A switch is a simple thing. There’s on. And there’s off.
While Nick Fairley is one of the biggest, toughest, strongest, play-on-the-edge prospects in this year’s NFL draft, what teams think of his football switch will decide when he is selected.
“I have that switch, I do,” said the 6-foot-4, 291-pound Fairley. “When I hit the field, when I go play the game, it’s on. It’s always on. That’s how I play; that’s how I’ve always played since I was 8 years old.”
The trouble is, since early February, when plenty of people considered Fairley a potential No. 1 overall pick in next week’s draft, many of those same talent evaluators have leveled one of the most difficult criticisms for a player to shake: that he doesn’t always play hard. He isn’t always the best player on the field, but should be.
That is something the Broncos must ponder, sitting in the No. 2 spot of the draft.
“People have asked me about it,” Fairley said. “I play the game the way it’s supposed to be played. I don’t think the film lies. I played hard, and I made plays.”
Fairley won the Lombardi Trophy this past season — given annually to the nation’s best lineman — in helping lead Auburn to the national championship. He set single-season school records with 24 tackles for a loss to go with 11 1/2 sacks from his defensive tackle spot.
And inside pass rushers who are powerful enough to anchor a run defense are highly coveted players in the NFL. So much so that the Detroit Lions used the No. 2 pick in last April’s draft on Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who went on to win the league’s defensive rookie-of-the-year award and earn a starting spot in the Pro Bowl.
“When you draft a player that high and draft him at that position, you don’t have to say it’s a developmental project and you’re drafting him for the future,” Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. “There are guys who are game ready and guys who can make an impact.”
That said, Fairley had only one dominant season at Auburn after transferring from Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Miss. He had seven sacks to go with 63 tackles in only seven junior college games in 2008, then started only two games in his first season at Auburn in 2009 and had 1 1/2 sacks.
“Coming out of juco, I didn’t really know what it took to play in the SEC,” Fairley said. “Coming in I was, like, OK, this is another college game. (But) it’s a lot different than juco. The guys out there in the SEC are a lot bigger, faster, stronger. And it took me some time to get adjusted, to understand what it was going to take to make plays.
“When I got adjusted, I think I showed what I could do.”
Broncos general manager Brian Xanders is impressed.
“He’s a disruptive, productive, competitive (defensive tackle),” Xanders said. “He’s a very tall, linear, athletic player. He’s a former basketball player. He’s got long arms, and he has very good athleticism on the move.”
Fairley has been accused of dirty play from time to time. His low hit on Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray last fall — it knocked Murray out of the game — drew criticism, and some scouts have said he is too quick to lead with his helmet when finishing plays. However, the NFL’s talent evaluators won’t be swayed too much by those charges, especially when they’re directed at a defensive lineman.
Asked if he thinks Fairley is a dirty player, Browns general manager Tom Heckert said: “No, not at all. I think he’s a tough player. I guess there’s a fine line. I was fortunate to have Jon Runyan play for us in Philadelphia for a long time, and some people called him dirty, but he’s a tough player. Those guys, it’s not after-the-whistle stuff. I think it’s more toughness than being a dirty player.”
Through it all, Fairley has tried to maintain his confidence and consistently has said he’s the best defensive lineman on the board for the Broncos, or anyone else, to consider.
“I’m a great pass rusher and a great run stopper,” Fairley said. “I try to dominate inside in the middle, and I think that’s what teams are looking for.
“All I’ve wanted to do is show people I can do what I did at Auburn at the next level. I’m that kind of player, and whoever takes me is going to get what they wanted and more.”
Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 291 pounds
Workout numbers: Ran a 4.84 40-yard dash hand-timed at the scouting combine (4.89 on the electronic clock) and performed well in drills. He did not perform the bench press at Indianapolis because of the lingering effects of a third-degree right shoulder sprain he suffered against Georgia this past season. He was quick and fluid in positional work at his pro day, a rare combination for a player his size.
Strengths: Quick feet on a big man — a highly coveted combination in an NFL defense, especially at defensive tackle. Fairley is quick off the ball, so he often gets the first blow. And he’s got quick hands, so when he needs to shed the blocker, he gets rid of him. Can penetrate the gaps, break double teams and get to the passer.
Weaknesses: Scouts get so nervous about work ethic, because they fear a player downshifting when the checks start to get cashed. And for all of the big-time work Fairley did this past season and for all of the athletic gifts he has as one of the two best defensive tackles on the board, questions about his effort still trail him. Had only one big-time season at Auburn, jumping from 1 1/2 sacks in 2009 to 11 1/2 in 2010.
Games of note: Like Ndamukong Suh, who disassembled the Texas offense in the Big 12 title game in his final season at Nebraska, Fairley went out with a bang, earning defensive MVP honors in the BCS title game to close out the 2010 season. Against Oregon, Fairley had three tackles for a loss, a sack and a forced fumble. Against Mississippi State last season, he recovered a fumble and had an interception and 1 1/2 sacks.
Things you should know: As a senior at Williamson High School in Mobile, Ala., he averaged 30 yards a catch when he lined up as a tight end (five catches for 150 yards). He was the first Auburn player to win the Lombardi Award since Fairley’s position coach — Tracy Rocker — won it in 1988. Rocker is now an assistant coach on Mike Munchak’s staff with the Titans.
Jeff Legwold, The Denver Post
