Interior Defensive Line

Anchor/Play Strength

• Easily bench-presses the blocker in front of him

• Excellent lateral strength

• Great speed-to-power. Excellent jump off the line and penetration into the backfield

• Not ideal size for the position

• Poor anchor in the gap. Can be pushed well upfield 

Mismatch

• Jumps off the snap to dominate the blocker and pierce into the backfield or disrupt the play

• Good rush repertoire when left alone

• Pass rush ability demands constant doubles

• Struggles to overpower his man when left alone

• Athletic OGs give him trouble. He is unable to finesse around him and doesn’t rely on his play strength to work through them 

Disruption

• Excellent read of the play to constantly redirect it

• Sees the ball well through the block 

Tackling

• Able to work off the block and disrupt the play

• Good wrap-up technique. Tough to get away from him in space 

Athleticism/Body Control

• Loose, agile player for the position

• Good lateral movement to slide with the blocking and make the play

• Dips around the punch well

• Effective on stunts. Good quick change of direction

• Good timing and jump ability to bat passes down at the line

• Pad level needs work on his power rush moves 

Hand Use

• Nice pull-rip rush move

• Well timed counter moves to elude the block and clog the rush lane

• Heavy hands to immediately knock his man off balance

• Poor length. OL can get inside hands on him early 

Football IQ

• Reads the mesh point well

• Excellent anticipation and feel for the game. Intelligent player

• Needs to stay disciplined. Will chase and leave cutback lanes

• Needs to be more patient in the run game. Can be overaggressive and overrun the play 

Range

• Great athleticism to play near the sidelines

• Excellent motor. Never out of the play

• Plays well outside the tackle box 

Pass Rush

• Shoots the gap well

• Good hand counters to work over the block and get into the backfield

• Bevy of rush moves to get to the backfield consistently

• Would like to see a better push of the pocket when speed and elusiveness doesn't work 

Production

• 2023: 12 G, 26 Solo, 52 Tot, 8.5 Loss, 7.5 Sks

• Career (4 seasons): 80 Solo, 187 Tot, 27.5 Loss, 18.0 Sks

  • Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (2023) • Two-time All-American (2023, 2022) 

Miscellaneous Notes

• Games Watched: Nebraska, Wisconsin, Penn State, Kansas (2023) Minnesota (2022)

• Injury History: None

• Where does he play (What tech?): Largely 3 tech but will play 1 and 5. Good alignment versatility

• Misc: 

Anchor/Play Strength

• Tons of up-field strength to overpower whoever is in front of him and penetrate into the backfield

• Excellent stack-and-shed ability. Effective two-gapper

• Excellent leg drive to collapse the interior and end the play

• Hard to move, even by doubles 

Mismatch

• Tough to hold back when he gets up to full speed

• Lower body strength to consistently provide a mismatch with less powerful OLs. Carries his block into the backfield

• Throws IOLs around

• Lack of athleticism really limits his rush ability in the pass game. Allows much smaller, more agile OLs to control him 

Disruption

• Tons of aggression combined with eclipsing size to overwhelm the blocking scheme and shut the play down

• Total rock at the 0-tech to hold the interior and re-direct the play

• Will get his hips turned and sealed off 

Tackling

• Able to make the tackle at awkward positions through the block

• Impressive tackle radius. Effective in space 

Athleticism/Body Control

• Decent balance in traffic

• Quick change of direction in short areas

• Poor runner. Covers little ground

• Not a bendy athlete

• Little to no slide quickness 

Hand Use

• Heavy punch

• Quick on his counters. Active at the point of attack

• Slow to get inside pads. Usually second to land his punch

Football IQ

• Reads the play very well to take the best angle and sniff it out. Great anticipation of the play

• Sees through traffic well to diagnose the play and cut it off

• Smart, patient player who doesn't over-pursue

• Needs to stay patient in the run game and read the blocking scheme better. Too often displaced by unsuspecting angle blocks 

Range

• Lumbering athlete who will not make many plays outside his immediate area

• Shows no desire for downfield pursuit 

Pass Rush

• Tons of rush power. Heavy hands and tons of upper body strength to jolt his man out of the way

