Temple’s Haason Reddick is an undersized defensive end prospect who’ll need to play outside linebacker in the NFL.
Haason Reddick has spent the majority of his college days working off the edge. At this spot, he uses his athleticism and quickness to put pressure on the quarterback. His role at the next level is more clouded in that he won’t be able to routinely lineup at defensive end.
Reddick will need to move into a linebacker role which shouldn’t be a major problem. He has experience dropping into coverage and the athleticism to play in space. This is a balanced athlete capable of changing direction and quickly closing on the ball carrier.
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He reminds me of a poor man’s Bruce Irvin whose best attribute is his ability to create pressure, but someone with the raw talent to be a more versatile contributor.
Reddick doesn’t solely rely on his speed to get after the quarterback. He features good suddenness which allows him change direction. Reddick also does a good job dipping his shoulder and flattening around the edge.
Against the run, he works to set the edge and plays with a ton of effort. Reddick is always in pursuit of the football and does an excellent job closing the backdoor. He does need to improve his hand usage and ability to disengage.
However, some of his struggles disengaging are due to the fact that he’s playing out of position. Reddick would be better served to read and react rather than immediately engage the blocker.
The early stages of his career will likely feature a lot of time on special teams and as a situational pass rusher. However, Reddick has enough athleticism and instincts to develop into an NFL starter.
Current Draft Stock: 3rd Round