With national signing day right around the corner, flip season is in full effect and Michigan’s staff are more than happy to contribute. The last few years they have targeting offensive targets, but this year the Wolverines snagged a defensive lineman from Big Ten opponent USC.
Deyvid Palepale was considered a Michigan lean for much of the process, but committed to USC in early July. Since then, USC struggled on defense to the point of firing their coordinator while Michigan once again thrived. That made the decision to flip pretty easy.
Palepale is ranked as a middling three star with a 247Sports consensus grade of .8747, but he is worth so much more than that. At 6-foot-3, 305 pounds, Palepale has a relatively college-ready frame and could be on the Mason Graham path to playing time.
The tough thing about evaluating Palepale, and the reason he is still ranked low, is that he barely played as a senior. Due to some touchy conditions at his high school, Palepale did not finish his season and does not have highlight reel uploaded on Hudl. To remedy this, I turned back the clock to his junior year.
Before diving into the film, it is important to know that Palepale is a versatile player. He can line up as a three tech or a nose depending on the personnel, and could bounce between positions during his time in college. I predict that he will start off as a nose tackle due to the lack of depth behind Kenneth Grant, who may very well depart for the NFL after next season.
The first thing you notice about Palepale is his movement. He doesn’t have the long, explosive frame of most elite defensive tackles, but he covers ground well regardless. His tape has a number of plays where he comes from the backside of a run play and catches the running back or simply hawks down a quarterback escaping the pocket. If he sticks at nose, he can jump between gaps and get penetration instead of just holding up blocks to free linebackers. There is one specific play where Palepale is lined up as a zero technique and perfectly executes his rush to both collapse the pocket while keeping the QB in front of him. He crosses the face of the center three time and takes the quarterback down for at most a minimal gain.
I also came away impressed with his get off. He looked to jump off the ball well, and does a good job avoiding standing directly up, which is often an issue for young defensive tackles. Firing out instead of up from his stances allows him to attack the offensive lineman and reduces the size of his chest, making it hard for offensive lineman to land a punch.
So, what are the downsides? Well, there aren’t many. The biggest knock on his ranking is that he didn’t play as a senior. Other than that, he’s not elite at any one specific trait. Yes, he’s got ability but he can’t move like Kris Jenkins. Yes, he’s got power, but he can’t anchor like Mazi. Sure, he could stand to clean up his hand use a little, but he still demontrates the basic shock and shed technique in the run game and looked at least adequate as a pass rusher. Like I said, he is similar in many ways to currently starter Mason Graham. It’s a little foolish for rankings to work the way they do. Palepale is a guy who will contribute for three or so years at a Power Five level and his ranking would likely be no higher that the top 400 even with senior tape. The focus on upside is absurd. Palepale had offers from schools like Ohio State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and Penn State and his overall ranking outside the top 700 is insane.
Palepale is just a safe take. He will come in and be able to play meaningful reps by year two at the latest. Look for him to be a fan favorite and have a strong career in Ann Arbor.