Joseph Wicker to Arizona State: Sun Devils Land 4-Star DT Prospect

Arizona State wanted to get tougher at the point of attack, and it did exactly that on Wednesday

Head coach Todd Graham secured the commitment of 4-star defensive lineman Joseph Wicker. 

The Sun Devils confirmed the announcement: 

Credit: 247Sports

According to 247Sports' composite rankings, Wicker is the sixth-best strong-side defensive end in the country. He's also ranked 87th overall.

Wicker was among the top players invited to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Although he didn't have a great showing in the game itself, the practices before the event served as a nice showcase for Wicker.

Taylor Hamm of Gigem247 was impressed with Wicker's speed and ability to get outside:

GoVols247's Ryan Callahan also showed that Wicker has enough strength to overpower offensive linemen:

Back in September, Mike Guardabascio of the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, California, highlighted a particularly impressive showing by Wicker from Long Beach Poly's 54-14 win over Crenshaw High School:

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Because Wicker is so big, he can take on two blockers at a time and still move them back. But because of his speed, he’s more often able to slip in between the center and the guard and end up in the backfield. Twice during the season opener against Crenshaw, he was able to reach the quarterback before the QB had finished his short drop. On one of those plays, Wicker not only sacked the quarterback, but also knocked the ball out of his hands and recovered it.

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When he reaches college, Wicker will have received some great tutelage. The Jackrabbits are coached by former NFL linebacker Antonio Pierce.

"(Pierce) has just brought a change of attitude," Wicker said of his head coach, per Guardabascio. "He’s taught me a lot of things and his expectations for me are so high that I always want to work to exceed them."

Wicker has a lot of experience at defensive tackle, but as 247Sports notes with his position listing, he's most likely to fit in at defensive tackle in college.

While pretty athletic, Wicker's not going to blow fans away with his quickness off the edge. He'll mostly rely on his strength and brute force to bull rush his blocker.

One of Wicker's best assets is his motor. He never gives up on a play, and he's not the kind of defender who will go missing for long stretches of a game.

At this point, it seems like Wicker's ceiling is a bit limited. Should he add some more muscle, though, and get a tad bit quicker, that could change.

At the very least, Wicker will become a productive defensive lineman but not quite break through to that All-American level.