Chris Ellis

With a few notable exceptions, former Virginia Tech defensive ends haven't exactly taken the NFL by storm. Since Buffalo selected Bruce Smith in the 1985 draft, until Seattle discovered Darryl Tapp in the second round of the 2006 draft, few Hokies have been successful going from Blacksburg to the NFL. With his breakout 2007 season, Chris Ellis hopes that his name will be alongside Smith and Tapp in the near future. Ellis is more than just an edge rusher. He has had good success as a leverage player vs. the run and has the quick-twitch moves to give chase in the opposing backfield. With his lateral agility and ability to clear his feet on the move, some scouts are even analyzing him as a potential strong-side linebacker in a 3-4 alignment, thanks to his 4.56 speed. Ellis was a member of Super Prep's Elite 100 list following his senior season at Bethel High School, where he led the team with 50 tackles, seven for loss, and 10 sacks as a defensive end and outside linebacker. He was named an All-American by both Super Prep and Prep Star as a defensive lineman and received VHSCA All-Eastern Region honorable mention as a defensive end his final season. Ellis was also selected as a first-team Newport News Daily Press All-Star, adding first-team Peninsula District accolades. He was ranked the 13th-best defensive end in the country and the third-best prospect in Virginia by Super Prep and rated the 21st-best defensive end in the nation by Tom Lemming on ESPN.com. An All-Mid-Atlantic Region choice by Prep Football Report, he recorded 75 tackles and 15 sacks as a junior. Ellis enrolled at Virginia Tech in 2003, spending the season as a defensive end on the scout team until undergoing surgery on his right shoulder in October to repair a torn labrum. He earned third-team Freshman All-American honors from The Sporting News in 2004, lining up for 13 games as the team's top reserve at defensive end. He would finish his first season with the Hokies by making 33 tackles (15 solo) with three sacks, 7 1/2 stops for losses and 14 quarterback pressures. He also recovered two fumbles. As a sophomore, Ellis started nine of 13 contests at right defensive end. He was in on 41 tackles, including six sacks and 10 1/2 stops behind the line of scrimmage, both ranking second on the team. He added 14 pressures with two forced fumbles and batted down five passes. In 2006, Ellis started 12 games at left defensive end. He was bothered by shoulder problems at the beginning and end of the year that required surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder after the team's bowl game. He was also suspended for the Georgia Tech clash when he was arrested in October for disorderly conduct. He made 38 tackles (18 solo) with 4 1/2 sacks, 8 1/2 stops for losses and 16 pressures while also coming up with two forced fumbles. As a senior, his relentless pressure on opposing quarterbacks earned Ellis first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors. He posted a career-high 53 tackles (25 solo), along with 8 1/2 sacks, nine stops behind the line of scrimmage and 38 pressures. He caused one fumble and recovered another, as he also deflected five passes and intercepted another.

positives

Has a developing frame with room to carry at least another 10 pounds of bulk without resulting in a loss of quickness...Has adequate muscle tone, but shows natural strength in his hand punch...In one-on-one situations, he does an efficient job of holding ground at the point of attack on the edge...Can handle fullbacks and tight ends, but will get redirected vs. the linemen and neutralized by double teams...With his sudden burst and ability to generate a pass rush off the edge, he could shift to strong-side linebacker in the pros and has experience at the position prior to college...Quick-twitch player with good athletic ability, playing with active hands and quick feet...Shows agility and balance in traffic, displaying flexibility and the ability to redirect while rushing the passer...Gets worn down during the game due to a lack of ideal bulk, but he is a tough player and shows good passion for the game...Shows goods balance and keeps his feet well when changing direction...Has the sudden speed to chase down ballcarriers on the outside, doing a good job of making plays in short pursuit...Has that incredible closing burst and edge-rushing skills to slip off the outside shoulder of an offensive tackle to pressure the pocket...Light on his feet, showing a very good burst to accelerate off the ball...Not the most instinctive playing off blocks, but has the ability to close quickly when he locates the ball...Shows good arm extension and a solid hand punch to shock a lethargic defender and is quick enough to haul down ballcarriers from behind...Better disrupting the pocket coming off the edge than when shooting the gaps...Able to sit in the crease with leverage (has problems when he gets too tall in his stance and must be conscious of keeping his pads down, as big blockers have good success covering him up)...Gets tied up when reached and struggles to shed, but showed some improvement here in 2007, as he was better extending his arms and using his hands in attempts to get separation...Shows good change-of-direction agility when reacting to blocks...When he plays the game on his feet, he can shed blockers, clear and pursue the ballcarrier, showing a sudden burst to run down the play...Has the quickness and strength to deliver an explosive tackle in the open, which could entice certain teams to look at him as an outside linebacker...Uses good arm extension to keep separation while rushing on the edge, shows the explosive burst off the edge and proper hip turn to flatten to the quarterback....Plays with better effort on the move and is best when chasing down action from the backside...Will deliver a solid hit if he is not impeded closing on the ball...When he keeps his hands active, blockers struggle in attempts to plant on him...Can really turn it loose coming off the corner and covers ground in a hurry, evident by his 82 quarterback pressures at Virginia Tech...Showed better snap-count anticipation as a senior, when he reduced his penalties from seven in 2006 to two in '07...Needs to explode behind his hits, but has the arm length to wrap and secure as a tackler.

