INDIANAPOLIS -- Former Boston College defensive end Harold Landry certainly doesn't lack confidence.
Speaking at the NFL combine Saturday, Landry said he's the best edge rusher in the draft.
“I am," he said when asked who is the best edge rusher in the draft. "I think that nobody in this class has a first step like mine, the bend like mine and the burst to the quarterback like me. I am not saying I am perfect, there are plenty of things I can improve on in my game, but in this draft I do believe I am the best pass rusher.”
One of the knocks against him is the decrease in production from his junior year to senior year.
As a junior he had 16.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss, while this past fall he had five sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. This was because of an ankle injury he played through.
“I had five sacks in six games and in the sixth game of the year my ankle got messed up," he said. "I tried playing through it against Louisville the next week, played through it. Then the next week against Virginia on the first play of the game I rolled it again and they shut me down.”
If not for the ankle injury, he believes he would be projected to go higher, and not in the late first round.
“100 percent because people expected me to produce like I did my junior year and there’s no doubt in my mind I would have had double-digit sacks if my ankle didn’t get hurt," Landry said. "There’s no doubt in my mind. My confidence in my talent level hasn’t slipped one bit.”
At 6-foot-3, 250 pounds he believes he can play defensive end in both 3-4 defenses and 4-3 defenses.
Sunday is when he will work out on the field and it could go a long way in determining where he gets selected come draft weekend.