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With the 2013 NFL Draft upon us, I thought I would take the opportunity to watch some film on players who are typically projected in mock drafts to go around the 56th pick, which is the first pick the Seattle Seahawks have this year. I decided to scout not just all of the players who are projected to go around pick 56, but rather just the players in that area who would best fit the needs and style of the Seahawks.
This time, we will be looking at Purdue defensive tackle Kawann Short. At 6’3″ and just under 300 pounds, Short is a pretty great size to play defensive tackle in the NFL. After watching some tape on him, he looks like the kind of tackle who fits the Seahawks’ 4-3 defensive scheme perfectly. He’s probably my favorite defensive tackle for Seattle if he’s available, since he’s great in stopping the run, but also pretty solid in the pass-rush.
I watched quite a bit of tape on Short, and here’s what I gathered as far as strengths and weaknesses.
Strengths
Short is very athletic for an interior defensive lineman. Though he isn’t fast, he is pretty quick and can be explosive. Doesn’t give up on plays, even if blockers seem to have him contained. He is very good at shedding blocks and driving blockers backwards. He is a good leader, he was a two-time team captain during his time at Purdue.
Weaknesses
He occasionally looks a bit lost at times. Sometimes focuses only on the man blocking him rather than the ball-carrier, which causes missed tackling opportunities. He appears to take some plays off when he’s tired. He is not terribly fast.
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