Devin Lloyd is a fifth-year junior who aligns at LB for Ute defense. He has good athleticism, quickness, and agility. The passing game is an area in which he improved from 2020 to 2021. My initial assessment pegged him as a two-down linebacker, however, he has had some on-the-ball production which has solidified his ability to remain on the field in sub-package situations.

In the passing game, he can rush from inside or outside, and while he shows some stiffness in space, he can still get depth in his zone drop, come up, and tackle underneath. He has also proven in 2021 that he can get home in pass-rush situations from various alignments. In the run game, he’s a thumper who plays downhill and physical. He has a heavy run lane anchor and has good tackling efficiency in the box. He’s a downhill player who is among the nation’s leaders in TFLs. He uses his agility inside to defeat blockers and find the football. He has been productive in the box when he can quickly diagnose the run.

On third downs, he has proven that he can remain on the field on passing downs and projects as a productive special teams player if necessary.

Ideal Role: Starting OLB in the NFL

Scheme Fit: 4-3 defense but would progress to suffice in a 3-4 as well.

FILM EVALUATION

Written by Drae Harris 

Games watched: Stanford, ASU, SDSU, Arizona

Best Game Studied: ASU, Stanford

Tackling: He has very good tackling ability. Although he has some stiffness, he rarely misses tackles in the box. He has been a high producer against the run this season.

Football IQ: He has good football instincts. This is evidenced in his ability to quickly diagnose run/pass and locate the football. However, there are moments where he hesitates to locate the ball as quickly as you’d like.

Competitive Toughness: See Above.

Pass Coverage: He has proven this season that he can remain on the field in passing downs. He has been productive against the pass this season. He gets good depth in his zone drop and shows awareness with regards to routes entering and exiting his zone.

Run Defender: He is a physical run defender who plays downhill. He has good tackling efficiency in the box and other confined areas. Because of his stiffness, his efficiency as a tackler in space is something to monitor.

Block Deconstruction: See Above.

Lateral Mobility: He shows some stiffness in his game. However, he is a good athlete who also demonstrates his agility when moving laterally through trash. He easily flows to the football.  

Flexibility: He has an adequate amount of flexibility. He shows some stiffness in his hips and his ability in space could be hindered in the NFL. He does have enough swivel to avoid blocks inside and get to the football.

Leadership: He is a high-level leader on the football field. He is a captain of the defense. He is also the emotional leader that his teammates look to during adversity.

Versatility: See Above.

SCOUT GRADES

TDN Consensus: 85.67/100 (First Round Value)

Crabbs Grade: 85.50/100

Marino Grade: 85.50/100

Harris Grade: 85.00/100

Sanchez Grade: 84.00/100

Weissman Grade: 88.00/100

Parson Grade: 85.00/100