• Active hands to put together multiple rush moves

• Effective rip move

• Would like to see more leg drive to walk his man back and collapse the pocket

• Slow on stunts

• Little to no gap quickness 

Production

• 2023: 14 G, 18 Solo, 45 Tot, 8.0 Loss, 2.0 Sks

• Career (5 seasons): 47 Solo, 127 Tot, 17.5 Loss, 5.0 Sks, 13 PDs 

Miscellaneous Notes

• Games Watched: Iowa State, Alabama, Kansas, Oklahoma (2023) TCU (2022)

• Injury History: None

• Where does he play (What tech?): 0-3 Techs

Anchor/Play Strength

•  Strong at the POA when two-gapping

• Gives a lot of ground against double teams. Needs to drop his anchor quicker

• Short arms affects his stack-and-shed ability 

Mismatch

• Unmatched speed off the snap. Rare athleticism combined with a hot motor to give offensive lines fits

• Lack of rush moves means he can be stopped 1-on-1 often 

Disruption

• Able to bully through IOLs to piece into the backfield

• Tons of burst off the line to penetrate and disrupt the play

• Balance through contact in his run fit is an issue. Needs to plug the hole better 

Tackling

• Good wrap-up 1-on-1

• Stands tall at the goal line 

Athleticism/Body Control

• Lightning quick first step. Explosive off the line

• Impressive lateral quickness

• Elite footspeed in pursuit

• Solid pad level though struggles with balance through traffic 

Hand Use

• Active hands. Opts for rips and swims often

• Weak punch and slow to counter. Rarely displaces his man

• Short arms 

Football IQ

• Spots screens early and works to disrupt

• Good eyes through the block

• Blindsided by late pulls and traps

• Can be overaggressive in his run fits. Looks to work upfield and can take himself out of the play 

Range

• Tons of athleticism to work out of the tackle box and make the tackle

• Excellent motor to chase the play 

Pass Rush

• Incredible motor to pursue the QB

• Able to get skinny and slip the gap

• Lots of burst off stunts when he gets a lane to the QB

• Lacking natural rush power when caught on short sets. 

Production

• 2023: 13 G, 17 Solo, 43 Tot, 9.0 Loss, 6.0 Sks

• Career (5 seasons): 93 Solo, 191 Tot, 36.0 Loss, 19.5 Sks 

Miscellaneous Notes

• Games Watched: Louisville, Miami (FL), Clemson, Virginia Tech (2023) Pittsburgh (2022)

• Injury History: Shoulder and elbow surgeries in high school

• Where does he play (What tech?): 1-3 tech

• Misc: Washington State -> FSU transfer (2023) 

Anchor/Play Strength

• Excellent speed-to-power to cave in the interior of the line. Consistent push

• Excellent stack-and-shed ability

• Smaller frame limits his effectiveness as the LOS

• Easy to throw around when he doesn't have ideal leverage

• Too easily knocked off his feet

• Will give up considerable ground against doubles. Below average anchor 

Mismatch

• Rare short-area quickness for the position

• Possesses the power but relies too heavily on his elusiveness and speed to win 

Disruption

• Excellent burst to penetrate into the backfield and disrupt the play

• Shoots the gap exceptionally well to force the ball carrier back inside but will get caught guessing and shoot the wrong gap

• Overaggressive and overruns the play

• Doesn’t sit the gap well. Will chase the ball 

Tackling

• Needs to work through contact and make the play better

• Too many near misses. Needs better wrap-up 

Athleticism/Body Control

• Plenty of burst off the line

• Tons of bend for the position.