compares to

SIMEON RICE, ex-Tampa Bay, Denver, Indianapolis...Ellis isn't a natural end like the former first-round pick from Illinois. But he has an explosive initial step off the snap and the quickness to take a wide loop and chase down the quarterback. He has the ability to clear his feet and move laterally down the line, good hand punch to control isolated blockers and is a good leverage player vs. the run. Like Rice, Ellis seems more concerned about getting to the quarterback than doing the "little things" to improve his overall game. With his foot speed, he could see action as a linebacker in a 3-4 alignment. He will need time to develop needed muscle mass and bulk to be a down lineman at the next level. Still, there are inconsistencies in his game, most notably a motor that is not always running, along with some poor judgment, both on and off the field. Virginia Tech has failed to produce NFL-quality at defensive end since Bruce Smith in 1985 (Darryl Tapp of Seattle is another on the rise), but with his athletic ability and quickness, Ellis is worth a look early in the draft even if he's not first-round material.

negatives

Has adequate muscle tone in his upper body and possesses, smooth straight calves and needs to add muscle...Not the most instinctive player of the field and needs to do a better job of reading blocking schemes...Just an average student and while he does well on the field, he needs several reps to retain...Needs to demonstrate better hand usage playing off blocks in a phone booth and can be absorbed and washed out of the play when he overextends and gets his hands outside the framework...Will run into an offensive lineman and fail to keep his hands active, struggling to shed...Needs to develop a stronger anchor, as he can be pushed off the ball, especially vs. double teams...Must do a better job with his plant-and-drive to redirect and change direction in attempts to close on the ball...Best when on the move, as he has good speed coming off the edge, but he needs to generate better counter moves and slip off blocks rather than try to overpower linemen in attempts to get to the quarterback...Needs to show better consistency with his pad level, as he tends to get too narrow in his base, leaving himself exposed to be pushed back...Lacks the "sand in his pants" to split double teams and bull rush inside...His timed speed is impressive enough for a potential move to a 3-4 strong-side linebacker, but he will need to open his hips better in his pass drops to get proper depth...Stamina is an issue, as he seems to disappear late in games...Also might have a medical red flag and teams will closely evaluate the medical reports on his right shoulder, which has twice been operated on for a torn labrum...Lacks the bulk to take on combo blocks, lacking the lower-body strength to anchor...Has active hands and good weight-room strength, but that power fails to translate to the field in the form of a jolting hand punch when he gets his hands outside his framework...More of an outside charger, as bigger blockers have had good success riding him out when redirecting in-line...Charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing justice in 2006, resulting in a one-game suspension...Has had good success deflecting passes at the line of scrimmage, but his timing is off...More of a one-move pass rusher who gets frustrated when his initial charge fails...Must show better urgency on the field, as he will generally throttle down when the action is away from him rather than pursue on the back side.

2003: Underwent surgery on his right shoulder to repair a torn labrum in October. 2006: Suffered a right shoulder sprain vs. Northeastern (9/02), but continued to play with the injury...Underwent surgery after the Chick-Fil-A Bowl (12/30) to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder and was forced to sit out 2007 spring drills.

Campus: 4.56 in the 40-yard dash

360-pound bench press

510-pound squat

341-pound power clean

330-pound push jerk

35 1/2-inch vertical jump

31 1/2-inch arm length

9 7/8-inch hands

14/22 Wonderlic score.

Attended Bethel (Hampton, Va.) High School, playing football for head coach Tracy Parker

Member of Super Prep's Elite 100 list following his senior season

Led the team with 50 tackles, seven for loss, and 10 sacks as a defensive end and outside linebacker his final year

Named an All-American by both Super Prep and Prep Star as a defensive lineman and received VHSCA All-Eastern Region honorable mention as a defensive end in 2002

Selected as a first-team Newport News Daily Press All-Star, adding first-team Peninsula District accolades

Ranked the 13th-best defensive end in the country and the third-best prospect in Virginia by Super Prep

Rated the 21st-best defensive end in the nation by Tom Lemming on ESPN.com

An All-Mid-Atlantic Region choice by Prep Foot-ball Report, he recorded 75 tackles and 15 sacks as a junior.

Apparel, Housing and Resource Management major

Son of Laurie and Eric Ellis

Born Christopher James Ellis on 2/11/85 in Hawaii

Resides in Hampton, Virginia.