With the 146th Pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks and the Emerald City welcome Derrick Nnadi, DT, Florida State.
My take:
Seattle is trying to rebuild without a lot of high picks which necessitates taking the best player available at any position of need. Unfortunately, the lack of great secondary prospects late in the Draft means the Seahawks will attempt to mitigate the weak secondary by controlling the line of scrimmage via a Draft class rich with Edge and DT prospects. They will address the secondary and O-Line with high picks next year, or through FA.
Seattle's defensive line is nearly unrecognizable from last year. Michael Bennett was traded, Sheldon Richardson left in FA. Cliff Avril is a question mark. Frank Clark and Marcus Davenport will make for a strong Edge combination, but the addition of stolid, if not adequate, DTs Shamar Stephen and Tom Johnson, leave the middle of the line in question. Stephen is better suited as a backup and Johnson is getting long in the tooth.
As such, the Seahawks are once again looking for value at a position of need, and Nnadi meets that as a prospect that can easily become a NFL starter early in his career. He is shorter and has a low center of gravity that provides excellent leverage. He has good agility and lateral movement. All features that are hallmarks of future success as a DT in the NFL. However, he needs to put-on more mass to couple with his low center of gravity and needs to improve his footwork and hand technique. Good coaching will address these shortcomings.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqXTyI_04JY
From NFL.com:
Overview
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.
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
@TheLand1287 you are the next contestant on the Price is Right.
@sportscoach be mindful.
@JDailey23, put it away and zip it up. You have research to do.