• Athletic, with quick lateral speed

• Balance through the block an issue. On the ground far too much 

Hand Use

• Active hands always looking to counter and work off the block

• Limited length means he struggles to get hands on first

• Weak punch. Not a lot of violence in his hands 

Football IQ

• Lightning quick to react and slide into the gap

• Does well to keep eyes in the backfield while engaged on the block

• Will have poor angles to the ball

• Overaggressive in his run fit and can be carried upfield and out of the play 

Range

• Needs to work through traffic better 

Pass Rush

• Tons of rush speed to give slower OLs trouble. Excellent burst when he gets a lane to the quarterback

• Nice rip-pull move

• Quick to cut off the run lane for the QB

• Dangerous on stunts

• Good leg drive to walk his man back and collapse the pocket

• Quicker OL will give him trouble when he can't win in space. Likely limited to 3 or 5 technique on third downs 

Production

• 2023: 14 G, 13 Solo, 29 Tot, 8.5 Loss, 5.0 Sks

• Career (3 seasons): 32 Solo, 70 Tot, 15.0 Loss, 8.0 Sks 

Miscellaneous Notes

•  Games Watched: Baylor, Iowa State, Alabama, Oklahoma State (2023) Texas Tech (2022)

• Injury History: None

• Where does he play (What tech?): 1-5 tech. Good alignment versatility

Anchor/Play Strength

• Plays with solid pad level to maintain leverage but not consistently

• Good leg drive to collapse the run lane

• Needs to anchor better on down blocks. Poor lateral strength and needs to sit down quicker 

Mismatch

• Gritty in the interior to overpower his man at the line of scrimmage

• Lack of rush polish limits his ability to command doubles and win consistently

• Struggles getting past even tight ends in the pass rush 

Disruption

• Great combination of strength and aggression for impressive run stop

• Able to get skinny and work through angle blocks and knife into the backfield

• Sees the pull well and anchors the lane well to turn the play back inside

• Can't be left alone on a TE. Will overpower the easy matchup

• Will get his hips flipped and sealed off backside 

Tackling

• Able to work through the block and make the play

• Inefficient tackler. Leaves his feet too early and will have bad whiffs 

Athleticism/Body Control

• Works through traffic well

• Impressive lateral movement on outside zone plays

• Slow change of direction

• Very slow out of his stance allows blockers to get on top of him or cross his face too easily 

Hand Use

• Good stack to work off the block

• Strong punch

• Slow to counter

• Needs to use his length better to get hands on quicker 

Football IQ

• Nice angles to the ball through traffic

• Quick to diagnose and react quickly to snuff out the play

• Disciplined in his run fit. Typically in the right spot

• Needs to read the blocking a little better. Will lower his head at the point of attack and lose the ball 

Range

• Nimble enough to work near the outside of the tackle box but not much further than that 

Pass Rush

• Effective spin move

• Decent angles on stunts

• Not a productive pass rusher. Can flash but just not going to consistently be in the backfield causing havoc

• Not a lot of bend around the block when he gets space

• Not a power rusher 

Production

• 2023: 15 G, 17 Solo, 37 Tot, 4.5 Loss, 2.5 Sks, 1 INTs

• Career (4 seasons): 54 Solo, 113 Tot, 8.5 Loss, 4.5 Sks, 1 INTs 

Miscellaneous Notes

• Games Watched: Alabama, Washington, Penn State, Ohio State (2023) Purdue (2022)

• Injury History: Ankle (2023, missed no time)

• Where does he play (What tech?): Largely 3 tech but plays all along the line comfortably. Great alignment versatility

Anchor/Play Strength

• Good leg drive but will take eyes off the ball as a result

• Excellent speed-to-power to run over his block and push the interior

• Gives up a lot of ground against doubles

• Struggles to stalemate and two-gap effectiveness. Too easily displaced 

Mismatch

• Bevy of pass rush moves to beat his man

• Can be thrown around by his blocker when he’s latched

• Athletic OLs give him tons of trouble 

Disruption

• Decent push on the interior to disrupt the play

• Quick to side-step the block and penetrate into the backfield

• Slow to work off the block, allowing the ball carrier through his gap 

Tackling

• Works through the block decently well

• Wraps up too high 

Athleticism/Body Control

• First one typically out of his stance

• Nice elusiveness at the point of attack. Tons of bend

• Excellent straight-line speed

• Exceptionally quick slide to elude the block

• Needs to stay held up more when stalemating his blocker 

Hand Use

• Active hands. Quick on his counters

• Short arms

• Needs to get hands inside and shed the block

• Doesn’t use his length well. Usually second to engage 

Football IQ

• Excellent awareness of the blocking scheme to elude down blocks and pulls very well

