Calijah Kancey NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Pittsburgh DL

HEIGHT: 6'1"

WEIGHT: 281

HAND: 9 1/8"

ARM: 30 5/8"

WINGSPAN: TBD

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40-YARD DASH: 4.67

3-CONE: 7.00

SHUTTLE: 4.36

VERTICAL: 33.5"

BROAD: 9'4"

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POSITIVES

— Lightning-quick off the ball, good reaction to the snap and accelerates off the line of scrimmage very well.

— Sets up his pass-rush moves well by getting to square on the offensive lineman and giving himself a two-way go. Mixes up his speeds too to test the lineman's foot quickness.

— He has a dirty swim move that he uses as a counter off the bull rush, using his quickness and limber lower half to get on an edge and change the angle on the blocker.

— Also has a nice hesitation to cross-chop move that he can win with as a pass-rusher.

— Overall, solid at working the hands when rushing the passer.

— Good bend for a defensive tackle.

— As a run defender, he has natural leverage and is physical at the point of attack, which can help him overcome some of his strength deficiencies against one-on-one blocks.

— When slanting or penetrating, he keeps his feet moving through contact, and his pad level allows him to play on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

— Hustle player who will factor into gang tackles down the field.

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NEGATIVES

— Significantly undersized for an NFL defensive tackle.

— As a run defender, he takes on blocks with a narrow base and will struggle to hold ground one-on-one against interior offensive linemen who have a good anchor and can survive his initial surge.

— Lacks upper-body strength and has short arms to get extension against linemen. This also makes shedding blocks much more difficult for him.

— Not gap-disciplined, will leave his assignment early and create a lane for running back to exploit against zone runs.

— As a pass-rusher, he needs to finish his moves with a more violent rip to prevent blockers from hanging on to him.

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2022 STATISTICS

— 11 GM, 31 TOT, 14.5 TFL, 7.5 SK

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NOTES

– DOB: March 1, 2001

– A 3-star recruit in the 2019 class, No. 850 overall, No. 63 DT, per 247Sports' composite rankings

– Injuries: 2022 (Shoulder, missed two games)

– 29 career starts

– 2022 Honors: First-Team All-American (several outlets), Defensive Tackle of the Year (College Football Network), Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalist, Outland Trophy finalist, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-ACC

– 2021 Honors: First-Team All-ACC, Third-Team All-American (AP)

– 2020 Honors: Freshman All-American (FWAA, Rivals, The Athletic)

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OVERALL

As an undersized defensive tackle from Pittsburgh who was the first unanimous All-American at the position since Aaron Donald, Calijah Kancey has drawn some comparisons to arguably the best interior defender in the game.

Like Donald, Kancey won't pass a lot of size thresholds but is extremely quick and can win in the trenches with athleticism. He's very impressive with a slew of moves and movement skills that can put offensive linemen in awkward positions in their pass sets. However, defending against the run can be a different story.

That's where Kancey's lack of size and strength is apparent. He'll likely struggle against one-on-one blocks at first in the NFL, and it will be a while until he can hold up against double-teams. There's a chance the latter will never be part of his game.

For comparison's sake, Donald was an inch taller and five pounds heavier at the NFL combine than Kancey's listed height and weight at Pitt. In other words, the team that drafts Kancey is betting on him to be a major outlier.

That also makes his scheme fit a challenge. Size-wise, the Panther profiles best as an even front defensive end, but that would be a different spot than what he played in college, and he still doesn't have the desired length to play in that role.

The team that selects him will be looking for an interior pass-rusher who might develop into a three-down player with more time in the weight room. But again, that team will be betting on a big outlier.

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GRADE: 7.6 (Potential Impact Player/2nd round)

OVERALL RANK: 37

POSITION RANK: DL4

PRO COMPARISON: Dominique Easley

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Written by B/R NFL Draft Scout Matt Holder