Tyreem Powell, LB, Rutgers
Size:
Height: 6044
Weight: 239
Arm: 34 ⅝”
Hand: 9”
Accomplishments:
Butkus Award Watch List (2023)
“Tyreem Powell is an athletic, playmaking off-ball linebacker with a unique build/frame to impact the game as a blitzer, run stopper, and coverage-versatile defender.”
Strengths:
Lane-filling run defender/disciplined with designed run fits
Uniquely built off-ball backer with elite height/length combination
Three-down impact upside
High-volume tackler with a great nose for football
Concerns:
Inconsistent pad level against the run
Locating the ball while in man coverage
Leggy defender with delayed change of direction
Film Analysis:
Tyreem Powell offers a unicorn build at the linebacker position. His height and length create multiple issues for opposing offenses to plan for. He is a plus-level coverage defender with man and zone capabilities. Powell adds versatility to the second level of a defense.
Powell defends the run well with patience and good range. He attacks the line of scrimmage with aggression to fill run lanes. He will clog those run lanes and limit the exit pathways for the ball-carrier. With his wingspan, Powell can stack, peek, and locate the ball in the backfield. His good use of hands allows him to shock and shed blocks fairly well with quickness. He showcases good range to track and run down the ball-carrier to the outside before they turn upfield. He scrapes and flows laterally well following the ball-carrier to their running lane. Powell’s height helps him see through and over the OL to read the action in the backfield. He is a high-volume tackler who has a great nose for the football. Powell is consistently within range of the football to make his presence felt.
As a pass defender, Powell is a good spot dropper in zone coverage. He remains in a position to be a reactive athlete who disrupts incoming routes. Powell’s size and length present issues for the QB because he alters throwing lanes/windows. He can shrink the throwing window and force the QB to make a more difficult throw, either around or over his head. He triggers forward to make a play on underneath routes. Powell tackles well in space and rarely loses one-on-one battles. With his strength and arm length, secures the ball-carrier to limit any yards after catch or contact.
Powell offers potential and upside as a man coverage defender against tight ends. He has the size, speed, and length to stay in phase and compete at the catch point. He carries vertical/seam routes well, staying step-for-step with those athletic playmakers.
Powell is an enticing defender with some things to work on. In man coverage, he doesn’t make enough plays on the football. Powell does a good job staying in phase but turning to locate and look for the pass arriving is missing from his game. By fixing this issue, he can turn his strong coverage into potential turnovers, giving the ball back to his offense. Powell is a tall and leggy defender—changing directions with suddenness and quickness can be delayed. He is a good athlete for his size but expends more effort to plant and drive in the opposite direction. Powell’s unique build caused him to have a high pad level in the run game. This places him in a disadvantageous position against power RBs due to leveraging the tackle and being the lowest player of the exchange. I would like to see more knee bend from him to counteract this concern.
Powell is a uniquely built and talented second-level defender with outstanding height and length to disrupt plays in coverage and work downhill against the run. I project him as a developmental defender with a starting upside. Defensive coordinators in the NFL love to find potential “chess pieces” to move all over the board, and Powell gives them that type of defender.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Developmental Traits
Written By: Damian Parson
Exposures: Virginia Tech (2023), Wisconsin (2023), Michigan State (2023), Michigan (2023)