• Does well to keep eyes in the backfield when he stacks

• Can struggle to see the ball through the block at times. Ducks head at the point of contact

• Needs to maintain gap integrity better. Will look to side-step blocker but will give up the run lane as a result 

Range

• High motor, comfortable runner in pursuit. Covers a lot of ground

• Struggles to work across the formation to make the play backside 

Pass Rush

• Tons of speed when he gets a lane to the quarterback

• Lots of bend combined with a good repertoire of moves to elude his man

• Able to stack rush moves to elude rushers. Good spin move

• Excellent counter-step to shake his block in space 

Production

• 2023: 12 G, 9 Solo, 24 Tot, 2.0 Loss, 1.5 Sks

• Career (3 seasons): 19 Solo, 45 Tot, 10.0 Loss, 6.0 Sks 

Miscellaneous Notes

• Games Watched: Penn State, Ohio State, Maryland, Michigan (2023) Georgia (2022)

• Injury History: 2023 (Undisclosed, missed 1 game), 2022 (Left shoulder, missed 1 game and was limited in others)

• Where does he play (What tech?): 1-3 Techs

• Misc: 

Anchor/Play Strength

• Holds double teams well to maintain leverage

• Good stack-and-shed ability to get into the backfield and disrupt the play

• Limited lower body strength to generate movement at the LOS 

Mismatch

• Dominates when left alone with centers in the run game. Too quick to keep up with when given any amount of space in the trenches

• Can shoot gaps well in the pass rush to overwhelm IOLs 

Disruption

• Able to hold the line well to disrupt the run play

• Aggressive penetrating into the backfield

• Needs to anchor the run lane better. Too often pushed well upfield 

Tackling

• Poor angles in space. Easily eluded

• Struggles working off the block to make the tackle

• Poor tackle radius. Too many misses 

Athleticism/Body Control

• Impressive jump off the line

• Moves well for the position. Exceptional slide quickness

• Not strong player in the middle. Plays high and struggles to push the interior consistently 

Hand Use

• Good length to stack the block

• Doesn’t throw a strong punch, allowing himself to get latched

• Slow to counter, if at all. Once he’s latched, he’s out of the play 

Football IQ

• Sees the play well through traffic and maneuvers himself into the run lane quickly

• Decently consistent in his run fit. Sees the ball well and stacks his man to choke the run lane

• Needs to see downblocks quicker and hold his gap. Too aggressive working upfield and out of the play at times

• Needs to be weary of unsuspecting block angles. Can be completely blindsided 

Range

• Recovers well to get back into the play on the other side of the field

• Poor angles and a motor that runs out quick 

Pass Rush

• Good swipe move when he throws it

• Good bend around the punch when he gets lane

• Able to get skinny in the gap and penetrate into the backfield

• Limited rush power to consistently push the pocket 

Production

• 2023: 12 G, 13 Solo, 25 Tot, 8.0 Loss, 5.0 Sks

• Career (5 seasons): 39 Solo, 88 Tot, 25.5 Loss, 12.0 Sks 

Miscellaneous Notes

• Games Watched: North Carolina, FSU, Duke (2023) Tennessee, Notre Dame (2022)

• Injury History: None

• Where does he play (What tech?): 3, 5, 7-tech

Anchor/Play Strength

• Consistent push into the backfield. Able to walk his man back and disrupt the play

• Stacks his man well but slow to shed and make the play

• Down blocks will blow him off the line

• Below-average lateral strength 

Mismatch

• Rare athleticism combined with good strength will give interior OLs trouble to command the double

• Will go long spans without much effect on the game 

Disruption

• Sets the edge decently well when asked

• Far too overaggressive. Will shed early and leave the cutback lane open

• Needs to do better not to get his hips turned backside and sealed from the play

