Keep an eye on Derrick Nnadi or P.J. Hall in the Draft if we don't sign someone in FA.
OVERVIEW
Listed at 6-foot-1, 312 pounds, Nnadi is not the largest nose tackle in front of scouts during the 2017 season. Few will outwork him, however, as he was named a third-team All-ACC selection, compiling 56 tackles, 10 for loss, and 3.5 sacks in 13 starts. ACC coaches named him first-team all-conference in 2016 after earning the team's Defensive Most Improved Player award in the spring. Nnadi started 11 of 13 games played, fighting through an early-season ankle injury to be credited with 49 tackles from the middle, 10.5 for loss, and six sacks. He collected third-team all-conference accolades from league media as a sophomore, starting every game (45 tackles, two sacks), following a true freshman campaign that saw him on the field for nine games (18 tackles, six against Georgia Tech's triple-option rushing attack in the ACC Championship Game). Despite his lack of height, Nnadi was considered a top 10 defensive tackle prospect nationally after amassing 33 sacks in his final two years of high school ball.
ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Robust build with burly booty. Low center of gravity increases leverage along interior. Possesses outstanding play strength and can chunk plates around in the weight room like it's nothing. Has good snap quickness. Able to attack gaps or read and react as 2-gapper. Keeps eyes peeled on ball-carriers. Can stick and shed blockers to catch runners darting through his gaps. Lateral agility and low pad level make him hard to secure and pin on move blocks. Productive tackler with good range. Leverages gap and works to maintain run fits. Shows ability to recover when attacked and dislodged from angle block. As a pass rusher, can counter from gap to gap when facing single block. Utilizes a swim and a quality slap and rip to attack the edge. Has lower body drive to generate some pocket push.
WEAKNESSES
Despite his compact build and quality mass, is still undersized by NFL standards as interior player. Will get big-boyed at times when he's facing a wide-body with power. Needs to win early with his hands to stay ahead in the rep. Can still improve quickness to diagnose run direction. Base is a little inconsistent through contact and he will lose some ground against quality double teams. Pass rush loses steam when guards land a stiff, initial jab to start the rep.
DRAFT PROJECTION
Round 4
SOURCES TELL US
"He's a good football player but I don't know what kind of impact he has in the NFL. He's not going to be in on rush downs and I don't know that he's a true disruptor. It's not that I don't like him but those kids of nose tackles have limited draft value." -- NFC General Manager
NFL COMPARISON
Javon Hargrave
BOTTOM LINE
It's hard to find "bad tape" for Nnadi. While NFL teams may see an undersized 4-3 nose tackle with limited pass rush value, I see a player with good power at the point of attack who can dislodge from single blocks and make plays. Nnadi has a good motor, active hands and enough pass rush ability to cause problems for blockers up front. Nnadi has the physical tools to play in one or two-gap schemes and has NFL starting ability.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2018/profiles/derrick-nnadi?id=2559812
OVERVIEW
Despite weighing about 300 pounds and being generously listed at 6-foot-1, Patrick Hall, Jr. (goes by P.J.) played as an outside rusher (standing up and hand-down) early in his career because of his quickness. The two-time first-team Associated Press FCS All-American played defensive tackle as a senior, however, garnering first-team All-Southland Conference honors by racking up 60 tackles, 19 for loss, six sacks, six pass breakups, and tying for the FCS lead with four blocked kicks. Hall was the 2016 Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defender in the old Division 1AA after racking up 24.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks among his 56 total stops (along with three forced fumbles) in 13 starts. Hall was a third-team AP All-American pick and first-team All-Southland selection as a sophomore, leading the Kats with 75 tackles, 22 for loss and 11 sacks. He also blocked five kicks on the year, the second straight season he accomplished that feat. In his redshirt freshman season, Hall started his assault on the record books with a third-team AP All-American and first-team all-conference season. He finished third in Jerry Rice Award voting (top freshman in the FCS) after recording 30 tackles for loss and 12 sacks among his 93 stops, as well as forcing four fumbles.
ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Staggering production. Dominated his level of competition for four years. Finished with 86.5 tackles for loss and 42 sacks for his career. Compact with explosive power. Has a 700-pound squat to his name. Quick off the snap with early hands. Sharp upward thrust into blocker establishes leverage. Owned point of attack against his competition. Able to brace up against double teams. Equally powerful with upper and lower body. Athletic and rangy as tackler. Drives under and through the guard's edge. Corners tightly to cornerback once he's in the pocket. Able to push pocket as bull rusher. Eyeballs quarterback and mirrors his scramble for secondary sacks. His 14 career blocked kicks is unheard of.
WEAKNESSES
Tried to carry additional weight which may have slowed him this year. Squatty and lacking NFL length. Motor ran hot and cold at times. Additional weight appeared to impact conditioning and fatigue levels. Faced very few opponents who could match his strength on FCS level. Fails to feel and brace for down blocks and can be big-boyed out of the gap by size.
DRAFT PROJECTION
Rounds 6-7
NFL COMPARISON
Rakeem Nunez-Roches
BOTTOM LINE
What Hall lacks in height, weight and length, he makes up for with power and quickness. Hall has the quickness and strength to be disruptive against the run and pass as a shade nose or reduced front three-technique. His level of production in every category imaginable could foreshadow his ability to translate into the NFL, but he will have to prove he can maintain his weight and stand up to the rigors of the interior with bigger men across from him.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2018/profiles/p.j.-hall?id=2560080
