6’3” – 241 lbs. – 4.63
Played sparingly as a reserve in his freshman and sophomore seasons, then redshirted in 2015 after reinjuring his shoulder. Started eight games as a redshirt junior before breaking his arm, then declared for the draft. Tall with good length and adequate bulk. Mostly played on the strongside this past season but could realistically be considered as a middle linebacker or weakside option as well. Athletic linebacker whose speed provides him with enough range to play sideline-to-sideline; willing to work his way over to the boundaries to make tackles. Capable of chasing down ballcarriers from behind in pursuit. On the occasions in which he’s asked to blitz or spy, looks explosive when rushing downhill; was at his best when asked to pin his ears back and get after the passer. Can also be disruptive as a gap-shooter on rushing downs. Instincts and awareness lag behind his athleticism, perhaps because he’s missed so much time. Takes a lot of false steps and can be fooled by misdirection, neutralizing his athletic traits because he’s moving in the wrong direction. Overruns and underruns his spots too often. Not afraid to get physical and take on blocks, but seems to struggle to disengage in time to make plays; flashes the ability to use his length to keep blockers away from his body, but isn’t consistent enough. Loses track of ballcarriers by becoming preoccupied with taking on blocks. Length gives him a solid tackling radius, but will fall off of some attempts because he hasn’t squared up his opponent. Was asked to handle a lot of zone coverage responsibilities and appears to have the balance and feet to reach spots. Able to flip his hips and cover ground. As in the run game, however, often appears a little bit slow to recognize what’s going on and will take some false steps, creating opportunities for opposing targets. Physically and athletically fits the bill of someone who might be able to carry running backs out into the flats or possibly match up against opposing flex tight ends in man coverage. Some of his angles in space are a little bit too aggressive. Medical issues are more severe than most prospects; injured his shoulder both as a freshman and a junior, being forced to redshirt in the latter season, and broke his arm last season. Furthermore, those issues appear to have stunted his development and may relegate him to a mid-round pick; has the athleticism and length to play, but would probably be a liability if pressed into action before he develops his instincts/recognition skills.
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