MVN - Most Valuable Network

Draft Diaries: Kendall Langford

In the third installment of our ongoing offseason series Draft Diaries, we take a closer look at defensive end Kendall Langford.

Never heard of this guy? We’re not surprised. He went to Hampton University. Scouts say that if Langford would have went to a BCS school, he would have probably been a late first round selection instead of a late third round selection. So, with plenty of offers on the table from Division I-A schools after he earned All-District, All-Metro and All-Region honors in high school, why did Langford choose the Division I-AA school in southeastern Virginia? Because of it’s education system’s reputation. Sounds like a Parcells guy already.

In his freshman year in 2004, Langford only started four games but still finished the year with 4.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for a loss, second on the team. He also returned a fumble 30 yards for a touchdown. Despite Langford’s personal success that season, his team ranked a lowly 58th in the nation in total defense. In 2005, Langford started every game at a brand new position, left tackle. He made 65 tackles and led the team with 15.5 tackles for a loss, earning himself All-MEAC first team honors and almost single handedly making Hampton to the nation’s sixth best defensive team. In his junior year, Langford once again anchored Hampton’s defensive front with 8 sacks, he was a key contributor on a defensive squad that finished the season as the country’s sixth best scoring defense, a squad that only gave up 14.5 points per game and he was once again a unanimous first team All-MEAC selection. He was also named an All-American. Teams did their best to steer clear of Langford in his junior year but a 6′6″, 290 pound man takes up a lot of space. He led his team in tackles, something defensive ends rarely do, got to the quarterback 6 times and was the first player from Hampton to be named to three straight all-conference teams since 1985. Opposing coaches compared him to Reggie White. We’re not going to go that far but after solid performances at both the Shrine and Senior Bowls, Langford definitely proved he can rumble with the big boys.

Even though he’s done everything right, Langford’s ability to perform at the NFL level will probably always be questioned. The one thing he won’t be labeled as is a pile topper. He has Zach Thomas-like abilities for sniffing out the ball and wrapping up it’s carrier. If Langford gets going, he can take over a game. With above average quickness, incredible instincts and the ability to play anywhere in the 3-4, Langford could wind up being the next best thing since Cal Hubbard.

Tune in next time, when Sean takes a look at the team’s 4th round pick, guard Shawn Murphy.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 at 8:36 am and is filed under Miami Dolphins. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.