Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue

[Boone]

Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue


2010 Unanimous All-American
Career: Tied for the all-time Football Bowl Subdivision record with 14 fumbles forced (Big Ten record) ... tied for second all-time at Purdue with 33.5 sacks ... fifth in Purdue history in tackles for loss with 57.0.

2010: Team co-captain ... received team's Most Valuable Player Award for defense ... first unanimous All-American at Purdue since 1980 and merely the seventh in school history ... named first team All-America by the American Football Coaches Association, The Walter Camp Football Foundation, the Football Writers Association of America, the Associated Press and The Sporting News ... Si.com first team All-American ... Rivals.com first team All-American ... Collegefootballnews.com first team All-American ... Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (coaches and media votes) ... Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year (coaches) ... first team All-Big Ten (coaches and media) ... Academic All-Big Ten ... runner up for the Ted Hendricks Award (nation's outstanding defensive end) ... semifinalist for Chuck Bednarik Award, Rotary Lombardi Award and Ronnie Lott IMPACT Trophy ... led the Football Bowl Subdivision in tackles for loss in the regular season (26.0) ... finished the regular season tied for second in fumbles forced (5) ... finished the regular season third in the FBS in sacks (12.5) ... led the Big Ten in all three categories ... finished third in a season in school history in TFLs and sixth in sacks ... started all 12 games ... had at least one sack in nine of 12 games, one TFL in 11 of 12 and multiple TFLs in eight games ... 70 total tackles were a career high and the most by a defensive lineman in the Big Ten during the regular season ... Nov. 15 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after posting 10 solo tackles, including 5.0 for losses with 4.0 sacks, two fumbles forced and one recovered against Michigan on Nov. 13. Sack total against the Wolverines tied the school game record ... seven total tackles, including 2.5 for losses and a sack, safety and fumble forced at Notre Dame on Sept. 4 ... career-high 12 total tackles, including 4.0 for losses with a sack, and a fumble forced against Western Illinois on Sept. 11 ... 10 total tackles, including 3.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks, against Toledo on Sept. 25 ... 2.5 TFLs and a sack at No. 11 Ohio State on Oct. 2.

2009: Received team's Pit Bull Award - Defense (exemplified and sustained tenacity and intense play) for spring practice ... named to Ted Hendricks Award watch list (nation's outstanding defensive end) ... second team All-American by Rivals.com ... honorable mention All-American by College Football Insiders and SI.com ... first team All-Big Ten by media and second team by coaches ... second team Academic All-American ... Academic All-District V and Academic All-Big Ten ... received team's Most Valuable Player Award for defense ... started all 12 games ... led nation with school-record-tying seven forced fumbles (also James Looney, 1979) ... seven forced fumbles are second-most in Big Ten history (Jonal Saint-Dic of Michigan State had eight in 2007) ... topped Big Ten and ranked third nationally with 13.0 sacks ... ranked fourth in Big Ten with 18.5 tackles for loss ... fourth on team with 66 tackles (41 solo, 25 assists) ... had two pass breakups and one fumble recovery ... had seven tackles (4 solo, 3 assists), including 2.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks, vs. Notre Dame on Sept. 26 ... Bronko Nagurski and Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after recording season-high nine tackles (5 solo, 4 assists), including career highs of 4.0 for loss and 3.0 sacks, forcing two fumbles and recovering one vs. Ohio State on Oct. 17 ... equaled season high of nine tackles (6 solo, 3 assists), including 2.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks, at Wisconsin on Oct. 31 ... forced two fumbles and registered 2.0 sacks at Indiana on Nov. 21.

