6’4” – 255 lbs. – 4.53
Three-year starter with escalating production. Has a muscular, athletic build, with solid height and impressive 33.5” arms. Plays with a good level of effort and intensity; considered a mature, high-character player. Lines up in a lot of wider alignments from the left defensive end position, with a game which is predicated around exploiting his explosive first step and speed to win around the corner. Works in a nice swim move off the line of scrimmage which he can use to penetrate to the inside, although it may be a bit underutilized. Has a tendency to get too much depth in his rushes, pushing him wide of the pocket and creating rushing lanes for opponents to run through on draws and other attempts. Capable of bending a little bit but is a more impressive straight-line athlete than a particularly fluid one. Could do a better job of converting speed to power more consistently. Was able to run past most of the collegiate right tackles he played against and may not have developed a particularly deep repertoire of rush moves. Capable of extending his arms, digging in, and shedding blocks at the appropriate time in the run game; could be a fit for a two-gap defense both temperamentally and in terms of possessing the desired physical attributes. Good pursuit player in the running game, with the ability to chase down ballcarriers from behind. Plays sideline-to-sideline and will make some tackles in the screen game. Impressive closing burst to finish when he’s given a clear lane to the ball. Has the grip and strength to bring down ballcarriers with one arm. Stays at home against slow-developing plays. Teams can use his aggressiveness as a pass rusher against him by running through the holes he creates. Too often tries to get around opposing offensive tackles rather than attempting to set a hard edge by attacking them. Has the type of frame teams would look for in a potential conversion candidate to outside linebacker, but wasn’t asked to drop into coverage during the games reviewed. One of the players who significantly boosted their stock at the Combine, finishing among the leaders at his position in the forty-yard dash, vertical jump, cone drill, and shuttle, and who has the collegiate production to back up his testing; however, is a little bit stiffer on tape than his numbers indicate, and he will have to develop a more diverse, creative approach to pass-rushing. Could potentially starter on the edge of some different defenses, which should be enough to earn him a second-day selection.
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