William Gholston

Blue chip high school recruits out of the state of Michigan usually end up in Ann Arbor or another big-time program like USC (Nick Perry) or Alabama (Mark Ingram). But the much-heralded Gholston, a five-star recruit who had offers from just about every program in the nation, landed in East Lansing and slowly but surely came into his own as one of the top defensive linemen in the Big Ten. He spent his true freshman season as a backup defensive end/linebacker, but a shoulder injury ended his season prematurely. Gholston returned as a starting sophomore defensive end in 2011 and set several career-bests with 70 tackles, 16.0 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks and one forced fumble, earning Second Team All-Big Ten honors. However, his 2011 season wasn't without some controversy, as Gholston was suspended for Michigan State's last second Hail Mary win over Wisconsin because of a few dirty plays against rival Michigan a week earlier (punching left tackle Tyler Lewan and twisting quarterback Denard Robinson's helmet). With the full support of the coaching staff and zero off-field incidents, it would be unfair to label Gholston as a bad character prospect, but his football focus and on-field demeanor is a question mark that the NFL won't ignore. Scouts also can't ignore the solid numbers Gholston put up in 2012: 59 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss to go along with 10 passes defensed and a forced fumble. His decision to leave school a year early may have been prompted by the recent birth of his first child. If Gholston's name is familiar in NFL circles, it's because his cousin is former Ohio State star Vernon Gholston, who was a bust as a first-round pick by the Jets and is currently out of the league. Similar to Jerel Worthy in 2011, Gholston isn't the "elite" defensive lineman that some believe, but he does have pass rush ability and has yet to reach his ceiling.

strengths

At 6-7 and 280-pounds, he has the size, length and physical skills to maul blockers coupled with the athleticism to play in space and beat linemen with quickness.

compares to

--Dane Brugler

weaknesses

Plays too stiff and needs to develop a better array of pass rush moves, too often relying on his natural tools and not technique. Lackluster first two seasons was followed by a solid, but not outstanding, junior season, failing to quell some questions about his work ethic and motor.

Participated in the 2010 Under Armour All-America Game in St. Petersburg, Fla. . . . MaxPreps, SuperPrep, PrepStar (Dream Team) and EA SPORTS All-American . . . ranked among the nation's top prospects by Tom Lemming (No. 12), Rivals.com (No. 21), Lindy's (No. 21), Athlon Sports (No. 24), Scout.com (No. 29), ESPNU 150 (No. 42) and Sporting News (No. 60). Ranked among the country's top defensive ends by Tom Lemming (No. 3), Rivals.com (No. 3 strongside), Scouts, Inc. (No. 3), Scout.com (No. 4), Lindy's (No. 5), Athlon Sports (No. 5) and Max Emfinger (No. 9) . . . listed among the nation's top defensive linemen by SuperPrep (No. 13) . . . ranked among the Midwest's top prospects by the Detroit Free Press (No. 4) and SuperPrep (No. 4) . . . rated the state's No. 1 senior by The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Rivals.com, Scout.com and Lansing State Journal . . . two-year starter and two-time all-state selection for Coach Donshell English at Southeastern High School in Detroit, Mich., helping the Jungaleers to a combined record of 20-4 (.833). Recorded a career-best 115 tackles as a senior, with 44 resulting in losses including 27 sacks . . . forced 10 fumbles and blocked two punts in 2009 . . . posted double-figure tackles in eight games as a senior, including 14 each in back-to-back games vs. Brother Rice and John Glenn . . . tallied 12 tackles vs. King, including four sacks, and forced two fumbles . . . made nine stops vs. Mumford, including four sacks, and returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown. Also had four receptions for 39 yards (9.8 avg.) and two TDs in 2009 . . . registered 101 tackles as a junior, including 37 for losses, while anchoring a defensive unit that recorded six shutouts . . . led the Public School League in tackles (101 - tied) and sacks (15) in 2008 . . . reached double-digit tackles in seven games as a junior, including 13 each vs. Douglass and Cass Tech . . . produced three sacks each vs. Crockett and Ford (also forced two fumbles) . . . caught five passes for 42 yards (8.4 avg.) . . . two-year starter at Mumford High School before transferring to Southeastern . . . made 108 stops, including 19 sacks, and two interceptions as a sophomore . . . had 29 catches for 503 yards (17.3 avg.) and nine TDs in 2007 . . . totaled 75 tackles, including nine sacks, as a freshman . . . also had 26 receptions for 467 yards (17.8 avg.) and five scores in 2006.

Nicknamed "Too Tall" . . . cousin Vernon Gholston earned All-Big Ten honors at Ohio State before being selected in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the New York Jets . . . born July 31, 1991 . . . no-preference major.