• Struggles to slide with the blocking and make the play

• Too easily controlled and thrown out of the play 

Tackling

• Small tackle radius

• Does not display great ability to work off the block and make the tackle 

Athleticism/Body Control

• Impressive burst off the line

• Plays with great pad level for maximum leverage advantage

• Not a comfortable runner in pursuit

• Does not work through traffic well. Struggles getting through foot trash

• Slow to slide with the blocking

• Poor balance through his rush move 

Hand Use

• Weak, ineffectual punch

• Slow to get hands on and doesn't use his length well

• No feel or instincts for hand counters 

Football IQ

• Poor gap integrity chasing the tackle

• Will lose the ball when engaged on the block. Needs to get eyes up better

• Poor awareness of the blocking scheme

• Slow to see the play and will often chase misdirection 

Range

• Rarely catches up but flashes good motor for downfield pursuit

• Does not show much ability to play outside the tackle box 

Pass Rush

• Good speed-to-power to collapse the pocket and flush the quarterback out

• Great bend to dip under the punch and shoot the gap. Nice spin move

• Good strength to allow free rushers on twists and late blitzes

• Poor bull rush. Needs to rely more on his elusiveness 

Production

• 2023: 12 G, 9 Solo, 28 Tot, 4.5 Loss, 2.5 Sks

• Career (3 seasons): 22 Solo, 47 Tot, 9.5 Loss, 6.5 Sks 

Miscellaneous Notes

•  Games Watched: Alabama, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Mississippi State (2023) Florida (2021)

• Injury History: Knee (2022, season), Undisclosed (2021)

• Where does he play (What tech?): 0-3 Tech

• Misc: 

Anchor/Play Strength

• Excellent stack-and-shed ability when two-gapping

• Nice lateral strength and motor to work through the double and make the play

• Holds leverage well enough

• Pad level is an issue. Plays too high

• Easily displaced on down blocks

• Combo blocks a problem for him. Consistently knocked off his spot 

Mismatch

• Good speed-to-power ability to overpower his man when left alone

• Doesn't consistently dominate 1-on-1 due to lack of top end athleticism and rush plan. No consistent way to beat his man

• Does not possess the play strength to overwhelm and generate push at the line of scrimmage

• Not an elusive rusher and struggles to get off the latch against more technically sound OLs with quicker hands than him 

Disruption

• Quick off the line and strong enough to get penetration

• Plays with decent but inconsistent leverage to redirect the play

• Gets his hips flipped and sealed out too easily

• Too often sheds the wrong way. Needs to see the ball better, stay patient, and make the play 

Tackling

• Unimpressive tackle radius 

Athleticism/Body Control

• Dips through traffic very well. Very quick change of direction

• Athletic build but needs to use it better

• Good burst off the line

• Balance a major issue. On the ground out of the play far too often

• Not elusive in his pass rush

• Slow on stunts. Stiff in space 

Hand Use

• Weak punch

• Inactive hands at the POA

• Slow and inaccurate on counters

• Poor working off the latch 

Football IQ

• Not incredibly disciplined or polished in his run fit. Too often caught guessing

• Needs to feel pressure from blockers better. Slow to read the scheme and will be blindsided

• Poor anticipation of the play. More of a reactive player. Susceptible to pulls and trap and wham plays that take advantage of his aggression to push him over the play 

Range

• Decent chase on screen plays

• Little ability or desire to play outside the tackle box

• Once the play is past him, he does not try and get back into it 

Pass Rush

• Impressive gap quickness when he gets a lane

• Rarely in the backfield throughout the game

• Poor rush power. Weak finish on the play after initial punch

• Unimpressive bend around the corner when left in space

• Not able to walk his man back to collapse the pocket

• Struggles to get skinny and work through narrow lanes

• Poor pass rush repertoire 

Production

• 2023: 10 G, 7 Solo, 19 Tot, 3.5 Loss, 1.0 Sks

• Career (3 seasons): 25 Solo, 64 Tot, 22.5 Loss, 6.0 Sks 

Miscellaneous Notes

•  Games Watched: Clemson, Texas A&M, FSU, UNC (2023) Southern Miss (2022)

• Injury History: Undisclosed (2023, missed final 2 games before declaring), Shoulder (2022)

• Where does he play (What tech?): 0/1 Tech

• Misc: