280 is really the extreme low, 290 is more usual. I probably should've said a number a little higher than 280. I'm just going by the one year that I remember Ellis playing a lot of 3-4, which was in 2000, and he was tremendous. His listed weight of 285 is probably what he got down to after the failed DT experiment, he has the frame to effectively get to 300+. He was a lot heavier last year, but that was more fat and the ineffectiveness of Herm to get Ellis to playing weight in camp. If he needs to, I'm sure Mangini will get him to gain weight to actually make him a better player. 6'5, 285 is a bit small for the 3-4, but I don't think he will have a problem putting on those 10-15 pounds (if done the right way, which Mangini and the three strength and conditioning coaches will do.)
I sure hope you're right about his frame and the strength/conditioning coaches, because at 285, he is certainly underweight for the position. Maybe it was due to Herm's undisciplined camp that Ellis gained weight the wrong way, but there is the possibility that he just can't gain weight without losing speed and durability. Since our star LB, Vilma, is on the smallish size, it would be especially beneficial for the line to be on the higher end of that weight range, than the smaller end. From what I remember reading on Vilma's draft profile, he has problems shedding blockers, so it'd assume it's crucial to have players upfront that can consume 1 or 2 OLineman on their own.
