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2020 NFL Draft Profile: San Diego State LB Kyahva Tezino

The dynamic Aztecs linebacker made plenty of plays in his college career, but where does he fit in the pros?

Tezino shouldn’t be overlooked.

After playing an integral role for one of San Diego State’s best defenses ever last fall, Kyahva Tezino now faces the challenge of finding a way to do the same in the NFL.

Height – 6′

Weight – 235 pounds

Wingspan – 73 5/8″

Arm Length – 30 1/4″

Hand Size – 8 1/2″

40-Yard Dash – 4.67 seconds

Strengths

Rocky Long’s 3-3-5 defense is all about attacking from different angles and, from the middle of the field, you might have trouble finding another linebacker prospect who did that better. Only Cam Gill, who played at FCS Wagner, entered the draft with more career sacks than Tezino.

How has he done it? Smarts and quickness. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler noted Tezino’s ability to “[burst] into the backfield as a blitzer”, while Jake Ellenbogen of DowntownRams.com added that he also possesses more-than-adequate “short-area burst and lateral agility in space”.

Weakness

The biggest concerns surrounding Tezino come down to just how far the smarts and quickness will take him. The Draft Network’s Joe Marino has doubts about whether he can truly play sideline-to-sideline, and both he and Brugler think that there is work to be done as a coverage linebacker. There is also some disagreement about his ability to consistently finish tackles, as well, which will be important to improve upon if his role in the pros is similar to that of SDSU.

Draft Prediction

Tezino might not be the most nationally well-known linebacker in this year’s class, but there are good reasons why he’s been so productive over the last two seasons. The upside will help him hear his name called at the draft, though probably not until round six.

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