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Sheldon Day, DT Notre Dame: 2016 NFL Draft Scouting Report

By Sayre Bedinger

Sep 26, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Sheldon Day (91) celebrates after a sack in the second quarter against the Massachusetts Minutemen at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 62-27. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Sheldon Day (91) celebrates after a sack in the second quarter against the Massachusetts Minutemen at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 62-27. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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2016 NFL Draft Scouting Report for Notre Dame defensive tackle Sheldon Day, one of the top senior defensive linemen in the class…

At A Glance…

Name: Sheldon Day

Ht: 6-1

Wt: 285 pounds

Class: Senior

Hometown: Indianapolis, IN

Awards and Key Stats

  • 2015 2nd Team All-American
  • 45 tackles
  • 15.5 tackles for loss
  • 4 sacks
  • 13 QB hurries
  • 2 fumbles forced
  • 4 pass breakups

Prospect Video (via Draft Breakdown)

Translatable NFL Traits

1. Quickness

If you’re a 6-1 defensive tackle weighing just 285 pounds, you had better be quick off the snap. Does this do it for you?

Aaron Donald is arguably the best defensive player in the NFL, so I won’t throw out that comparison, but he’s paved the way for guys like Sheldon Day to make a significant impact in the NFL on the defensive interior at a smaller size, and to do it in more than just a rotational capacity.

Day is consistently one of the most disruptive players on the defensive line in every game he plays, as evidenced by his 15.5 tackles for loss this season and 13 QB hurries. His quickness off the snap and ability to make plays upfield and laterally in a hurry is going to be the top reason — in my opinion — why NFL teams will covet him on draft weekend.

2. Leverage

Obviously with a lower center of gravity and a more compact frame, a player like Day is going to have an easier time getting leverage with offensive linemen, whether its from an interior rush or from the edge.

Notre Dame used him in a variety of spots, but his quickness and leverage combination is so effective against offensive guards and centers because you can do so much with him in that spot where he is almost 100/100 times quicker than the guard or center he’s going up against.

What you see from Aaron Donald with the Rams and when he was at Pitt is an ability to overwhelm linemen with the type of leverage he can get because he’s not only shorter and more compact, but he’s also other-worldly strong. Day has good enough strength to be able to play with power on the interior as well as quickness.

3. Lateral Movement

I touched on this in the other traits, but lateral movement is key for a player like Day. Over the last two seasons, he’s made 23 tackles for loss. That type of production doesn’t happen unless you can play sideline to sideline and make plays on stunts and with a variety of moves to get into the backfield.

There’s a really nice play against USC where he’s working East-West to make a play on the running back for a short gain. That is the kind of lateral movement/agility/leverage that he’s capable of playing with that leads me to believe he can be an every-down player in the NFL.

Reason for Concern?

The only question with a guy like this is if he’s willing to put in the work to become physically stronger all the time so he can hold up against the toughness and strength of NFL offensive linemen. He should look at the example set by Aaron Donald, one of the best athletes in the league regardless of position, who is physically able to dominate players despite his shorter size.

Compactly built linemen are en vogue in today’s NFL because getting after the quarterback and making plays behind the line are always of paramount importance. If you don’t want to compare him to Donald, who might be the best defensive player in the NFL, look at a guy like Mike Daniels of the Packers who was a dominant interior lineman at Iowa despite a smaller stature.

This kind of model works and is proven in the NFL, but Day has to be willing to put in the work in the weight room so he’s not engulfed by NFL linemen.

Overall thoughts

This is a good football player, but I don’t know if a team is going to be willing to use a first round pick on him because he’s not 6-3. It’s funny how football is all about results and production, yet somehow when it comes to the draft, teams prioritize size and upside over the guys who produce.

Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. The key with Sheldon Day is, like I said, going to be whether or not he can physically hold up against NFL linemen consistently. The sample size we have from his days at Notre Dame seems to indicate he will be able to, and I think as we progress forward, this is a player I would love to have on my defensive line and a guy that is absolutely worth a top 50 selection.

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