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2020 NFL Draft: Air Force NT Mosese Fifita
Could a Falcon get drafted?
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Big nose tackles can make a difference.
Air Force athletes now have the chance to pursue a pro career and that can benefit guys who have grown athletically but still have the chance to fulfill the Academy requirement just down the road.
Mosese Fifita is one of the largest people in the draft for a defensive lineman at 320 pounds, so he is a guy who takes up a lot of space and allows others to make plays around him. He also was good enough to earn first-team honors and in addition to taking up space, he had 7.5 tackles for loss and six sacks.
Strengths
He just takes up space at 320 pounds and that type of size is not seen at the Air Force Academy but there it was. He would be able to bulldoze and push through the opposing team center or guard and that is valuable.
He gets to the backfield to make plays which is usually not the case one does at the nose tackle position as the job is to take up space and get in the way of the center and/or guard on each play. Fifita had other plans and would do both play in and play out.
Plus, being a student at the Academy means these guys are extremely smart and that is a good thing to have when learning a new system and possibly virtually for maybe a few months.
Weaknesses
Playing at Air Force can cause some issues even with the restrictions lifted of going pro. Teams might be afraid to draft him because they may think it is a wasteful pick for a guy who might not even be able to be on the team.
He could be a bit faster with his feet when the ball is snapped because he can get beat at times off the line.
While he is 320 pounds, six-feet is a touch undersized going up against centers and guards that might have a few inches on him.
Draft Projection
Fifita will be snagged as an undrafted free agent and give him a chance to make the team this fall and it could be a steal for a guy with his smarts and athletic ability to make plays.
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