Yannick Ngakoue NFL Draft 2016: Scouting Report, Grade for Jaguars Rookie

POSITIVES

A surprise entry into the 2016 NFL draft, Ngakoue totaled 13.5 sacks in 2015 and saw the right opportunity to play on Sundays.

A natural athlete, Ngakoue is slippery and plays with zip in space. He shows the balance and agility to avoid blocks and not get chipped at the second level. Ngakoue is versatile, showing the fluidity to play in a two- or three-point stance with comfort in both alignments. He shows excellent ability to collapse the edge and limit the quarterback's ability to climb in the pocket and found production on these plays.

A flashy player in terms of closing speed, Ngakoue can be a bully when he spots a quarterback with a clean lane to the passer. On top of his pass-rushing skills, he has experience dropping into flat zones and playing in space as a coverage linebacker.

NEGATIVES

Short with short arms (32 ½"), Ngakoue won't be well liked by teams valuing length on the edge.

Ngakoue can be very inconsistent with his burst and explosion out of the gate. His ability to anticipate the snap is iffy and leads to slow plays off the line. Despite his quickness, Ngakoue doesn't have burst and twitch in his hips and tested poorly in explosive events at the combine.

Fixing Ngakoue's effort on run plays will be discussed. He's not a great effort player on backside runs and can get lazy with his technique. When he lets his eyes wander, Ngakoue can take himself out of the play and miss paths to the ball.

A productive pass-rusher at Maryland, Ngakoue has moved up the board over the last three months, with final film study showing a talented first-year player with the upside to be special if NFL coaches can keep his motor running.

COMBINE RESULTS

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 252 lbs.

40 Time: 4.75s

3-Cone: 7.35s

Short Shuttle: 4.50s

PRO COMPARISON: Jarvis Jones, Pittsburgh Steelers
FINAL GRADE: 6.40/9.00 (Round 2-3—Future Starter)