Positional ranking: #2
Big Board ranking: #60
Overview
Position: DL
College: Iowa
Class: Sophomore (RS)
Age: 22
Measurables
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 313 lbs.
Arm length: N/A
Hand size: N/A
Athletic testing
40-yard dash: 4.90 sec.
Vertical jump: 28.5″
Broad jump: 106.0″
Bench press: N/A
3-cone drill: 7.68 sec.
Short shuttle: 4.70 sec.
Strengths
Strong and bowling ball-like build. Excellent feet for a big man. Great natural athleticism. Good power for his size. Tremendous first-step quickness. Fast and disruptive shooting gaps. Knows how to get skinny between blockers. Uses swim move while getting upfield. Able to side step to beat a block. Very effective hands and upper body. Broad shoulders. Elite club move. Exceptional overall awareness. Outstanding play recognition and reaction time when engaged. Plus acceleration and speed. Aggressive as a tackler with the ball in range. Can anchor down and create leverage at the point of attack. Good ability to read the quarterback and tries to jump to deflect passes. Often commanded double teams as a rusher. Ideal physicality and demeanor. Impressive skillset on display whenever he gets his hands on the ball.
Weaknesses
Gets a bit out of control or stalls out when stopped early as a rusher. Needs to avoid getting too upright. Would like him to have more of a second gear to counter. Didn’t see enough consistent disruption.
NFL comparison
Tommie Harris
Conclusion
Overall, Nixon is a disruptive defensive lineman with both strength and finesse to be a three-down option in any scheme that allows him to consistently shoot gaps. He should be a very solid selection on Day 2 for a team like Las Vegas or Philadelphia.
I like how you focus on strengths for the prospects more than weaknesses. Coaches should build around their player’s strengths.
Awesome story Great player ozzing with Potential loved watching Iowa play the missing 2games would have helped him 1st round early 2nd in my book