Tag: norell pollard

Commanders showing interest in Virginia Tech defensive tackle

Could the Commanders be looking for defensive tackle depth in the NFL draft?

For the first time in a while, the Washington Commanders have no Virginia Tech players on their roster. This offseason, Washington released starting tight end Logan Thomas and allowed starting cornerback Kendall Fuller and kicker Joey Slye to depart via free agency.

No Virginia Tech players are expected to be selected in the first few rounds of the upcoming 2024 NFL draft. However, defensive tackle Norell Pollard has emerged as a candidate to be chosen sometime on Day 3 of the draft.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston, several teams, including Washington, met with Pollard throughout the pre-draft process.

Pollard played five years for Virginia Tech, where he played in 61 games for the Hokies, with 48 starts. He finished his career with 118 tackles, including 22 for loss, 12 sacks and three forced fumbles.

In past years, the NFL would have considered Pollard undersized to play defense tackle, but that trend has changed. Pollard’s quickness and low center of gravity make him an intriguing NFL prospect.

The 6-foot-0, 283-pound Pollard earned a 77.7 grade from Pro Football Focus in 2023, including an impressive 86.6 pass-rushing grade.

Pollard will be an interesting name to watch on Day 3.

The Commanders have starters Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, with John Ridgeway and Phidarian Mathis as backups. But, this is a new staff with head coach Dan Quinn perhaps preferring less size and more quickness on the interior of the defensive line.

NFL Draft: Colts have met with Virginia Tech IDL Norell Pollard

The Colts have reportedly met with Virginia Tech interior defensive lineman Norell Pollard. Here is what you need to know.

The Colts have met with Virginia Tech interior defensive lineman Norell Pollard, according to Justin Melo of The Draft Network. In what capacity the Colts met with Pollard was not specified, but it did happen around his Pro Day.

Pollard is undersized, listed at 6-0 – 285 pounds. In his interview with Melo, he mentioned that his Pro Day performance grabbed the attention of several teams. Pollard ran a 4.8-second 40, jumped 9-foot-5 on the broad, and did 29 reps on the bench press.

Pollard is a very experienced player with 2,340 career snaps and will line up at 3-tech in the NFL. He’s had decent production the last two years, recording 30 pressures in 2022 and 2023, along with five total sacks.

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His 30 pressures this past year were tied for the 18th-most among interior defenders. Pollard has also graded out okay as a run defender by PFF’s metrics.

“I’m going to make the best impact I can make,” said Pollard. “I’m going to be a great pass rusher at the next level. I can do that at a high level. I’m planning on being a great player. I’m somebody you want to have on your team.”

Pollard is projected to be taken either late on Day 3 or signing somewhere as an undrafted rookie. The Colts’ meeting with Pollard could have been an opportunity to build a bit of a relationship in case he does go undrafted.

After how this offseason has played out for the Colts, the interior defensive line is the furthest thing from a need, but with only six defensive tackles on the current roster, they could still be looking to add to that position group – and will likely do so through undrafted free agency – in order to have enough bodies for the summer and potentially a developmental prospect or two for the practice squad.

Report: Rams showing ‘heavy interest’ in Virginia Tech DT Norell Pollard

The Rams are showing a lot of interest in Virginia Tech DT Norell Pollard leading up to the draft

Aaron Donald is retired, which means the Los Angeles Rams will be without their best defensive player of the last decade. They’ll be looking for defensive tackle help in the draft and according to Aaron Wilson, the team is showing “heavy interest” in Virginia Tech’s Norell Pollard.

Pollard is undersized as a defensive tackle, coming in at 6 feet and 283 pounds, but he ran a 4.8 in the 40-yard dash and posted an impressive 33.5-inch vertical for a player his size.

Pollard isn’t one of the top interior linemen in the class and he’s projected to be either a late-round pick or an undrafted free agent.

The Rams could be building a connection with Pollard so that when it comes time to sign undrafted rookies, he’ll want to join Los Angeles over another team.