Chapelle Russell NFL Draft 2020: Scouting Report for Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Pick

LB Chapelle Russell, Temple

STRENGTHS

—Looks tailor-made for today's NFL at 6'2", 236 pounds with 32⅜" arms and 10" hands.

—Awarded a single-digit jersey for 2018 and 2019 (goes to Temple's nine toughest players). 

—Won Temple's Male Comeback Player of the Year for 2018; showed a ton of resilience and competitive toughness to remain persistent throughout his career.

—Evident sideline-to-sideline range; has no trouble manipulating in tight spaces despite injuries.

—Will be able to match up with tight ends and backs in coverage immediately and can remain on field all three downs.

WEAKNESSES

—Two ACL injuries to the same knee in consecutive seasons (2016 and 2017). 

—Hesitant post-snap and would rather run around and rely on athleticism than use technique and fundamentals to stack out blockers in space.

—Can't only rely on hustle to be successful; must learn to diagnose cleanly, fill with leverage and track to the boundary with fits.

OVERALL 

Had he not torn his right ACL twice, Russell might have been a top-15 linebacker in this class. He has a specific skill set, but he fits the modern-day NFL weak-side linebacker perfectly. Russell will need to clean up his tendency to rely too much on athleticism and not enough on the cerebral aspects of the position, but there's no doubt that he can run with anyone. 

GRADE: 50

PRO COMPARISON: Jatavis Brown/Azeez Al-Shaair