B.J. Raji | Boston College, DT : 2009 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile

Draft Scout Snapshot: DS Rating on 8/24/08: #5 DT, #60/750 Overall, Projected Rnd: 3
2008: All-American first-team selection by The NFL Draft Report, earning second-team honors from Rivals.com, third-team accolades from the Associated Press and Scout.com and was an honorable mention by Pro Football Weekly and Sports Illustrated...First-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference pick...The recipient of The Mary M. and William H. Sullivan, Jr. '37 Scholarship started all thirteen games at right defensive tackle, recording a career-high 42 tackles (22 solos)...Led the team with eight sacks for minus 48 yards, 16.0 stops for losses of 79 yards and three quarterback pressures...Finished third on the squad with five pass deflections...Had at least one tackle behind the line of scrimmage in ten contests... Helped the team lead the ACC and rank seventh in the nation by holding the opposition to an average of 91.21 rushing yards per game, as the Eagles also led the conference and placed fifth nationally with an average of 268.14 yards per game in total offense allowed...2007: Redshirted due to academic reasons. 2006: 12 GP; 12 GS; 16 Sol-23 TT, 8.5 TFL, 3 SK, 3 PBU, 1 QBH, 1 FF; Received All-ACC second-team honors...Started 12 games at defensive tackle...had 23 tackles, including 16 solo stops...made 8.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, forced one fumble and had three pass breakups...earned All-ACC second-team honors... 2005: 12 GP; 12 GS; 15 Sol-27 TT, 6.5 TFL, 1.5 SK, 1 PBU; Started all 12 contests at right defensive tackle...registered 27 tackles (20 solos), 1.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss and one pass breakup... 2004: 8 GP; 0 GS; 6 Sol-13 TT, 1.5 TFL; Worked his way into the rotation at defensive tackle as a true freshman...registered 13 tackles (6 solos) and 1.5 tackles for loss...was listed at number two on the depth chart (behind Tim Bulman) at left tackle...saw his first collegiate action in home opener against Penn State.

Post-Draft Outlook: BEST PICK: Boston College NT B.J. Raji was a no-brainer for the Packers' top selection when he was available at No. 9 overall, although dynamic wideout Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech had general manager Ted Thompson mulling his enviable options. Addressing glaring needs in the revamped 3-4 defensive front took precedence, and landing Raji was a coup for fortifying the trenches. Raji is a beast at 6-foot-2 and 337 pounds. The Packers haven't possessed such a feared, game-changing nose tackle since Gilbert Brown was digging graves in the backfield for upended opponents during the team's dominant run in the 1990s. Raji's uncanny ability to take on double teams and shed blockers should pay immediate dividends for a defense that ranked 26th against the run, allowing an average of 131.6 yards per game, and generated only 27 sacks last season. A closer look at the Packers' picks: Round 1/9 -- B.J. Raji, DT, 6-2, 337, Boston College...Pound for pound, the Packers might have acquired the best defensive player in the draft. Raji is extraordinarily gifted and athletic for his size. The every-down enforcer solidifies the interior of the defensive line for Green Bay, which had only aging starter Ryan Pickett to anchor the critical nose tackle position in its big switch to a 3-4 alignment up front. Work ethic and yo-yo weight control exhibited by Raji in college are blemishes that can't be brushed aside, however. - by The Sports Xchange