Nephi Sewell NFL Draft 2022: Scouting Report for Utah LB
HEIGHT: 5'11 1/2"
WEIGHT: 226
HAND: 8 1/2"
ARM: 29 3/8"
WINGSPAN: 5'11"
40-YARD DASH: 4.67
3-CONE: 7.01
SHUTTLE: 4.33
VERTICAL: 32"
BROAD: 10'0"
POSITIVES
— High-energy player. Always looking for work and swarms to the ball.
— Violent player despite smaller frame. Willing to bring it to blockers and ball carriers.
— Explosive tackler. Does well to run through tackles and play with all his weight in his pads.
— Functional speed. Has enough juice to work to the sideline and make plays.
— Above-average trigger against the run. Quick to fire downhill and try to fight through traffic.
NEGATIVES
— Light frame with terrible length. Susceptible to getting swallowed by NFL OL with ease.
— Poor play strength. Can not free himself from blocks if OL latch on.
— Limited coverage ability right now. Often slow to read out concepts in his zone and break on the ball.
— Has spurts where he gets too uncertain and jumpy. Ends up taking himself out of plays.
2021 STATISTICS
13 G, 89 TOT, 7.5 TFL, 1 FF, 1 INT
NOTES
— Brother of Penei and Noah Sewell.
— 2-star recruit in 2017.
— Started for two seasons at Nevada in 2017 and 2018 before transferring to Utah in 2019. Started 2020 and 2021 seasons for Utah.
— 2021 first-team All-Pac-12 (AP).
OVERALL
Nephi Sewell has some NFL skills but is fighting an uphill battle against his small frame.
At just under 6'0" and 226 pounds, Sewell will enter the league as one of the smallest players at the position. Moreover, Sewell has a sawed-off wingspan, measuring in the 1st percentile in both wingspan and arm length.
That lack of size and length bleeds into Sewell's film. Though he plays with plenty of willingness and violence, Sewell often struggles to free himself from blocks once offensive linemen latch on. Likewise, he does not have the power to knock blocks back and condense space in the box. Sewell sometimes shows hesitation and jumpiness when trying to navigate the box because he wants to avoid blockers rather than go through them.
That being said, Sewell plays well enough in space to warrant serious interest. He has good speed from sideline-to-sideline and plays with his hair on fire when working to kill plays on the perimeter. Outside runs and screens will be where Sewell has the most impact. Not only does Sewell have the speed, but he plays with excellent tackle technique and surprising strength in that regard, making him a reliable tackler in space.
Sewell needs to improve his coverage skills, but he has the athletic tools. As of right now, Sewell is not yet comfortable feeling out his zones and breaking on the ball effectively. That said, he runs well and has enough change of direction ability to be a quality coverage piece, in theory.
Sewell's range, tackling chops and high-energy play style make for a great depth player and special teamer. That said, Sewell is likely limited to being a run-and-chase WILL and will need years of development with respect to coverage and play strength before being ready to contend for a starting job.
GRADE: 6.0 (High-level Developmental Prospect - 5th Round)
OVERALL RANK: 210
POSITION RANK: LB21
PRO COMPARISON: Khaleke Hudson
Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen
