6’5” – 275 lbs.
Background:
Rotated into the defense as a 290-pound freshman, going 15-3.5-2.5. Followed that up with 13-2.0-1.0 the following year, then dropped down to 275 and became a starter this past year, finishing with 34-6.5-5.0 before declaring.
Positives:
Overall height and length are very good. Has played at some different weights and positions; was a five-tech this past year, playing mostly out of a four-point stance, but would also take some snaps standing up. Could conceivably be considered as an end or maybe tackle on a four-man line, or potentially as either a five-technique or elephant ‘backer on an odd front. Brings the type of intensity and physicality teams look for. Fires out of his stance low and with explosiveness. Plays with leverage and good extension in the run game to two-gap and control blockers. Strong anchor for his size. Shows discipline in his reads. Able to scrape laterally to defend the run. Overall range is adequate. Violent bull rusher on passing downs. Explosiveness, extension, leg drive, and pad level allow him to collapse the pocket; very good hand placement. Functional strength is excellent. Active hands to shed. Does a nice job of shuffling laterally to find lanes in the passing game or when trying to contain the passer. Was asked to make some limited drops into zone coverage and has pretty clean footwork.
Negatives:
Has just one year of starting experience and still rotated off the field fairly regularly. Might need to add more bulk to play as a pro five-technique or if teams envision him sliding back inside. Can play a little bit out of control at times, leading to issues with contact balance. Would like to see him do a better job of keeping his head up and his back straight. Inconsistent pursuit when he’s not on the play side. Not a major threat to win the edge with speed in the pass game; relies too heavily on his bull rush and doesn’t have a particularly wide repertoire of moves.
Summary:
A very strong, explosive, and intense defensive lineman who has the leverage and power to win with his bull-rush, but who is a bit of a ‘tweener size-wise and who needs to play under control more consistently and diversify his repertoire of pass-rush moves to reach his potential. Hasn’t produced like a primary pass-rusher but could still go high in the first due to his physical/athletic tools and positional/schematic versatility.
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