Up next in Touchdown Wire’s position-by-position look at the top prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft is the interior defensive line. While EDGE players get the bulk of attention during draft season, this year’s interior DL class has some impressive players who are getting more first round buzz than some of the outside pass rushers. Both Javon Kinlaw and Derrick Brown are considered to be first-round locks, and some view players like Jordan Elliott and Ross Blacklock to be potential early picks as well. How does this group stack up?
1. Javon Kinlaw, DL, South Carolina
Height: 6’6″ Weight: 302
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: Javon Kinlaw chose the junior college route coming out of Goose Creek High School in South Carolina, enrolling at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi. During the 2016 season, he was a standout at defensive tackle, who was named a second-team All-America selection, a first-team All-Region 23 selection, and the MACJC South Division’s Most Valuable Defensive Lineman when he tallied 26 tackles (including 8.5 for a loss) and 4.5 sacks.
He committed to South Carolina for the 2017, and made 10 starts his first year on campus. He took on an increased role for the Gamecocks over the past two seasons, and had a career-year as a senior in 2019. He posted seven sacks and 26 quarterback hurries. Kinlaw rode that production to a spot in Mobile for the Senior Bowl, where it was apparently early on that he was arguably the best non-quarterback in attendance.
Stat to Know: According to charting data, Kinlaw was second among interior defensive lineman with a pass-rush win rate of 18.1%.
Strengths: Kinlaw explodes off the snap. Simply turn on South Carolina’s game against Alabama and you will see his burst off the line from the opening play of the game. He plays with incredible pad level, but it is his first step that attacks gaps and threatens the structural integrity of the offensive line from the second plays begin. Kinlaw commands double-team blocks in the run game, and constantly frees up those around him to flow to the football and make plays. He also brings incredible lateral agility to the table, and is going to be a problem against zone running plays, and you can imagine how a creative defensive coordinator could employ him in the stunt and twist game.
As a pass rusher, his ability to convert strength to power as well as his bull rush move might be unparalleled in this class. His hands are constantly moving, forcing blockers to counter and second-guess their own actions. Proponents of the concept that “pressure equals production” are going to enjoy seeing plays like this against North Carolina:
If your interior defensive lineman is going to get double-teamed when the QB drops to pass, you’ll love seeing him fight through the first blocker with violent hands, spin into the second blocker and manage to drive him backward – initially with his back – and still get the QB to move off his spot. Leading to a big sack from the defensive end, left isolated with the right tackle. Pressure equals production.
Weaknesses: Kinlaw often loses track of the play and gets caught peeking into the backfield, which leads to him missing some misdirection plays and running away from the football. He has tremendous hands, but relies on his bull rush too much as a pass rusher. You can see evidence – such as in the above video – of him having other options in his tool kit as a pass rusher but he relies on the bull rush far too much to be a complete player right now.
Conclusion: Kinlaw’s length and size cannot be taught, nor can his explosiveness. This is a tremendous foundation for a disruptive force on the interior of NFL defensive lines. His explosiveness, coupled with that hand work he has developed to date, is enough to make him productive as a rookie. What he learns along the way is can make him special.
Comparison: Retired NFL defensive end Stephen White, in this meaty breakdown of Kinlaw, compared him to current Chicago Bears’ defender Roy Robertson-Harris. This makes a ton of sense, as Robertson-Harris began as an edge rusher before moving inside, and Kinlaw’s disruptive ability on the interior compares to the finished product that Robertson-Harris is now.