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NFL Draft

What Makes Cameron Jordan So Successful?

  • The Draft Network
  • July 17, 2020
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Cameron Jordan has been one of the most consistently dominant players in the game of football for more than a decade. 

To give some context to how good and how consistent the New Orleans Saints’ defensive end has been, from age 19 (including his years at Cal) all the way to now at age 31, there have only been four seasons where Jordan has not produced double-digit tackles for loss.

Jordan is not only a talent, but an iron man. Off the top of your head, take a guess at how many games Jordan has missed since he was drafted into the NFL in 2011. The answer is zero. On top of that, since 2011, there is only one player who has started more games than Jordan (143), cornerback Brandon Carr (144). But seeing how the aging Carr is currently a free agent, chances are Jordan will pass him for that top spot sometime in 2020.

To go into even more detail, according to Pro Football Focus, since 2012, no defensive lineman has played more snaps than Jordan. Since 2011, only five players have more sacks than Jordan, and only six have more tackles for loss. Of those names, Von Miller, J.J. Watt, Ryan Kerrigan, Chandler Jones, and Justin Houston, only Jones had more sacks than Jordan in 2019. 

So how does Jordan do it? What has made him so successful for so long, and what has kept his name near the top of the NFL’s stat sheet in recent years?

It starts with effort, something long-time Saints pass rusher Pat Swelling praises when describing what makes Jordan great.

"I think it's motor," Swilling said. "I think it's that relentlessness. You've got to be relentless, and he's definitely that. He never stops playing, he never stops his feet. And you can watch him – he just has that desire. And I think to be a great pass rusher, you have to have that desire.”

It always starts with the guys who want it more. Talent is obviously king, but you don’t get to Jordan’s kind of sustained production on talent alone. Jordan pairs top talent with top work ethic. That’s why opposing offenses feel his presence week in and week out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc6jw58vBsQ

Jordan’s evaluation of why he is so effective starts with the clip above: he’s just straight better than a lot of offensive tackles.

Jordan’s natural speed and strength, and his ability to convert any space off the snap into power at contact, has proven to be effective over the years. Jordan understands momentum, leverage, and how to get the most power of his body; from where his feet are positioned, transitioning that into generating power from his legs and lower back, all the way through his shoulders and hands to overwhelm blockers.

Jordan is fast, aggressive, and strong. Check those boxes as we move forward.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoawwLhaREw

After we check those boxes, what makes Jordan so good is how smart he is. Jordan understands the position incredibly well. It’s what allows the Saints to align him in a two-point, three-point, or four-point stance at any time, as well as place him locations along the line that range from a 1-tech to a wide-9.

His nuanced understanding of how pass-rushing works is evident in so many of his most successful plays. Take the one above as an example. 

Before we get into that, I wanted to shout out Deuce Windham for his breakdown of Jordan’s sacks this season. Some of the points I discuss come from his video session. He does a great job combing through all of Jordan’s sacks from 2019.

In the play above, Jordan won that rep less with braun and more with brains. Of course, it took speed, power, and quickness to make that sack happen. That’s why I made sure to post the initial clip and note to reinforce the fact that all that must be present for these little details to make the world of difference.

As Jordan engaged with his blocker, he made it appear as if he was just going all-in for a bull rush on the right tackle. Although it looked like it, that’s not exactly what he was doing. Instead, he was baiting the right tackle into making him think he was putting all his focus into just sledding the blocker back into the pocket, but in reality, he was waiting for the tackle to try to anchor the bull rush, and when he felt the tackle shift his weight forward, swam right off him and let the tackle’s own weight push him forward, off balance, and off the block.

That’s some savvy pass rushing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0-Ug6r5SDE

Here’s another play I loved from Jordan in 2019.

Falcons rookie right tackle Kaleb McGary had a rough day against Jordan in Week 13. It wasn’t even so much of McGary being overpowered by Jordan, but rather, out-maneuvered, as Jordan always seemed one step ahead of the rookie.

The play above was a thing of beauty. Watch as Jordan fired off the ball, and as he closed the gap between him and McGary, he extended a hand toward the midsection of the right tackle. This baited McGary into leaning forward and extending his arms as to counter with contact of his own. But if you’ll notice, though Jordan closed the gap to sell the punch, he kept his distance from McGary so that when McGary then went to punch back, Jordan had the free space to move around the now extended arms, which allowed him to swipe right by McGary and into the backfield.

Pass rushing isn’t just about planning, it’s also about deceiving. Jordan is a master of deception because he understands the discipline and details of rush moves and counters so well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRJFAYvas7o

Jordan is a good athlete, yet three of his four most productive seasons have come in the last three years at ages 28-30. Why? It’s because as he has aged, Jordan’s mind has become just as much of a weapon as his physical abilities, and he’s truly hitting his sweet spot with both.

The clip above is the final example we’ll go over—if you want more, there are plenty of clips to enjoy from Jordan over the last three years.

In this clip, I want to mention the hand placement of Jordan, something you’ll hear defensive line (and offensive line) coaches harp on because of how important it can be.

Watch in the clip above as Jordan punched at the chest of McGary with his left hand, and then positioned his right hand right on the shoulder of McGary, but on the outside of the offensive tackle’s pads. If you’ll notice, this no longer allowed McGary to turn to recover and get in front of Jordan. Because of Jordan’s hand placement, he was able to manipulate how much McGary could recover, keep him on his outside shoulder, rush inside, and finish the play.

For many football players, their prime tends to come between ages 23-27. But for the 31-year-old Jordan, you better not call where he’s at “the wrong side of 30.”

Where he’s at is the best side of one of the best pass-rushers in the league for almost a decade.

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