Branded: as NFL scouts prepare final draft reports, some players are striving to lift their stock by shedding labels.(NFL)

Publication: The Sporting News

Publication Date: 31-MAR-06

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BETWIXT AND BETWEEN

Whenever Louisville's Elvis Dumervil recorded a sack during a home game last season, the sounds of "All Shook Up" reverberated through the PA system at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Mm mm, oh, oh, yeah, yeah. It was an appropriate ditty, given Dumervil's first name--his mother chose it because Elvis Presley was one of the hottest entertainers in the United States when she emigrated from Haiti--and his M.O.

Dumervil discombobulated quarterbacks in 2005. He led the nation with 20 sacks and forced 11 fumbles--statistics that grab an NFL scout's

attention. Unfortunately, he has this other number: 5-11%. That's his height.

As NFL teams stack their boards for the April 29-30 draft, they're trying to figure where Dumervil measures up best. Most think he's too short to be an every-down end, and they question whether he would be athletic enough to drop into coverage as an outside linebacker. In football parlance, Dumervil is a 'tweener.

"He is what he is," Louisville defensive line coach Kevin Wolthausen says. "He's not going to get any taller."

At Louisville, the 257-pound Dumervil played exclusively at end. He beat offensive tackles with a combination of initial quickness, counter moves and a relentless pass rush. But he'll have a hard time getting taller, heavier and more experienced tackles in the NFL to list or lunge like some of the ones he faced in college. "When he gets up against a tackle who has a good pass set and is disciplined in his technique, this kid is going to have a hard time," Titans director of college scouting Mike Ackerley says.

Dumervil has been compared to the Colts' Dwight Freeney, an undersized end (6-1, 268) who has had 51 sacks and gone to three consecutive Pro Bowls after being selected 11th overall in 2002. But Dumervil is shorter and lacks Freeney's initial quickness and speed. "I think they're two different cats," says Tony Softli, the Panthers' college scouting director.

The team that drafts Dumervil will have...

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