Positives: Looks the part of a physical inside linebacker -- well-built, athletic physique with solid upper body muscle tone, tight waist and abdomens, thick thighs and calves, broad shoulders and minimal body fat (6.2 percent) … Best when playing inside the box, as he plays at a low pad level and has better straight-line quickness than lateral agility … Shows very good agility and balance attacking the rush lanes and has a good feel for blocking schemes … Disciplined going after the ball and has the strength and leverage needed to play at the point of attack … Holds ground firmly and stays on his feet pretty well vs. double teams … Does a good job of sifting through traffic to get to the ball inside and has the agility to get wide and make the play … Good at using his hands to protect his body vs. low blocks … Demonstrates awareness and quickness getting his hands up to knock down passes at the line of scrimmage … When he locates the gaps, he shows good urgency slipping through the hole to close on the pocket.
Negatives: Best against the run, as he appears tentative making proper reads in pass coverage … Has some hip stiffness that prevents him from getting good depth in his pass drops … Can square up and attack blockers, but while he does a good job of using his hands to protect his body on the move, he lets blockers get underneath his pads too much working at the line, causing him to struggle when trying to shed … Too tight in his turn coming out of transition to mirror receivers on intermediate routes … Gets a little reckless when tackling, as he tries to punish backs despite showing decent wrap-up technique.
