100 in 100: Corey Wootton (58 of 100)

by Drew Kerr on Mar 10, 2010 2:00 PM PST in 100 in 100 (2010)

Wootton was one of a rare breed who played college football for five years. His best year was in 2008 when he racked up 10 sacks and 42 Tackles. His final year in 2009, production fell off just a bit. Wootton could be a solid player at the next level and really has some speed rushing off the edge. He's tall (6'7") and against most Offensive Tackles can get low enough to get good leverage to push them out of the way on his way to the Quarterback. Some mock drafts I have seen have had him going in the first round and others in the second. He could be one of those players that sits and watches names pass by the entire evening of the first night of the draft only to be selected on day two. If he does go day two, it won't be long before someone pulls the trigger.

Wootton had choices to go to Louisville, Connecticut, and N.C. State before chosing to go to Northwestern. The reason that the Northwestern Defensive End played a fifth year is because he got a medical hardship his freshman season due to a neck injury. He would only play three games his freshman year before the injury but would return to play in his Sophomore year. In 2006, Wootton had a stellar season and accomplished every major defensive statistic there was to accomplish; he was the leading guy for sacks on the team, tackles for loss and was the seventh leading tackler. The final three seasons of Wooton's career he piled up 15 sacks, several tackles for loss, and always seemed to be batting down passes at the line. He also, even though playing defensive end, managed to pick the ball off 4 times. Not a bad career, not a bad career at all, which will justify the high selection.

Below, we'll look at Wootton's stats, highlights, and other accomplishments followed up with a projection of where Wootton could be selected.

This video illustrates everything that I mentioned above. He is tall, big, fast, athletic, strong, high motor, and it all shows here. He is a true 4-3 defensive end and that would be a best fit for him. He may be too big to play outside linebacker and too small to play 3-4 defensive end, so this may limit where he could be selected. Although if he adds 10 pounds or so, he could possibly be a 3-4 defensive end as well.

AWARDS AND HONORS:

2006 Freshman All-American
2008 Honorable Mention All-American
2008 First-Team All-Big Ten
2008 First Team All-American
2009 Team Co-Captian
2009 Watch List for several Major Defensive Awards

CAREER STATS:

Stats Overview	Tackles						Misc		Interceptions
YEAR	TOT	SOLO	AST	SACK	STF	STFY	FF	BK	INT	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD	PD
2005	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0
2006	51	30	21	4	0	0	1	0	2	11	5.5	7	0	0
2007	39	21	18	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.0	0	0	0
2008	42	25	17	10	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.0	0	0	0
2009	21	16	5	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0

2009 Regular Season Game Log			Tackles						Misc		Interceptions
DATE	OPP	RESULT	TOT	SOLO	AST	SACK	STF	STFY	FF	BK	INT	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD	PD
9/5	Towson	W 47-14	Did Not Play or did not accumulate any stats.
9/12	Eastern Michigan	W 27-24	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0
9/19	@Syracuse	L 37-34	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	0
9/26	Minnesota	L 35-24	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0
10/3	@Purdue	W 27-21	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0
10/10	Miami (OH)	W 16-6	Did Not Play or did not accumulate any stats.
10/17	@Michigan State	L 24-14	Did Not Play or did not accumulate any stats.
10/24	Indiana	W 29-28	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0
10/31	Penn State	L 34-13	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0
11/7	@Iowa	W 17-10	3	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0
11/14	@Illinois	W 21-16	3	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0
11/21	Wisconsin	W 33-31	4	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0

2009 Postseason Game Log

Tackles

Misc

Interceptions

BOWL

OPP

RESULT

TOT

SOLO

AST

SACK

STF

STFY

INT

YDS

AVG

LNG

OUTBACK BOWL

@Auburn

L 38-35

0.0

SUMMARY AND PROJECTION:

Wootton will be an interesting player to follow during the draft. There may be some wait time in the first round and the young man may have to wait until day two to be selected as I mentioned at the top of the article. Wootton was not a top-performer in any of the events at the combine but will have a chance to shine at Northwesterns Pro Day.

Possibilities -- 1st Round: Picks 20-32, 2nd Round: Picks 33-64.

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Comments

crazy work ethic

I go to Northwestern and have seen Corey all over campus. He’s hard to miss since he’s so tall, but the number one thing that sticks out about him is his intense work ethic – he always has this hard stare and is absolutely always in workout clothes.

He’s also an outstanding defensive lineman. He’s particularly great in stopping the run with his huge reach, but he’s a pretty good pass rusher too. He doesn’t generate tons of pressure when he’s caught in a double team (which happened all the time the past few years) but he can still make a tackle on a running back. He seems like a great 3-4 style end.

by spenczar on Mar 10, 2010 2:20 PM PST reply actions