Buyer, beware

Sporting News, The, March 11, 1996 by John McClain

The buzz about Baylor defensive end Daryl Gardener began in the spring last year when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.75, and it is reaching a crescendo leading up to the NFL draft, April 20-21. Gardener, at 6-61/2, 320 pounds, is the most intriguing prospect. Opinion is fragmented on what type of NFL player he will become, but there is no division over his incredible size, speed and athleticism.

"With a body like that, you know he won't be selling insurance," says Tom Braatz, director of scouting for the Dolphins.

No one has watched Gardener more closely over the past four years than the Oilers' C.O. Brocato, who played at Baylor and has been scouting the Southwest Conference for 20 years.

"It makes you drool to see a guy with that kind of size and ability," Brocato says. "At the Senior Bowl practices, he tossed guys around like they were rag dolls. I've seen him grab a tackle and just shake him like he was shaking a towel. There's nothing he can't do if he wants to do it. He can make a scout and line coach look great, or he can get them fired."

Although Gardener has unusual size, speed and strength, he comes with a buyer-beware warning. "Physically, he's got everything you want," Braatz says, "but his up-and-down motor concerns me."

Gardener was not a dominating player in a decaying Southwest Conference. In four seasons, he started 28 of 43 games and had 15 sacks and 31 tackles for losses. His critics say his inconsistency shows a lack of heart. His proponents list several reasons he has seldom played to his enormous potential.

Because his father was in the military, Gardener started playing football relatively late and played only two years at Lawton (Okla.) High School. He played in two systems under two coaches at Baylor. He began his career in a 4-3 alignment and ended it in a 3-4. During his last two years, the Bears used a rotation system involving two groups of linemen.

But a lot of players change systems and play for different coaches, and most teams like to rotate defensive linemen to keep them fresh for the fourth quarter. Some scouts believe Gardener is not instinctive enough to excel in the NFL.

Gardener, like every player, thought he should have been on the field more. But he never complained publicly about the rotation system that kept him from posting more impressive statistics last season when he had a career-high 59 tackles but only 31/2 sacks.

"It hurt some, but I just dealt with it," he says. "We had so many good athletes that I just wanted to do what was best for the team. I didn't want to be selfish. When you're hot and making a lot of plays and they take you out, you get frustrated. I got frustrated many times because I didn't want to come out of the game, but I did because I didn't want my teammates to think I was being defiant."

When Baylor's season ended, Gardener went on a mission to prove his critics wrong. At the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, he impressed many scouts but also gave his detractors ammunition. After having exceptional Senior Bowl practices, he gave an average performance in the game. In Indianapolis, he bench-pressed the required 225 pounds 30 times without breaking a sweat, and could have done more, but he stopped. He ran four 40s in the 4.9s, usually exceptional for a player his size, but not for Gardener.

"Those were slow times for him," Brocato says. "The problem was that he tried to come out of the blocks like Carl Lewis rather than a defensive lineman. He got down in a track stance, and when he took off he stood straight up, which slowed down his time.

"Hey, Daryl's a risk, but let me tell you something: I still think somebody will take him in the top 10."

Baylor Coach Chuck Reedy says, "I think he'll be better in the NFL than he was in college because of the maturity and experience factors. Daryl was raw when he came to Baylor because of his background. He had some problems early (Gardener left the team without permission for two days during two-a-day drills before his sophomore season), but he's progressed steadily. From a maturity standpoint, he made as big a transformation as a senior as I've ever seen. His attitude really changed. He's very motivated and focused."

At his best, Gardener can be a left end with the strength to stuff a tight end or tackle and the speed to get to the quarterback. He can be a gargantuan tackle who can collapse the pocket. Because more teams are putting emphasis on three-step drops for their quarterbacks, to avoid the outside rush, big tackles are in demand, and Gardener can block the quarterback's vision and disrupt his timing with the receivers.

"I like Gardener on the inside," Lions defensive coordinator Jim Eddy says. "When he spreads those long arms and shows that great wingspan, he's like a tree in the quarterback's face. He can make quarterbacks alter their throws.

"Gardener's just an unusual athlete who's destined for greatness. He's a real knee-bender who can flex his body like a 6-3 player. He can line up and play smash-mouth. Like a lot of big kids, though, he suffers from inconsistency. He needs to turn it up a notch and play hard all the time."