2008: Honorable mention All-Big Ten by media ... Academic All-Big Ten and Academic All-District V ... appeared in all 12 games, including 11 starts ... ranked seventh in Big Ten in sacks (7.0) and 10th in tackles for loss (11.5) ... topped team in both categories ... shared team lead with two forced fumbles (also Frank Duong and Torri Williams) and ranked tied for 10th in Big Ten ... ranked fourth with 56 tackles (31 solo, 25 assists) ... had four pass breakups and one interception ... did not start opener vs. Northern Colorado on Sept. 6 while recovering from sprained ankle suffered during training camp ... registered 3.0 tackles for loss, including 2.0 sacks, at Ohio State on Oct. 11 ... picked off first career interception vs. Minnesota on Oct. 25 ... had career highs of 10 tackles (7 solo, 3 assists), including 3.5 for loss and 3.0 sacks, vs. Michigan on Nov. 1 ... also had a pass breakup and forced fumble in that game ... recorded eight tackles (3 solo, 5 assists) at Iowa on Nov. 15.

2007: Appeared in 12 games ... had 18 tackles (12 solo, 6 assists), including 1.0 sack ... recorded sack at Toledo on Sept. 1 ... had six tackles (3 solo, 3 assists) vs. Central Michigan in Motor City Bowl on Dec. 26.

High School: Three-star prospect by Rivals.com ... ranked as No. 43 strong side defensive end in the nation by Rivals.com ... ranked as No. 3 overall prospect in Indiana by Rivals.com ... three-year starter in high school ... first team all-state and coaches' Top 50 selection as senior after leading state with 19 sacks among 90 tackles ... Defensive Lineman of the Year in Mr. Football voting ... had 40 receptions for 789 yards (19.7 average) and six touchdowns as tight end ... first team all-state as junior after recording 67 tackles, including 14 sacks, with two fumble recoveries and one interception (returned 83 yards for a touchdown) ... had 27 receptions for 443 yards (16.4 average) and two touchdowns ... coach was John Hochstetler ... also played baseball and basketball.

Personal: Given name is Patrick Ryan Kerrigan ... born Aug. 16, 1988 ... education major ... enjoys sports, video games and reading ... father, Brendan, played football at Ball State ... brother, Kyle, swam at DePauw.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St9j5K6STws[/media]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOMTVBsk1d0[/media]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBA0xC_5ACI[/media]

 

[Om]

Redskins Made Smart Choice with Karrigan

Here’s the easy way to assess the Washington Redskins' decision to select Purdue defensive end Ryan Kerrigan with the 16th overall pick in this year’s draft: They added a strong, versatile pass-rusher who can complement burgeoning star Brian Orakpo. Now here’s the better way to evaluate that move: The team also sent a potent message about the near future, one that said energy and attitude will mean as much as talent for new additions to that locker room.

As good as Kerrigan is -- he was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2010 -- his approach to the game will pay huge dividends for his new employer. This is a young man who plays every down as if the Lombardi Trophy hangs in the balance. Kerrigan also treats any opportunity he receives as if he’s truly blessed to have one. For a team that has spent the past year coping with the headache that is their highest paid defender, defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth, this has to be a nice change. Kerrigan should pump new life into that side of the football just with his love of the game.

What he’ll also do is bolster a defense that sorely needed an injection of new blood. The Redskins have a few playmakers, including Pro Bowlers cornerback DeAngelo Hall and linebacker London Fletcher. Yet, they also have too many aging veterans and not enough help on the edge to keep double-teams off Orakpo. Aside from his 8.5 sacks in 2010, no other Redskins player totaled more than 2.5 sacks last season.

Those numbers are even more frightening when considering the kind of opposition the Redskins face in the NFC East. They have to contend with Michael Vick and all those speedy skill players that surround him in Philadelphia. They also have to deal with Eli Manning and the New York Giants as well as Tony Romo and the talented Dallas Cowboys offense. If you can’t make those quarterbacks sweat, you don’t have a chance in that division. If you’re a team with the kind of offensive issues that plagued Washington last season, you need that defensive pressure even more.

This is where Kerrigan’s presence should pay off. He’s playing a position that usually requires much less transition time. Orakpo made the Pro Bowl as a rookie while Green Bay’s Clay Matthews, another 3-4 pass-rusher, challenged for league Defensive Player of the Year honors in his second season. Even though the 6-foot-4, 267-pound Kerrigan was a 4-3 defensive end in college, he displayed the athleticism to play outside linebacker during his workouts and combine testing. Playing opposite of Orakpo alone also should guarantee that he will have an immediate impact on the Redskins' defense.

