Calijah Kancey 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Background: 

• High school team won back-to-back state championships

• Has four siblings
• Native of Miami, Florida 

System: 

• Scheme tendencies: Even front
• 2022 projected role: Starting defensive tackle 

Pros: Calijah Kancey is a spark plug on the interior of the defensive line. He plays with incredible urgency and fires into the neutral zone with quickness and intent. He’s extremely physical and tough, willing to exchange power with blockers that have 30-plus pounds on him on a weekly basis. He does well to take advantage of his quickness and built-in leverage to win with first contact, shoot gaps, and work to the edges of blocks. Kancey is slippery working off contact and he’s pretty flexible. Overall, his contact balance is very impressive given his size. His style of play lends itself well to gap penetration, which gives him chances to make plays behind the line of scrimmage against the run and pass. His motor always runs hot and he battles to be around the football. Kancey keeps his hands engaged and showcases the ability to string together moves and get off blocks. 

Cons: There’s no denying that Calijah Kancey is considerably undersized and lacks length. It’s easy to love the way he plays with quickness, urgency, and competitive toughness, but his frame presents challenges forecasting him to the next level. Kancey has to work overtime to clear his pads and simply cannot afford any technical lapses. He severely lacks mass and length, which brings into question how the dynamic playmaking ability he showcased at Pitt will translate to the NFL with any degree of consistency.

Calijah Kancey NFL Draft Scouting Report by Joe Marino