Andre Fluellen

A dominating presence in the middle of the field, most of Florida State's success in stopping the run in recent years has been with Fluellen clogging the rush lanes. Much of the Seminoles' failures on defense were the result of their defensive leader being on the sidelines with a left elbow hyperextension in 2007. Called by ESPN as one of the "Ten Seniors to Watch" in 2007, Fluellen started just five times due to his injury, but proved to be a defensive force as opponents averaged just 1.74 yards per carry on plays directed at him the last two seasons. His consistency on the field caused the coaching staff to state that he is equal or better than two recent first-round draft choices who played on the FSU defensive line, Brodrick Bunkley (Philadelphia) and Travis Johnson (Houston). Fluellen was rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com as a senior at Cartersville High School. That service also rated him the 28th-best defensive lineman in the country and gave him Georgia Top 50 status. He excelled as a two-way tackle and held the team record with a 345-pound bench press. As a senior, Fluellen registered 93 tackles, adding 11 sacks. He posted 88 tackles, 10 sacks, six forced fumbles and scored two touchdowns during his junior campaign. At Florida State, Fluellen red-shirted in 2003. He appeared in 12 games in 2004, as he saw action mostly with the special teams or late in games on defense. He finished with six tackles (4 solos), a stop behind the line of scrimmage and two pass deflections. As a sophomore, Fluellen took over left defensive tackle duties, starting every game, except vs. The Citadel, sitting out that contest after suffering a left biceps muscle strain vs. Miami. He posted 26 tackles (8 solos) with three sacks, 7.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and a quarterback pressure. In 2006, Fluellen was the recipient of the team's Bill McGrotha/Spirit Humanitarian Award. He started all 13 games, lining up at left defensive tackle for the first two contests before shifting over to nose guard for the balance of the schedule. He ranked seventh on the team with 28 tackles (16 solos) that included an assisted sack and eight stops behind the line of scrimmage. Fluellen was named to several preseason All-American and All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams, in addition to earning a berth on the Bednarik Award Watch List (nation's top defensive player) in 2007, but managed to start only five games, missing three entire contests with his elbow injury. He still managed to come up with 21 tackles (10 solos), including two sacks, one pressure and a pair of pass deflections.

positives

Has a short frame, but has wide shoulders, thick legs, long arms to defeat reach blocks and large hands to lock on and drag down the ballcarrier...Is best when shooting the gaps and disrupting inside run plays, as he has had good success in taking on lead blockers and clogging the rush lane...Bright player who learns well and is able to pick things up quickly...Works extremely hard, giving good effort on and off the field...A very tough player with strong leadership qualities...Accountable athlete who is always on time and who has earned the respect of his teammates and coaches...Shows some inconsistency with respect to quickness, but shoot gaps with good suddenness to gain ground off the snap...Has the short-area burst and lateral quickness to contribute in pursuit...Possesses good foot quickness and adequate redirection to slip blocks when trying to penetrate working inside...Often overruns tackles in space, but has good size and strength to wrap up ballcarriers and get them to the ground inside...Has a good feel for pre-snap movement and shows good vision to locate ballcarriers working through trash...Shuffles his feet well and has developed a nifty spin move to escape that causes the slower blockers to have problems mirroring him...Good wrap-up tackler who can put decent pop behind his hits...Not really a great pass rusher, but does have a rip move that he uses with good success...Works well with other down linemen on stunts.

compares to

LARRY TRIPLETT-ex-Buffalo...While inconsistent, Fluellen does have good initial quickness off the snap. He has good suddenness shooting the gaps and the functional strength to be an efficient wrap-up tackler. His only problem is doing it on a steady basis. He lacks the size you look for in a nose guard and plays too tall to neutralize the double team. He has to get stronger in order to gain playing time at the next level. Even with a weak draft crop at defensive tackle, it's doubtful he can give any team help at this stage of his game.

negatives

Flashes some suddenness and foot quickness, but has only adequate speed and plays too tall, often losing his balance...Doesn't possess much wiggle and has limited burst to close on the quarterback...Plays with only adequate awareness and feel to diagnose plays and locate the ball...Gives inconsistent effort and at times, he appears lazy or will take some plays off...Plays too tall and often gets covered up vs. inside runs... When he gets too tall in his stance, he gets taken to the ground often vs. double-teams, generally because of being overextended and off-balance...Shows good foot quickness and adequate speed to get down the line and contribute in pursuit, but possesses an inconsistent motor and effort...Often stops his feet while rushing the passer, spending too much time trying to redirect and get back into the play...Has a marginal assortment of pass-rush moves and minimal burst to close on the quarterback...Must show better hand usage, as he lets blockers attack his chest a lot...Does not generate the explosive burst needed to close on the quarterback... Must be more active with his hands and develop a strong punch with more moves to get the offensive linemen pushed off the line of scrimmage...Generally will get taken out of plays when he bites on misdirection and is slow to recover...Will need to bulk up to play nose guard at the next level, but more weight could impact his quickness...Has good leg drive off the snap, but his feet will give out from under him when he has to generate long pursuit...Durability is a concern, especially with his left arm (two major injuries in three seasons)...Must improve his pad level, as he does not have the raw power to shed blocks when he gets too tall in his stance...Does not have the strength to stack and control with consistency.

2005: Had his wisdom teeth removed in January...Suffered a left biceps muscle strain vs. Miami (9/05), sitting out the following week vs. The Citadel (9/10). 2006: Suffered a partially torn left knee meniscus in April camp...Suffered a rib fracture during August camp...Left the Duke game (10/18) with a hamstring pull...Left in the first half vs. Virginia (11/04) with a high ankle sprain. 2007: Sat out the Colorado game (9/15) after suffering a left elbow hyper-extension vs. Alabama-Birmingham (9/08)...Missed the Miami (10/20) and Duke (10/27) contests after re-injuring his elbow vs. Wake Forest (10/11). 2008: Did not participate in agility tests at the NFL Combine due to a left quadriceps muscle strain.

Campus: 5.0 in the 40-yard dash

1.68 10-yard dash

2.95 20-yard dash

4.45 20-yard shuttle

7.78 three-cone drill

28.5-inch vertical jump

8'8" broad jump

422-pound bench press

Bench pressed 225 pounds 29 times

580-pound squat

395-pound power clean

33 1/2-inch arm length

10 1/4-inch hands

Right-handed

25/29 Wonderlic score. Combine: Bench pressed 225 pounds 28 times. Did not participate in agility tests due to a left quadriceps muscle strain.

Attended Cartersville (Ga.) High School, playing football for head coach Frank Barden

Rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com as a senior, as that service also rated him the 28th-best defensive lineman in the country and gave him Georgia Top 50 status

Excelled as a two-way tackle and held the team record with a 345-pound bench press

As a senior, Fluellen registered 93 tackles, adding 11 sacks

Posted 88 tackles, 10 sacks, six forced fumbles and scored two touchdowns during his junior campaign.

Literature major, with a minor in Greek Mythology

Born 3/07/85

Resides in Cartersville, Georgia.