McTelvin Agim, DT, Arkansas
As far as underdog stories go, it is hard to root against a prospect who was told in middle school that either an early death or jail time awaited him by his 18th birthday. McTelvin Agin had a rough childhood, moving from school to school and even spending some time living at the Salvation Army. In middle school a principal told him that he would either be in jail, or dead, by his 18th birthday. But he was the top player in the state of Arkansas coming out of Hope High School, and stayed in-state to play for the Razorbacks.
During his four years in the SEC, Agim played all along the defensive line for Arkansas. His senior season saw him spend most of his time on the inside as more of a nose tackle, but he has the length and athletic ability to play at almost every alignment up front. Even from that interior alignment last season he had his most productive year, registering seven sacks and 18 quarterback hurries, all career-high numbers despite playing just 532 snaps, his lowest snap count of the past three seasons.
What gives Agim the potential to stick at the next level is his explosiveness combined with what he brings to the table as a penetrating defensive tackle. Turn on any one of his games and you will see an impressive first step, with the quickness to penetrate gaps off the snap and give offensive lines immediate trouble. You will also see an array of pass rushing moves, as he put on film against Alabama:
Bear in mind, this came in the second half of a blowout loss to the Crimson Tide, and against Alabama’s starting offensive line. Agim uses a swat to rip combination that scouts would love to see from an edge defender, let alone an interior defensive lineman.
Players like Javon Kinlaw, Derrick Brown and Jordan Elliott might get more attention at the start of the draft, but if a team is looking for a disruptive interior tackle later in the process, Agim is definitely someone to watch.