An Interior Pass Rusher

Few commitments in the last few years have seemed to come from nowhere more than Wednesday's pledge from Pflugerville (Texas) Hendrickson defensive tackle Cedric Roberts. Roberts came to Norman and worked out on Tuesday and though SCOOPHD couldn't be on hand it's still time to talk about just what the Sooners staff has landed in the form of the 6-foot-4, 280-pound defender.

SoonerScoop.com Recruiting Editor Josh McCuistion: It doesn't take years of experience to see what makes Roberts a target worthy of Oklahoma's attention - his first step is a potentially elite trait as an interior pass rusher.

And while the first step is the engine that makes him dynamic, it's his ability to 'get skinny' that may be his distinguishing characteristic as a pass rusher. On the first clip you see his ability to challenge the guard's inside shoulder with his quickness but it's his ability to turn his shoulders that makes it impossible for the guard to ever recover.

Roberts is at his best when he is using all of his lateral quickness to evade blockers but for a player who clearly brings some length to the equation he is also strong with his hands. As he continues to fill out his frame that could be a surprisingly useful aspect of his game.

As mentioned Roberts is still lean and his body will change considerably before he's ready to roll in the college game but as he does he'll become a more complete run stopper and be more of a stereotypical defender. For now though his base is a bit light and is somewhat reminsicent of current Sooner freshman Kelvin Gilliam. Though point of attack is something that he figures to improve on over time, his motor is something that should carry him along.

Player Comparison: He reminds me a lot of another late bloomer from Texas - Adrian Taylor.