10. McTelvin Agim, DT, Arkansas
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 309
40-Yard Dash: 4.98 seconds
Bench Press: 27 reps
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: McTelvin Agim endured a difficult childhood, moving from school to school and even spending some time living at the Salvation Army. But he thrived on the football field. He was the 2015 Gatorade Arkansas Football Player of the Year, and ESPN graded him as the top player in the state of Arkansas in his recruiting class and a five-star recruit. Agim had plenty of scholarship offers but decided to play at Arkansas, enrolling early after graduating a semester early from high school.
During his time with the Razorbacks Agim has played all along the defensive front. He came into the program as a defensive end and played there early in his career, but last season most of his snaps were spent on the inside as a 3-technique defensive tackle or even a 0-technique nose guard. Last season was his most productive as a pass rusher, as he notched seven sacks, three quarterback hits and 18 hurries.
Stat to Know: Pro Football Focus graded him with a mark of 81.5 as a pass rusher last season, his career-best number. That came with him playing most of his snaps in the interior, including 20% of them head up on the center.
Strengths: Agim has a high motor and the quickness of the line to split double teams and slice between flowing blockers on zone run designs. His array of pass rushing moves is impressive. He can rip, bull rush, swim, two-hand swat and even cross-chop, which is rare for someone playing on the inside. His rip move is his go-to as a pass rusher, but he can even slide a spin move into the mix. One also has to appreciate his competitive toughness. Arkansas got blown out by Alabama this season, but deep into the game with the Crimson Tide holding a 48-0 lead (and most of their starters in the game) Agim put this rep on film:
Sure, he does not get home for the sack, but that violent rip move (you can see why it is his go-to move) and burst off the line is going to work in the NFL. Plus, he is working against Alabama’s starting right guard Deonte Brown, not exactly lower-level competition.
This competitive toughness plays out on a snap-to-snap basis as well. Agim has a very high motor, and you will see him get caught in traffic or even washed out at times early in a play, but when the whistle blows and the bodies unpile, somehow he’s worked himself back to the football.
Like this:
Agim gets rocked initially by the center, and pushed into a pileup with the right tackle and the defensive end. But he keeps fighting and looking for the ball, and manages to spin off the mass of humanity and make the tackle.
He also takes his gap responsibilities seriously, as you can see on this snap against Auburn:
Agim begins this play aligned in the B-Gap, but needs to get outside of the tackle due to the alignment of the H-Back and the defensive front. So he jumps gaps at at the snap, taking him away from the play but forcing the runner inside to help, allowing the linebackers to stop this inside power design.
Weaknesses: Play strength is a question mark for him. As you saw on the second video there are times when the lower body strength prevents him from anchoring at the point of attack, and he is forced to rely on effort and vision to be effective. He also lacks the power up top that other players in this class offer. His vision is a plus, but at times Agim gets lost on misdirection plays and you can see him running away form the action. He could benefit from some refinement to his hand placement, and while his size is a huge plus, the lacks the athleticism and lateral movement skills of his peers.
Conclusion: Competitive toughness and effort matters in this sport. Ask any NFL scout, and they’ll tell you that it is a trait that they look for at every position and from every prospect. Agim checks that box. The athleticism might not be elite, he could stand to benefit from gaining some upper and/or lower body strength, and the technique could be better. But give me the guy willing to fight for that inch – to steal a movie quote – any day of the week. Agim will be a steal on Day Three of this draft.
Comparison: Agim reminds one of former Patriot and current New Orleans Saints DL Malcom Brown. He can be a penetrating 3-technique player up front who win with effort and explosiveness.