Siaki Ika NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Cleveland Browns' DL
HEIGHT: 6'3"
WEIGHT: 335
HAND: 10 1/4"
ARM: 32 3/8"
WINGSPAN: TBD
40-YARD DASH: 5.39
3-CONE: 7.80
SHUTTLE: 4.99
VERTICAL: TBD
BROAD: TBD
POSITIVES
— Against the run, he takes on blocks with a wide base, and with his size and strength, he is nearly impossible to move one-on-one and gives little to no ground versus double-teams.
— Has a lot of pop in his hands to help control the offensive lineman's shoulders and reset the line of scrimmage.
— When facing scoop blocks, he is good at disrupting the center's path to the second level while being able to hold up against the guard.
— He has the agility and athletic ability to show in one gap and then change direction to make the play in the adjacent gap when the running back bounces on zone runs.
— Block-shedding is easy for him with his strength and violence.
— When he's fresh or not winded as a pass-rusher, his bull rush is so effective one-on-one that he forces the offense to account for him with two players.
— Has the strength to win with a push-pull move as a pass-rusher.
— Gets his hands up if he can't hit home when rushing.
— Showed more counter moves off the bull rush, such as a swim move, in 2021 and more quickness overall.
NEGATIVES
— Carries a lot of bad weight and looks like he put on pounds last offseason, which impacted his quickness and effectiveness as a pass-rusher. He could afford to lose 10 to 20 pounds and play closer to 340.
— Runs out of gas too quickly, making his bull rush less effective, and starts false-stepping or hopping out of his stance when he gets tired.
— Low pass-rush motor and isn't a hustle player in general.
— Will gamble and get caught leaving his gap early occasionally versus zone runs.
— Struggles with his balance when working off blocks.
— Likes to lunge and leave his feet when making tackles, leading to misses.
2022 STATISTICS
— 12 GM, 24 TOT, 2 TFL, 2 PD
NOTES
— DOB: Nov. 7, 2000
— LSU transfer
— A 4-star recruit in the 2019 class, No. 138 overall, No. 13 DT, per 247Sports composite rankings.
— 23 career starts
— Career stats (four seasons): 70 tackles (36 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 3 passes defended
— 2022 honors: third-team All-American (Phil Steele), first-team All-Big 12 (coaches, Associated Press, Phil Steele)
— 2021 honors: Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year, first-team All-Big 12 (AP), second-team All-Big 12 (coaches)
— 2019 honors: national champion
OVERALL
Siaki Ika's weight will be the biggest factor in his success at the next level. In 2021, he jumped off the screen and made you say, "Someone that big isn't supposed to move like that." However, it looked like he added bad weight in the offseason, and his quickness and athleticism took a hit, which was reflected in his production, or lack thereof, as a pass-rusher.
If he can get close to 340 pounds, I think that will be a perfect weight for him at the next level. (Ika's recruiting profile listed him at 372 pounds, but his LSU profile had him at 340 pounds.) He has strength to spare, and that would allow him to tap into more of the athleticism he showed as a junior.
Consider Ika a giant boulder who holds up well versus double-teams against the run. He can be an effective pass-rusher when he's left one-on-one and has gas in the tank, but his conditioning needs work, as he tires too easily.
Schematically, Ika's best fit is as a two-gapping nose tackle in odd fronts, but he can be a penetrator and line up as wide as a 2i-technique as well. In 2021, he showed a nice get-off to play in the offense's backfield and was effective when slanting.
He will enter the league as more of a two-down player but has potential as a pass-rusher, which could make a team more comfortable selecting him in the back end of the first round. It will be a matter of which tape scouts and general managers trust more—2021 or 2022—and how confident they feel about Ika's ability to control his weight.
GRADE: 7.5 (Potential Impact Player)
OVERALL RANK: 45
POSITION RANK: DL5
PRO COMPARISON: Vita Vea
