HB Blades – The Vitals

Scouts, Inc Rating: 65

Height: 5’11″
Weight: 235lbs
Position: MLB
College: Pittsburgh

Combine Results
4.72 in the 40-yard dash
325-pound bench press
525-pound squat
27-inch vertical jump
18/27 Wonderlic score
(Results from Campus workout as he didn’t participate in combine due to hamstring injury)

Positives
From NFLDraftScout.com via NFL.com – Has a short, squat frame, but shows very good lower body thickness, especially in his calves and ankles to anchor firmly at the point of attack … Plays with a consistently high motor and compensates for a lack of ideal size with great effort and tenacity … Has the straight-line burst and low pad level to be a disruptive force taking on lead blockers in the inside rush lanes … Needs room to build up a head of steam, but once he gets going, he is a good collision tackler, but can also wrap-up with effectiveness, bringing his hands well to lock on and secure … Hits with good pop and explosion on contact … Does a good job of calling defensive assignments and making pre-snap adjustments … Vocal leader who plays until the whistle … Has a good feel for blocking schemes and looks very natural attacking the ball, locating it quickly and showing urgency making the play … Despite his small frame, he does a good job with gap control because of his ability to play off blocking schemes … Lacks the size to split double teams, but works hard to clog the rush lanes and will not hesitate to take on the lead blocker or offensive guard and use his hands to stack … Uses his hands efficiently to protect his feet on the move and it is hard for opponents to cut him, as he shows good balance and nimble feet to step over trash … Uses his hands adequately to play off blocks when working in-line, but can be overwhelmed by bigger linemen … Doesn’t have the loose hips to easily flow to the ball, but makes every effort to get there … Able to run through the pile and bounce outside to makes some plays along the perimeter … Does a good job of keeping plays in front of him and compensates for a lack of blazing speed by taking proper angles to close … Uses his hands with force to reroute underneath receivers … Has experience to play on the outside on the strong side … Very good at anticipating the quarterback’s actions and won’t take false steps in misdirection or bite on pump fakes … Catches cleanly away from his frame, showing natural hands for the interception

Negatives
From NFLDraftScout.com via NFL.com – Shorter than ideal and lacks the upper body strength needed to split double teams … Active with his hands, but has short arms which prevent him from countering reach blocks or disengaging when a bigger blocker latches on to his jersey … Will get blown off the line when trying to plug gaps (only when he gets too high in his stance, causing his base to narrow) … Good read-and-react type, but has struggled some in the classroom … Has hip stiffness that prevents him from coming out of his backpedal cleanly (hip problems also give him marginal flexibility, making him a liability dropping back in man coverage outside the short area) … Needs space and must keep plays in front of him in order to handle pass coverage assignments … Has limited range to play in space … Charges hard on the blitz, but generally needs a rolling start to get going, lacking the sudden burst to attack the gaps … Does not have the pass rush moves needed to apply consistent pocket pressure (needs to develop second moves and show more quickness in his attempts to get up field) … Slow to shed due to short arms and adequate upper body power.

Compares to: Keith Adams, Miami

Videos
Big Hit vs Louisville
Interception vs Michigan State