Scouting the 2020 NFL draft: Javon Kinlaw, DL, South Carolina

In our latest installment of the ‘Scouting the 2020 NFL Draft’ series, we preview South Carolina defensive lineman, Javon Kinlaw.

The 2019 NFL draft will be a hard, if not impossible, act to follow for next year’s defensive line class. The top edge rusher in the bunch is Ohio State’s Chase Young, who we previewed here, but he won’t be alone in his hunt for early first-round status next April.

South Carolina’s massive interior defensive lineman, Javon Kinlaw, will offer teams searching for power and disruption in the middle of their defense with an intriguing option in 2020. He’s a bit of a projection right now, however, and needs a big season to solidify his status as one of the more appealing prospects in the class.

Kinlaw, whose career at South Carolina began as a JUCO transfer in 2017, started 22 games over the last two seasons and enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2018 with 38 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He was named the team’s co-defensive MVP for his efforts.

Physically, Kinlaw is a large — very large — man. He’s unofficially listed at 6-6, 302 pounds. He lost 40 pounds after joining the Gamecocks in 2017 and has to prove he can keep his weight under control, something he’s established he’s capable of over the last two seasons. He has a high-cut frame which can make things challenging for him when he doesn’t maintain good pad level out of his stance, but his long arms help offset that a bit.

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Athletically, Kinlaw moves well for his size and flashes the ability to be a quick penetrator. He isn’t consistent in this area, however, and there are more than just a few occasions when he’s one of the last defensive linemen moving at the snap. But when he gets a good jump off the ball, his power (both upper and lower body) is a near-impossible challenge for opposing offensive linemen. Kinlaw is deceptively fast, too. He closes ground because of his long stride and overall length; it doesn’t take him nearly as many steps to get home as some defenders with shorter limbs.

Kinlaw is a powerful player against the run who holds his ground at the point of attack. He stacks his opponent and creates enough trash in the running lanes to give his teammates a chance to flow to the ball and finish. He’s a reliable tackler, too, who engulfs running backs when they’re within his tackle radius.

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Against the pass, Kinlaw’s effectiveness depends mostly on the jump he gets at the snap. When he has a good get-off, he can bully interior linemen into the quarterback’s comfort zone and he has the kind of schooled hands needed to free himself and make a play. He’s a pure power rusher at this point who needs to develop a complementary move to become truly lethal.

Kinlaw’s best fit in the NFL will be as a 3-4 defensive end because of his unique physical makeup. Assuming he can develop more of a consistent get-off and takes the kind of growth as a pass rusher players usually make in their third year, he’ll be an exciting prospect for teams looking for defensive line help early in the 2020 NFL draft.

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