Kyle Kennard, EDGE, South Carolina
Size:
Height: 6040
Weight: 254
Arm: 34”
Hand: 9 ¾”
Accomplishments:
Four-star recruit
“Kyle Kennard is an explosive edge rusher with a high motor who wins with speed or power as a pass rusher.”
Strengths:
First step explosiveness
Alignment-versatile
Pass-rush ability
High motor/effort
Toughness
Concerns:
Lower-body tightness
Diagnosing run-blocking plays
Lack of versatility in pass-rush moves
Film Analysis:
Kyle Kennard is a fifth-year senior who spent the first four years of his collegiate career at Georgia Tech before transferring to South Carolina for the 2024 season. At South Carolina, Kennard has had his most productive season as a pass rusher and has hit the ground running as one of the most impactful players for a South Carolina program that has played much-better-than-expected football throughout the season. Kennard has showcased his explosiveness, physicality, and high motor, which appear to help set the tone for one of the best defensive fronts in college football. Kennard's relentless motor and effort set the stage for him to be productive in both the run game and as a pass rusher.
Against the run, Kennard presents issues as he is an alignment-versatile player choosing to align anywhere along the front. When aligned on the interior gaps, Kennard does a good job of getting upfield and being disruptive in the backfield. Kennard uses a quick first step to get into the gaps and work to get penetration and disrupt the structure of the blocking scheme. When Kennard is aligned on the perimeter, he shows that he has the functional strength and effort to set the edge against the run. Kennard can force runs back inside to the flow of the defense. Kennard also plays with great effort chasing down run plays backside.
As a pass rusher, Kennard is most effective on the edge of the defense. At the snap, Kennard has an explosive first step and he gets upfield quickly to win around the arc. Kennard's quickness forces offensive tackles to react and they will at times lose their technique and open their gate. In this position, Kennard has the opportunity to maintain around the arc or use his strength to convert speed to power. Kennard is also a high-motor and effort rusher, showing the ability to push around the arc but continue to work and retrace to get to the quarterback and get the sack. Kennard flashes hand usage working the two-hand swipe or the ability to work the long arm to collapse the pocket and get pressure. Kennard has good strength and strong hands combined with explosiveness that could put him in a position to be a dangerous edge rusher.
Kennard's improvements as a player are needed in two main areas. As a run defender, Kennard appears to be inconsistent in diagnosing run-blocking schemes and will at times run himself out of the play or take on the blocks the wrong way which could leave a hole in the defense. The other area of improvement is his pass rush. Kennard needs to develop counter movies. As of now, he primarily only works the outside track to win around the edge, and he needs to develop an outside to inside counter move which will help unlock more opportunities for him to get sacks.
Overall, Kennard has all of the physical traits wanted in a pass rusher, and with the right development of detailed parts of his game, he can become a three-down impact player in the NFL.
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Winning Starter
Written By: Keith Sanchez
Exposures: LSU (2024), Alabama (2024), Texas A&M (2024) Vanderbilt (2024)
