FanPost

Kyle Wilber is Comparable to First Rounder Ziggy Ansah

With Anthony Spencer on the shelf for 3-4 weeks, Kyle Wilber should be getting more reps. Therefore, it would be useful to take a closer look at Wilber's measureables and his potential, long term.

Ziggy Ansah was one of the NFL Draft darlings this year. The freakish athleticism he displayed in the Combine was enough to make the Detroit Lions snap him up with the fifth pick of the draft.

Yet, he only started one year in college, in which he had 4.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss.

Kyle Wilber was a four year player, although his sophomore year was cut short by injury.

For his junior and senior year combined, Wilber had 26 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks, for an average of 4.75 sacks and 13 tackles for loss per year his final two years.

Almost identical production as Ansah displayed his senior year.

Interesting, yes?

It gets better. Here are the results of NFL Combine and Pro Day workouts:

Kyle Wilber

40 Yard Dash: Pro Day: 4.67, Combine: 4.86

Broad Jump: Pro Day: 10’ Combine: 9’9”

Vertical Jump: Combine and Pro Day: 33.5

20 yard shuttle: Combine: 4.31

3 Cone drill: Combine: 7.11

Bench Press: 25 reps (combine)

Ziggy Ansah

40 Yard Dash: Combine: 4.63

Broad Jump: Combine: 9’10”

Vertical Jump: Combine: 34.5

20 yard shuttle: Combine: 4.26

3 Cone drill: Combine: 7.11

Bench Press: 21 reps (combine)

Ansah jumps one inch higher than Wilber and runs a 40 yard dash between four to six one hundredths of a second faster. And he can get through the 20 yards shuttle about four one hundredths of a second faster than Wilber. Note that these are hundredths of a second we are discussing, not tenths of a second. We are talking about very similar times here.

Wilber got off four more reps in bench press and in one broad jump test, jumped 2 inches further.

Wilber was available in the later rounds in large part due to a poor Combine 40-time.

Yet, he came back and ran a 4.67 40 at his pro day, which was very close to Ansah’s 4.63.

Does it really make sense that Ansah went 5th overall in 2013 but Wilber went 113th overall in 2012?

Wilber was categorized as an outside linebacker in the 2012 draft. By linebacker standards, his quickness might not have been as impressive, but Rod Marinelli quickly saw the potential of having Wilber at defensive end. When you judge him by defensive end standards, suddenly he looks very quick.

He may not hold up to the run as effectively as Spencer, but he may end up being a superior pass rusher.

Here is a quote from NFL.com’s draft profile on Wilber in 2012:

very quick twitch and efficient in his movement...he is a high energy, high motor player

It’s never a good thing for a player to get injured, even early in training camp, but this is a great opportunity for Wilber to show the coaches what he can bring to the table. The news coming out of camp is that DeMarcus Ware is taking the time to help coach up Wilber, in addition to the added reps he is now getting.

If Spencer proves to be too expensive to the Cowboys after this year, Wilber is the guy they hope can step up and fill the void. The next 3 to 4 weeks will be very interesting to watch.

Wilber will be a back up this year, so his season won't compare to Ansah, who will need to start immediately, given how high he was drafted. But in the long run, don't be surprised if Wilber has a comparable or even better career.

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