Tae Crowder NFL Draft 2020: Scouting Report for New York Giants' Pick

LB43 Tae Crowder, Georgia

STRENGTHS

—Multiyear contributor who was a leader for the 2019 Georgia defense that was one of the best in the nation while competing in the best conference in college football.

—Good overall frame; can add a little NFL bulk to his lower half but already has the needed length throughout.

—Former running back who can comfortably open and run laterally to the boundary in both run support and coverage.

—Plays the position like a running back in the box with good innate ability to recognize gaps to shoot.

WEAKNESSES

—Quite a bit of waist-bending leads to balance issues in the box and out in space; will overrun tackles because he's unable to play with his feet underneath him.

—Energy runs too hot and cold.

—Made only 19 starts at Georgia; may be seen as a developmental project who switched from running back and needs time to acclimate.

—A little loose in fundamentals when filling downhill in the box and will bounce around to make plays, losing gap integrity and leverage.

OVERALL

Crowder plays like someone who has always been the best athlete on the field. However, he was only a slightly above-average athlete at linebacker in the SEC. He has NFL size and the needed speed for linebacker, but his lack of concrete fundamentals will be exploited. He needs time to continue learning how to blend his athleticism with competing within a system. Fortunately, his natural talent should give him a chance to make noise on special teams.

GRADE: 49

PRO COMPARISON: James Burgess/Zaire Franklin