Watching a highlight video of this guy, I see why Bama, t.u., LSU, Ole Miss, and more have offered: for his size, he's got good balance, plus great strength, speed, and rip power in his hands; he's beating guys 20-40 pounds bigger than him off the line. Got good speed, too; about as speedy as a prototypical "big" mike linebacker.
What really strikes me, though, is that he's real easy to find on film: I don't know if this is a coaching thing, but he seems to love lining up in a four-point stance. That's not exactly common; most guys prefer a three-point stance, even along his own team's line. I can't say for what that means, but it's definitely unique in a modern, spread-offense world.
I do like his frame. He's listed at 220 but looks like he could bulk up to 250 fairly easily. If A&M ran a Philips 3-4, I would say he'd make a prototypical rush linebacker in that kind of system, but he could easily be a great pass rush specialist out of a 4-3. Can't say for how he'd hold up in the SEC in the running game, but I will say that he fights through traffic and slips off blocks very well, and uses a variety of moves to do it, including just plain shoving guys out of his way with both arms; which is promising to me, 'cause it's very rare to see a guy who can just stick his arms out and push a guy aside with one arm to each side; I don't care how big or small the lineman is, that's still impressive.
Honestly, if never bulks up past 250, that might still be enough. He might be the kind of guy you want playing at 250, like the great rush ends of Chavis' LSU past, to preserve his agility and speed.
And check out the split on the stats:
46 tackles, 10 for loss, with 8.5 sacks. That's a hell of a percentage for TFLs/sacks for a junior. 3 forced fumbles, 3 recoveries (one for a TD).
What really strikes me, though, is that he's real easy to find on film: I don't know if this is a coaching thing, but he seems to love lining up in a four-point stance. That's not exactly common; most guys prefer a three-point stance, even along his own team's line. I can't say for what that means, but it's definitely unique in a modern, spread-offense world.
I do like his frame. He's listed at 220 but looks like he could bulk up to 250 fairly easily. If A&M ran a Philips 3-4, I would say he'd make a prototypical rush linebacker in that kind of system, but he could easily be a great pass rush specialist out of a 4-3. Can't say for how he'd hold up in the SEC in the running game, but I will say that he fights through traffic and slips off blocks very well, and uses a variety of moves to do it, including just plain shoving guys out of his way with both arms; which is promising to me, 'cause it's very rare to see a guy who can just stick his arms out and push a guy aside with one arm to each side; I don't care how big or small the lineman is, that's still impressive.
Honestly, if never bulks up past 250, that might still be enough. He might be the kind of guy you want playing at 250, like the great rush ends of Chavis' LSU past, to preserve his agility and speed.
And check out the split on the stats:
46 tackles, 10 for loss, with 8.5 sacks. That's a hell of a percentage for TFLs/sacks for a junior. 3 forced fumbles, 3 recoveries (one for a TD).
