6’1” – 284 lbs. – 4.83
Profile:
- Redshirted, then played sparingly as a reserve the following season. Became a full-time starter on the edge as a sophomore, then enjoyed a highly productive junior campaign before declaring early for the draft.
Positives:
- Thickly-built edge rusher who has experience as both a traditional defense end and a stand-up rush linebacker. Violent, high-energy game is very appealing. Plays with explosiveness and aggression; gets up to speed quickly and can convert his speed to walk back opposing offensive tackles with a powerful bull-rush. Fires out of his stance low and does a good job of winning the leverage battle against opponents who tend to be at least a few inches taller than him. At his best, looks like a heat-seeking missile who closes well on opposing passers. Can disrupt opponents with chip blocks and has some experience carrying running backs into the flats. Has made limited drops into zone coverage as well, though usually as a spy. Gives some jolt on contact in the run game. Pretty disciplined as the read man.
Negatives:
- Has a somewhat strange frame for a pro pass rusher; height is on the fringe of what’s acceptable, and has pretty short arms as well (31.75”). Was allowed to pin his ears back and get upfield, making it somewhat difficult to evaluate how he’d function in more of a read-and-react scheme. Gives good effort, but range in pursuit is somewhat limited. Tackling radius is constrained by lack of length. Can struggle to absorb chips on his way into the backfield. Plays a little bit out of control and some balance issues crop up in his game. Looks a little bit linear and game is predicated on firing out low and using his power to bull-rush opponents instead of bending the edge back to the passer. Workouts were a little bit of a mixed bag, which could be important given that he plays for a relatively minor program.
Summary:
- It will be interesting to see where he goes, given his borderline height/length and iffy athleticism, but looks like he’s worth mid-round consideration as an explosive, high-energy pass-rusher who plays with leverage and power. Won’t be a fit for every scheme and needs to play with more discipline, but is the type of player it’s easy to fall in love with and that counts for a lot.
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