Darryl Tapp DE 6’1 252 Virginia Tech
By: Robert Davis

NFL Combine Stats: 40-yard dash - 4.87

Darryl Tapp is one of the hardest working football players in the country. He’ll never be outworked on the field. His hard work paid off when he entered the starting lineup as a sophomore. He finished that season with 58 tackles, nine for loss, with three sacks. He upped all of those numbers as a junior, finishing with 60 tackles, 16.5 for loss, and 8.5 sacks. Tapp was again a standout as a senior, finishing the year with 48 tackles, 14.5 for loss, and 10 sacks.

Tapp’s best trait is the passion he shows for the game. Nobody outworks him off the field, and he plays hard for a full 60 minutes on the field. With his work ethic, he has become one of the better playmakers on the defensive line. Tapp comes off the line very quick to disrupt plays. He is also one of the stronger ends in the draft. He can take on a blocker, get off, and make plays as a run stopper. He may bring the versatility of playing off the line as a 3-4 OLB.

Despite being a playmaker at the college level, Tapp may not have all the physical ability to have it translate to he pro game. He is just 6'1, and continues to lose weight after the season. He was 257 at the Senior Bowl, and 252 at the combine.

It’s hard to not like Tapp. He plays the game the way it should be and is always around the ball. I believe he will find a role in the NFL, even if he does not have the same impact that he has had in college. Tapp appears to be losing weight in effort to show off his athleticism to project to linebacker better since he is undersized for a defensive end. Whether a team asks him to put some back on to play end, or he stands up off the line, Tapp is a very good prospect. He should hear his name on Day One, and could go in the second round.