Felix Anudike-Uzomah was drafted with pick 31 of round 1 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 8.73 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 209 out of 1634 DE from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/maz03OdBwqpic.twitter.com/xoMJ9ki2Pv
Originally Posted by :
STRENGTHS: Well-built and transformed his body since arriving in college as a lean 220-pounder ... flashes power in his hands/arms/shoulders to press blockers off him and find the football ... aggressively attacks the corner with a head of steam and joint flexibility mid-rush ... effective use of stabs (and ghost stabs) to pry open an outside rush lane ... motor always runs hot and consistently keeps his pursuit alive ... alert and sees through blocks to slam the door on scrambling quarterbacks ... shows the awareness to feel the screen, redirect and chase down ... physical hands as a tackler, which also helps him dislodge the football (eight forced fumbles over the last two seasons) ... humble player and competes with the “nobody believes in me” chip on his shoulder ... played in every game the past two seasons ... outstanding production, leading the team in sacks, tackles for loss and forced fumbles each of the last two seasons.
WEAKNESSES: Short-striding rusher with only average get-off and lateral quickness ... stiff at the top of his rush and struggles to flip his hips/shoulders around the corner (physical offensive tackles can toss him) ... physical, strong hands, but his secondary moves and counters aren’t as thought out as his initial attack ... speed-to- power has inconsistent results, often stalling out because of inconsistent leverage ... average base strength in the run game, especially versus doubles, and will lose edge contain ... inexperienced dropping into coverage to defend quick routes ... underwent minor offseason knee surgery (January 2022) and missed spring practice; didn’t work out at the combine because of a right foot injury (March 2023).
SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Kansas State, Anudike-Uzomah was a right end and lined up on the outside shoulder of the tackle in defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman’s 3-3-5 scheme. Despite Kansas State being his only Power 5 offer out of high school (as a blueshirt), he became one of the most decorated defenders in school history as an All-American and the 2022 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (25.5 tackles for loss, 19.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles over the last two seasons). Anudike-Uzomah mashes the accelerator with strength in his joints to angle his body and pry open rush lanes with his power. He can shock blockers at contact, but his refinement is a work in progress, and he is inconsistent as an edge setter versus the run. Overall, Anudike-Uzomah has only average get-off and arc speed as a rusher and must become more consistent in the run game, but he plays hard and mixes up his rush to keep his pursuit alive, which is what he does best. He projects as a physical, face-up power rusher with the impact potential to compete for an NFL starting role as a rookie.
Originally Posted by kccrow:
The only thing that I can think of other than some unknown character/learning flaw is maybe teams dislike his hips/feet in transition more than we think.
But doesn't Spags system really cover nicely for that? A lot of what we do seems designed expressly to diminish the need for those transitions. It's what makes communication so critical for our DBs.
Seems like his biggest weakness would be mitigated here and his strengths would play WAY up.
Originally Posted by siberian khatru:
Dane Brugler’s summary:
I do think his ability to contain running QBs might have at least played somewhat into that decision. Still have Lamar and Allen to worry about and now Richardson is in the AFC, plus there's a very real chance to see Hurts again. [Reply]