Philadelphia Eagles 2005 5th Round
draft pick, Trent Cole of Cincinnati
Information about Cincinnati Trent Cole, Philadelphia Eagles
2005 5th Round draft pick, 146th overall 2005 draft pick.
OVERVIEW
Nicknamed "Scrap Iron" by his Cincinnati coaches
for his chiseled physique that contains less than seven percent
body fat, Cole was a standout linebacker during his three
years with the football team at Xenia (Ohio) High School.
He earned league Defensive Lineman of the Year and area Player
of the Year honors after posting 121 tackles with eight sacks
as a senior. He also served as a running back, totaling 1,241
yards with 10 touchdowns on 184 carries (6.7 avg), picking
up all-state honors in his final season. He also played in
the prestigious Ohio North-South All-Star Game. Cole added
two letters in track and one in basketball.
He was a Proposition 48 casualty in his first year at Cincinnati
in 2001. In 2002, Cole started nine games, including eight
contests as a 227-pound defensive tackle, registering 86 tackles
(40 solos), five sacks, 12 stops for losses, 10 quarterback
pressures and two fumble recoveries. That performance earned
him Conference USA Defensive Newcomer of the Year honors.
He moved to right defensive end to take advantage of his
quickness in 2003. Cole responded with 84 tackles (49 solos),
5½ sacks, two forced fumbles and a team-high 14 stops
behind the line of scrimmage to garner All-Conference USA
first-team accolades.
In 2004, he started every game at weakside defensive end,
again picking up all-conference honors. He totaled 68 tackles
(41 solos) as he led the team with 8½ sacks and ranked
fourth in the nation with 22 stops for losses.
He finished his Cincinnati career with 238 tackles (130 solos),
19 sacks for minus-159 yards, 48 stops for losses of 231 yards,
35 quarterback pressures, four forced fumbles, two fumble
recoveries and five pass breakups. Only Antwan Peek (27, 1996-02)
and Andre Frazier (22½, 2001-04) had more sacks in
a career for the Bearcats. Cole's 48 stops behind the line
of scrimmage are topped only by Peek (56) on the school's
all-time record list.
ANALYSIS
Cole is a fine athlete who lacks bulk and size to play as
a down lineman at the pro level. He added over 15 pounds to
his frame during the 2004 offseason and the increased strength
was evident in his play. Still, he gets engulfed by the bigger
offensive tackles when working in-line and is best when being
allowed to roam the field or coming off the edge through a
clear lane.
He can run down plays from the backside and shows good hand
usage on the perimeter to gain separation and make the play.
He lacks the ideal strength needed to take on and shed working
inside and is slow to disengage and make the play at the point
of attack.
He is more effective working in space, where Cole has the
lateral agility to pursue and shows the burst and ability
to change direction and wrap as a tackler. Cole is a decent
drag-down tackler with the ability to drop back in the short
zone. He is active with his hands in attempts to reroute the
tight ends and backs. He has the ability to turn and run working
down the line. He is soft while engaging the bigger blockers
when operating in trash, as he knows his opponent will stonewall
him.
As an edge rusher, he has that quick burst off the ball to
accelerate and close on the quarterback. He takes good angles
in pursuit and shows urgency getting to the ball. However,
Cole is going to be a work in progress as a pass defender,
as the Bearcats did not use him much in pass coverage.
He lacks a good feel for the pass, and while he has the hip
snap to gain acceleration out of his backpedal, he lacks experience
in man coverage. At the line of scrimmage, he does a very
good job of timing his leaps to get a fair share of pass deflections.
Cole is not stout against the inside run, as his lack of
size sees him get washed out too much. He gets better leverage
coming off the corner and shows the lateral agility to string
plays out. He does show good explosion coming off the snap,
and once he gains penetration into the backfield, he can be
a disruptive force (48 tackles behind the line of scrimmage).
Cole does possess an explosive first step and flashes the
ability to disrupt running plays in the backfield. However,
he needs to play with better control, as his momentum sometimes
takes him too far up field, causing a creating of running
lanes.
The best way to get value out of Cole against the run is
to use him in a one-gap system in which he can be very effective
while slipping blocks. For now, he is a situational player
that is better suited for a 3-4 defense, where he can line
up as either an edge rusher or weakside linebacker.
While his speed is good for a down lineman, he will need
to show better acceleration and foot quickness to pursue the
ball off the line of scrimmage if he is to shift to linebacker.
Considering the lack of quality linebackers in this draft
and that several teams are now incorporating the 3-4 defensive
alignment, later in the draft this could be a decent value
pick.
INJURY REPORT
2003 -- Bothered by a slight knee sprain in the final three
games of the season.
2004 -- Left the Ohio State game in the third quarter with
a knee sprain, but returned to action in the fourth quarter
(9/04).
AGILITY
4.74 in the 40-yard dash (wind-aided) ... 4.86 in the 40-yard
dash ... 360-pound bench press ... 520-pound squat ... 300-pound
power clean ... 35½-inch vertical jump ... 10-foor-2
broad jump ... 32 7/8-inch arm length ... 9 3/8-inch hands
... Right-handed.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Xenia (Ohio) High School, playing football for coach
Paul Jenne ... First-team all-state selection by The Associated
Press as a senior ... Rushed 184 times for 1,241 yards and
10 touchdowns and was named League Defensive Lineman of the
Year after recording 121 tackles and eight quarterback sacks
in his final year ... First-team all-league, all-county and
all-district choice in 2000 ...
Named the area Player of the Year by the Xenia Daily Gazette
... Second-team all-league pick as a junior ... Selected for
the Dayton Daily News all-star team ... Played in the Ohio
North-South All-Star Game ... Lettered three times in football,
twice in track and once in basketball.
PERSONAL
Criminal Justice major ... Son of Trent Cole, Sr., and David
and Angela Wilson ... Born Oct. 5, 1982, in Xenia, Ohio.
