PFF scouting report: Mikal Myers, DI, Connecticut

Name: Mikal Myers

School: Connecticut

Position fit: Nose tackle

Stats to know: Finished eighth in the nation amongst DTs with 33 run stops, but generated just three hurries all year.

What he does best:

• Excellent instincts, senses blocks from an angle.
• Diagnoses power runs quickly, uses the spin move to defeat down blocks and fall back into the running lane.
• Locates the football effectively, consistently identifies the point of attack to disrupt runs in the backfield.
• Can resist chips from a secondary blocker, possesses the strength to hold off multiple blockers generally.
• Strong upper body, stands up blockers particularly when aligned in a heads-up position.
• Occasionally penetrates immediately using the arm-over move, but only infrequently.
• Generates vertical movement to disrupt the intended target of runs.
• Decent range to finish, can close ground to make tackles.
• Hard worker, displays consistent high effort.

Biggest concern:

• Poor movement skills, takes an age to change direction.
• Unable to fire off the ball at the snap, sluggish getting up to speed.
• No capacity to generate pressure, and squeezes the pocket only infrequently.
• Rarely knocks runners down on first contact, gives up extra yardage in the tackle.
• Not always consistent as a tackler, missed eight of 59 attempts as a senior.
• Limited purely to a two-down role, an old-school nose tackle.

Player comparison: Aubrayo Franklin, retired

Franklin was a 320-pound nose tackle who put together a strong career as a run defender while providing little as a pass-rusher Myers has the ability to fill a similar role

Bottom line: Myers is an offensive nightmare, Like his horror-inducing namesake, he consistently knifes down runners trying to evade him. Despite initial defeat, Myers never goes quietly. He is a constant threat to recover. Myers’ skill as a run defender, however, stand in stark contrast to his performances as a pass-rusher. His pass-rush productivity of 0.7 was dead last in the FBS. Three hurries in 305 snaps is alarmingly little production. While the two-down nose tackle is not nearly as attractive as it was just 10 years ago in the NFL, there is still need for early-down players capable of stopping the run and that’s where Myers best fits at the next level