It also helps that Kerrigan started for three years at Purdue and produced 32 career sacks. What is just as impressive is the fact he earned defensive player of the year honors in the Big Ten. Three other defensive linemen from that conference -- Wisconsin’s J.J. Watt, Illinois’ Corey Liuget and Iowa’s Adrian Clayborn -- were selected in the first round of Thursday’s draft as well. Not one of those players had the kind of production that Kerrigan displayed in his final college season.

The Redskins also won big with Kerrigan because they traded down to get him. Washington entered the draft with only two picks in the first four rounds and eight overall. Jacksonville moved up to the 10th overall spot to select Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Washington also acquired the Jaguars’ second-round pick (49th overall). That’s a selection that will certainly allow coach Mike Shanahan and general manager Bruce Allen to address some other major needs Friday.

Anybody who follows the Redskins recognizes this isn’t a team that is one good draft away from being in contention. The Redskins need to find a quarterback now that the Donovan McNabb era has turned disastrous. They have to bolster their defensive interior with Haynesworth’s future in doubt and running back and offensive line are other questionable areas. In a division as competitive as the NFC East, this team won’t be competing for anything for at least another year.

One key reason for those issues is the team’s drafting history. While the Redskins have found gems like Orakpo and left tackle Trent Williams, last year’s top pick, they’ve also had a mediocre track record in this area lately. This is a team that has been far too concerned with big-name coaching hires and high-profile acquisitions. What they ultimately should have learned by now is that there are no quick fixes in the NFL.

The teams that win most consistently are the ones who get it right on draft day. By taking Kerrigan, the Redskins proved that they have a better sense of the value in this philosophy. He isn’t the only thing they need these days, but his arrival is definitely a strong step in the right direction.

 

[China]

Three other defensive linemen from that conference -- Wisconsin’s J.J. Watt, Illinois’ Corey Liuget and Iowa’s Adrian Clayborn -- were selected in the first round of Thursday’s draft as well.

Actually, it's four. They forgot Cam Heyward from Ohio State picked by the Steelers with the 31st overall selection.

 

[Goaldeje]

Man Crush: Initiated.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...-on-the-cowboys/2011/04/29/AF9vG7EF_blog.html

Like, he performed deftly when Kevin Sheehan asked him on ESPN 980 about the team’s two most important games.

“The Cowboys game and the Cowboys game?” Kerrigan guessed. “Am I right?”

Kerrigan was also asked about the history of the franchise during that appearance.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better organization to pick me,” he said. “You look at guys like Russ Grimm, Darrell Green and Coach Joe Gibbs being here, you can’t help but get fired up about being part of an organization with a history like that and with fans like the Redskins have and a stadium of 90,000 people that’s always sold out. I mean, I’m fired up. I can’t wait for the season to start.”

 

[stevenaa]

KERAKPO!! That's pretty funny. We better have fricking football this year. I've resisted the urge to have any excitement, but the draft is getting the football juices flowing.

 

[Om]

Geez. EVERYONE has an opinion it seems ...

http://www.theomfield.com/2011/04/bgo-redskins-2011-draft-tracker.html

With their first pick in 2011, the Redskins make news by not making news. They trade down from 10 to 16 (JAX) and grab a potential impact bookend to Pro Bowl OLB Brian Orakpo for their still-in-transition 3-4 defense. This pick may not be fully appreciated for 2-3 seasons; Karrigan is unlikely to be a regular on weekly highlight reels early on as he adapts both to the pro game and the shift from DE to OLB. But if the Purdue All American's quickness, instincts and high motor are what the Redskins hope they are, and Karrigan can integrate himself into the starting lineup by midseason, defensive coordinator Jim Hazlett should enjoy devising gameplans considerably more in 2011 and beyond than he was able to in his highwire-act Washington debut in 2010.

 

[bird_1972]

The only concern I have with Kerrigan is that he has never really played in space (was more of a DE in college, I believe).

Does this mean that Orakpo will be relied upon to do more coverage duties on the other side?

