuffers in Aranda’s system, while attempting to generate pressure from standup edge rushing linebackers. LSU has now moved on to something considerably more favorable for D Lineman. Jaquelin Roy is the PERFECT player for this. He is massive, technical, and freakishly athletic. He’s barely outside of the top 32 at 40, but for the life of me I can’t understand why he isn’t a 5 star.

The Story:

Roy officially shut down his recruitment after LSU’s deliverance from Alabama this past November. He took a visit to Texas A&M, but he played at U High and was a natural fit for Ed Orgeron’s regime and culture, he was staying home.

The Numbers:

Five-stars (98-110 rating): The top 32 players in the country to mirror the 32 first round picks in the NFL Draft. These are 32 players that we believe are the most likely to be drafted in the first round from each recruiting class. The full list of 32 with five-star ratings typically isn’t complete until the final ranking. Any player with a rating of more than 100 is considered a “franchise player” and one that does not come around in every recruiting class.

Four-stars (90-97 rating): These are players that we believe are the most likely to produce college careers that get them drafted. By National Signing Day, this number is typically in the range of 350 prospects, roughly the top 10 percent of prospects in a given class.

Three-stars (80-89 rating): This is where the bulk of college football prospects are found and it incorporates a large range of ability levels, all of whom we consider as possible NFL players long term.

Two-stars (70-79 rating): These are prospects that we consider to be FBS-level players with very limited NFL potential.

247 Composite Rating: ****

247 Composite Ranking: .9805

The Film:

The first thing you’ll notice is his raw athleticism, the guy can flat out move in a way a man his size should not be allowed. He explodes through gaps and is technical enough to shed blocks at the college level. He has a solid repertoire of pass rushing moves and can really win 1 v 1s consistently. This guy can PLAY.

The Future: Pretty good I’d say, I’m fairly confident that barring anything unexpected like injury, he’ll produce at a high level, he’s so talented and fits well into what Pelini/Orgeron have described as their plan.

High End: All-SEC, All-American, 1st Round

Low End: Solid contributor, starter.

Realistic: All SEC player who gets serious draft buzz when his time comes around.