Anthony Gray Scouting Report

Anthony Gray's career at Southern Miss did not start out very productive. After redshirting in 2006, Gray suffered a foot injury during preseason practice and missed the first seven games of the 2007 campaign. Once he was healthy enough to play, the defensive tackle only totaled seven tackles on the season. By 2008, Gray worked his way into the starting lineup and tallied 29 tackles and a team high 6.0 sacks. For his efforts, he earned second-team All-Conference USA accolades.

As an upperclassman Gray built on his sophomore success. His sack numbers decreased, but he turned into a much more effective tackler. Even when he was not making plays himself, Gray was pushing the line; in a league like the Conference USA (where most teams are quite pass heavy), Gray would force quarterbacks to make quicker throws than they would prefer. Through 11 games in the 2010 season, the story has been pretty much the same. Opposing offenses are often double teaming Gray, forcing other players to get into the backfield and make plays. While the sack numbers are still down, Gray is continuing to emerge as a fine run stuffer.

At 6-0 and 317 pounds, Gray could be a nice fit in a 4-3 defense at the next level. There are certainly bigger, stronger and faster tackles in this class, but Gray is an experienced lineman who can stuff the run or, with some work on pass rushing moves, get into the backfield. Barring a surprising workout or two leading up to the draft, Gray will likely be a late round selection.