Tuesday, April 11, 2017

2017 NFL Draft Profile: Duke Riley

Duke Riley, LSU
6-0, 232
Riley was a four year player in the LSU program, but did not start until his senior season. As a freshman, he collected Seven tackles and a half sack.
As a sophomore, he continued to languish as a reserve, and finished with 20 tackles. As a junior, he finished with 24 tackles and a half sack.
He finally got a starting nod as a senior, when he finished with 93 tackles, nine TFLs, 1.5 sacks, one PBU, three QB hurries, and one INT.
The Good
Very patient. Waited almost four years for a starting nod.
Had one of his biggest games as a senior against his strongest opponent.
Takes the time to learn and progress.
Showed some serious flash as a senior.
Very active in the field.
High end technique tackler, does the job like it is supposed to be done.
Has solid speed for the position, and is solid in pursuit.
Covers well in zone scheme.
Has an eyeball for breaking down the offense.
The Bad
Never rose to the top until he was a senior. Never broke through prior.
Small for the role of edge LB, and will get over powered.
Not aggressive enough.
Not a great player in tight spaces.
Does not always take a direct path to his target.
Footwork needs some serious work.
Does not show much of a knack as a pass rusher.
Final Overview
Riley is an interesting day three prospect who never started or played all that much until he was a senior. That is much too small a sample size for me to get excited about, and unless you are a team with a throw away pick that has time for a project, this is not your guy. He may be limited as a two down backer, or even a career special teams guy for his career, and he will definitely have to get intimately involved with special teams in the NFL, because that is where his check gets written right now. I just do not see much to get overwhelmed by here enough to make the pick.

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