Vita Vea
Positives:
Powerful.
Strong hands and can throw OL around.
Huge. Better than ideal size and uses it well.
Tremendous athlete. Moves really well for a man 40 pounds lighter.
Has some short area quickness and some speed in pursuit.
Will flash some really explosive takeoffs and when he does that he blows plays up before they start.
Will walk OL back into the QB.
Has played all along the DL, usually lining up at 34 DE.
Everyone is making this guy out to be just a NT, but I think he can play some 3 tech if he improves his game and learns to take a good first step.
Is not a big sloppy guy who can't bend his knees. Plays with good leverage which is how he survives letting the OL get in the 1st shot.
Negatives:
While he flashes an explosive start and first step, he rarely does it. Usually stays in his stance and just sheds the block instead of beating the blockers to the punch.
PLays a goofy technique that no NFL team uses. Washington asks their huge DL to sit on the line and let the OL engage them, then the DL sheds and goes after the ball. This doesn't work in the NFL, because the plays just happen way too fast. He needs to learn to use his 1st step (which he flashes), but doesn't use most of the time.
He likes to wait for the plays to develop so he can run the plays down. That is not going to be his game in the NFL. He needs to stay low and fire off.
Is slow to use his hands to shed. Waits for the OL to committ, then he sheds.
Gets a lot of plays because college QB are stupid and hold the ball too long trying to make plays that aren't there. Needs to speed his game up and make plays more quickly.
Should have improved his game to play more like an NFL player. Has had a while to do it, and just has not gotten any better with respect to what NFL teams look for in technique.
Summary
He can dominate plays when he plays with a staggered stance, fires off low and gets his hands up quickly. Has all the ability in the world and could be a great DT. It's just not clear if he doesn't want it or Washington is asking him to use a high school technique because it works better against spread offenses. In either case he is a big project and it may take a while for him to develop.
I like my 1st round picks to be better technique guys and less of a long-term project, but I can see the upside. This guy could be as good or better than Haloti Ngata, but is not anywhere near there yet.
Positives:
Powerful.
Strong hands and can throw OL around.
Huge. Better than ideal size and uses it well.
Tremendous athlete. Moves really well for a man 40 pounds lighter.
Has some short area quickness and some speed in pursuit.
Will flash some really explosive takeoffs and when he does that he blows plays up before they start.
Will walk OL back into the QB.
Has played all along the DL, usually lining up at 34 DE.
Everyone is making this guy out to be just a NT, but I think he can play some 3 tech if he improves his game and learns to take a good first step.
Is not a big sloppy guy who can't bend his knees. Plays with good leverage which is how he survives letting the OL get in the 1st shot.
Negatives:
While he flashes an explosive start and first step, he rarely does it. Usually stays in his stance and just sheds the block instead of beating the blockers to the punch.
PLays a goofy technique that no NFL team uses. Washington asks their huge DL to sit on the line and let the OL engage them, then the DL sheds and goes after the ball. This doesn't work in the NFL, because the plays just happen way too fast. He needs to learn to use his 1st step (which he flashes), but doesn't use most of the time.
He likes to wait for the plays to develop so he can run the plays down. That is not going to be his game in the NFL. He needs to stay low and fire off.
Is slow to use his hands to shed. Waits for the OL to committ, then he sheds.
Gets a lot of plays because college QB are stupid and hold the ball too long trying to make plays that aren't there. Needs to speed his game up and make plays more quickly.
Should have improved his game to play more like an NFL player. Has had a while to do it, and just has not gotten any better with respect to what NFL teams look for in technique.
Summary
He can dominate plays when he plays with a staggered stance, fires off low and gets his hands up quickly. Has all the ability in the world and could be a great DT. It's just not clear if he doesn't want it or Washington is asking him to use a high school technique because it works better against spread offenses. In either case he is a big project and it may take a while for him to develop.
I like my 1st round picks to be better technique guys and less of a long-term project, but I can see the upside. This guy could be as good or better than Haloti Ngata, but is not anywhere near there yet.
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