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2021 NFL Draft Scouting Report: LB Nick Bolton


Positional ranking: #6

Big Board ranking: #53

 

Overview

Position: LB

College: Missouri

Class: Junior

Age: 21

 

Measurables

Height: 5’11 1/8”

Weight: 237 lbs.

Arm length: 31 7/8″

Hand size: 10 3/8″

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.59 sec.

Vertical jump: 32.0″

Broad jump: 115.0″

Bench press: 24 reps

3-cone drill: 7.40 sec.

Short shuttle: 4.50 sec.

 

Strengths

Very aggressive going downhill. Great closing burst as a finisher. Extremely twitchy. High football IQ. Excellent overall pursuit. Tremendous speed and acceleration. Outstanding instincts and reaction time. Very disruptive as a penetrator. Square-up tackler. Will fill gaps and make the play when kept clean. Great effectiveness as a blitzer. Easy movement skills in space/coverage. Tough. Sticks his nose in the action and wants to get in on gang tackles. Will deliver a big hit when he can. Hustles all over the field. Outstanding in man coverage with the natural mirror skills to defend running backs. Good feel/awareness in zone coverage. Explosive and will leap for deflections. Saw some snaps on the edge (particularly in goal-line situations).

 

Weaknesses

Noticeably short stature. Can get lost behind blockers and in traffic. Would like to see him take on and shed blockers more. Will sometimes take a poor angle by trying to go around or undercutting a block.

 

NFL comparison

Jatavis Brown

 

Conclusion

Overall, Bolton is a twitchy and aggressive linebacker that can make an impact on all three downs. The best fit for him should be in an attacking 3-4 defense that allows him to get downhill on early downs and either drop in coverage or try to create pressure as a blitzer in passing situations.

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