 

[Goaldeje]

I am wondering if we wont see more 4-3 looks this season? Our two newbies and Rak seem to be a great fit for the 4-3. I'm sure we will see both, actually.
Posted via BGO Mobile Device

 

[Jimbo]

With deepest apologies to the great George M. Cohan...

Who is the man who'll now "stand"
in Washington Redskins land?
Kerrigan, that's me!
Who gets the sack
When you find that you need a sack?
Kerrigan, that's me!

For I'm just as proud of a forced fumble, you see,
As Landry or Fletcher or Orakpo could be
Who is the man helps the team ev'ry time he can?
Kerrigan, that's me!

"K", "E", double "R", "I",
"G-A-N" spells Kerrigan.
Proud of all the Boilermaker blood that's in me,
Divil a man can say a word agin me.

"K" "E" double "R" "I",
"G-A-N", you see!
Is a name that shame
Never has been connected with
Kerrigan, that's me!

Who is the man never stood for a gad-about?
Kerrigan, that's me!
Who is the man that the town's simply mad about?
Kerrigan, that's me!

The coaches and fans are fond of me,
I'm fond of them, too, in return, you see,
Who's the gent that wants another Lombardi?
Kerrigan, that's me!

"K", "E", double "R", "I",
"G-A-N" spells Kerrigan.
Proud to represent the Skins in D.C.
To hell with the man who says a word agin me.

"K" "E" double "R" "I",
"G-A-N", you see!
Is a name that DROY
and Pro Bowls will be connected with
Kerrigan, that's me!

 

[Goaldeje]

Tandler expressed some concerns about Kerrigan in the 3-4:

While I like Ryan Kerrigan, who the Redskins took with their top pick after trading down in the first round, there is every reason to have the same concerns about him as there were about Quinn. Converting a player from playing in a three-point stance to playing on two feet is easier said than done and not everybody can do it.

http://realredskins.com/2011/05/doubts-about-kerrigan-at-linebacker/

As I said before, I wonder if we won't see more 4-3 looks this year?

 

[Elephant]

Tandler expressed some concerns about Kerrigan in the 3-4:

While I like Ryan Kerrigan, who the Redskins took with their top pick after trading down in the first round, there is every reason to have the same concerns about him as there were about Quinn. Converting a player from playing in a three-point stance to playing on two feet is easier said than done and not everybody can do it.

http://realredskins.com/2011/05/doubts-about-kerrigan-at-linebacker/

As I said before, I wonder if we won't see more 4-3 looks this year?

I have seen this expressed all over the interwebz to the tune of, most OLB's in a 3-4 in the NFL have to make the switch since very few college teams run the 3-4. Of course we are going to be a little more concerned because we had tremendous difficulty with the switch from 4-3 to 3-4, especially since the 4-3 worked pretty well with the personnel we had.

 

[Neophyte]

I don't see why we would use more 4-3 this year just because we drafted Kerrigan. We had Jarmon on board last year who by all appearances was ready for some real time at LE in the 4-3 and didn't seem to take that into account.

I would assume that playing Kerrigan at 4-3 LE would just slow down his transition to OLB.

 

[bird_1972]

We had Jarmon on board last year who by all appearances was ready for some real time at LE in the 4-3 and didn't seem to take that into account.

Speaking of Jarmon, I always liked the kid.

Any insight into how he'll be used this year? I didn't see him on the field as much as I would've liked in 2010.

 

[Elephant]

Speaking of Jarmon, I always liked the kid.

Any insight into how he'll be used this year? I didn't see him on the field as much as I would've liked in 2010.

I am only going on what I have seen here and other message boards, but apparently he has bulked up and is eager to prove he can play the DE in the 3-4.

 

[bird_1972]

I am only going on what I have seen here and other message boards, but apparently he has bulked up and is eager to prove he can play the DE in the 3-4.

That would be awesome. He came out of college with pass-rushing bona fides (if I remember correctly) so he has that skill already. Presumably, he will lose some speed at a higher weight, but could very well be a great presence on the edge.