One of the more intriguing prospects in this year’s class is Pitt defensive lineman Calijah Kancey, who will not let his undersized frame stop him from dominating the competition and hopefully his draft stock as he enters the 2023 NFL Draft.
Here is everything you need to know about the Panther’s defensive playmaker:
Vitals
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 281 pounds
Class: Junior
40 time: 4.67 seconds
Strengths
An explosive and ferocious playmaker along the interior defensive line, Kancey makes the most of his athleticism and leverage as one of the most disruptive defensive linemen in college football. He put together back-to-back impressive seasons with Pitt, wracking up fourteen sacks, nineteen QB hits, and 64 total tackles over that span.
As a pass rusher, Kancey is persistent, explosive, and dominant in how he uses his leverage and athleticism to work his way through to the quarterback. His first step is unmatched at the collegiate level and allowed him a straight line to the quarterback often. Even when offensive lineman does get their hands on him, he uses his fantastic leverage and play strength to whip them away and slide through the gap into the quarterback. Once he is able to maneuver his way through the blocks he has incredible closing speed, hitting a second gear from gap to ball which is extremely hard to recover from or counter as a blocker. His persistence as a pass rusher leaves offensive linemen winded, harassing them until the whistle blows and always attempting to find a way to make a play on the ball.
As a run-stopper, Kancey is not quite as dominant but can find wins in a similar fashion to his pass rush. His anchor is not the best in the world but he can maintain long enough to find an angle to slip through and attack the football, it is hard to hold onto him in any fashion. He can make plays across the defensive line and is excellent at readjusting his gap assignment when locating the runner. His athleticism and leverage are his greatest assets, though it is unlikely he will be asked to be a dominant run stuffer at the next level.
Weaknesses
His aforementioned size and weight are an unavoidable flaw in Kancey’s game, when a team drafts him they are going to have to accept he will not fit in on certain downs and will be a liability in the running attack as he will likely get swallowed up on more than one occasion at the next level. He will need to be a passing down specialist, and that is something that might be hard to swallow for teams looking for an every-down lineman.
Projection
Calijah Kancey is a nuisance of a pass rusher who will be a sack merchant at the next level and will give offensive lines headaches trying to block for the next decade or so. His production, athleticism, and motor are all top-notch, and it all translates well to the field. Teams will need to accept it will be very difficult for him to anchor in the running game given his size, and teams may choose to run at him often, so he will be limited to certain downs. His pass-rushing ability is simply too good to pass up and he will be one of the first handful of defensive linemen taken.
Projection: First-Round Pick
