Eyioma Uwazurike NFL Draft 2022: Scouting Report for Iowa State DL
HEIGHT: 6'6 1/8"
WEIGHT: 316
HAND: 10 1/8"
ARM: 35 1/8"
WINGSPAN: 7'0 3/4"
40-YARD DASH: DNP
3-CONE: DNP
SHUTTLE: DNP
VERTICAL: 33"
BROAD: 8'11"
POSITIVES
— Tall, thick build with great arm length. Could fit all over the defensive front.
— Strong punch. Can knock OL back with relative ease if he gets a clean strike.
— Great lateral movement for his size. Can slide through gaps and work across the line of scrimmage comfortably.
— Good movement skills in space. Can finish plays in the backfield.
— Above-average eyes and discipline. Does well to play with correct leverage and gap integrity.
NEGATIVES
— Slow off the ball. Will not be one to overwhelm offensive linemen out of the gate.
— Struggles to settle and anchor. Has some issues finding his base after moving around.
— Tends to lean and lunge to initiate contact. Gets himself off-balance.
— Not a polished pass-rusher at this stage. Has the athletic potential to get there, but will need time and quality coaching.
2021 STATISTICS
13 G, 43 TOT, 12 TFL, 9 SK, 1 PD
NOTES
— 3-star recruit in 2016. Came out of high school listed at only 250 pounds.
— Four-year starter.
— Six-year player who played on the added year of eligibility granted due to COVID-19.
— 2021 first-team All-Big 12.
OVERALL
Eyioma Uwazurike is built like a nose guard, but he projects to handle a different role in the NFL.
Despite a massive 6'6" and 320-pound frame, Uwazurike wins primarily with his movement skills. He does not fire off the ball particularly well, which is tough to square with his quality jump testing at the NFL combine, but the rest of his athletic profile looks good on film.
Uwazurike flows comfortably across the line of scrimmage and has plenty of stop/start change of direction ability for a player his size. Whenever he gets free in space, he often has the speed and agility to finish plays. Those skills rarely translate to his pass-rushing reps, unfortunately, but the potential is there.
Uwazurike's anchor complicates his run defense profile. Though he strikes well with his hands and can overwhelm blockers that way, his lower body too often fails him. Uwazurike's base often gets out of whack, leading him to either lunge when he goes to strike or get completely knocked off-balance when offensive linemen latch onto him. That is likely part of why he did not primarily play over the center at Iowa State despite his frame.
Uwazurike is best when allowed to play on or over the tackle, which means he needs a base 3-4 front that will allow him to do so. He needs to work on being able to settle and anchor as well as find a pass-rushing play before moving into a starting role, but he has enough athleticism and run-defense savvy to find a rotational role within his first few years.
GRADE: 6.1 (High-level Developmental Prospect - 5th Round)
PRO COMPARISON: Bigger Christian Covington
Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen
