John Penisini NFL Draft 2020: Scouting Report for Detroit Lions' Pick

DL20 John Penisini, Utah

STRENGTHS

—Anchors against double-teams and creates opportunities for teammates to make plays. 

—Lower-body weight and strength. 

—Natural leverage that makes him hard to move one-on-one.  

—Big-bodied bully (6'1", 318 lbs) who can two-gap and shuck blockers at will. 

—Explodes through the hips and locks out his arms. 

WEAKNESSES

—Slow to shoot his hands. 

—Saw a lot of single-teams because opponents were so worried about Leki Fotu and Bradlee Anae. 

—Little to no agility down the line; makes the plays that are run at him. 

—Doesn't provide a pass rush and will come off the field in passing situations. 

OVERALL

An ideal nose tackle or 1-technique who can stuff the run, Penisini is tailor-made for a 3-4 defense or short-yardage situations. Don't expect much in the way of pass-rushing productivity, because that isn't who he is, but he has potential to see the field as a gap-plugger.

GRADE: 56

PRO COMPARISON: Malcolm Brown/C.J. Mosley