2015 NFL Draft Prospect on the Rise: Washington LB Hau’oli Kikaha

Sep 13, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies linebacker Hau

The best pass rushers in the NFL are guys who make it their personal business to make the lives of quarterbacks miserable, and Washington Huskies senior linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha certainly has the look of a player who will do that as long as he is playing the game.

Kikaha played defensive end with the Huskies in 2013 after multiple knee injuries essentially kept him off the field for 2011 and 2012. His medical history is something that could significantly worry scouts, but he’s nearly two years removed from anything serious and is coming off a junior season where he led the Huskies with 15.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks to go along with three forced fumbles.

Kikaha plays with a relentless motor, violent hands, and good overall quickness and closing ability, even though he feels like every area of his game could be better.

Some scouts question whether the 6’3″ 250 pound defensive end/linebacker tweener has enough size to hold up against the run at the NFL level, and he has a chance this season to prove he can do just that. As a former wrestler, Kikaha has an aggressive mentality and plays low, and he obviously understands how to wrap up ball carriers.

This is a prospect right now that is really on the rise. He can play defensive end or linebacker but I think his NFL future is obviously at linebacker, but he can have the flexibility to put his hand in the ground when needed. I don’t think he’s just a one-trick pony as a pass rusher and he has the ability to develop into an every-down player.

Some of what I see in him is Clay Matthews. There are times when he can disappear for stretches but he can blow up at any given time and come up with three sacks like he did last weekend against Illinois. Right now, I view him as a top 100 player with the ability to rise into the early day two range. If he tests out well athletically, I think this is a possible second round draft pick that has upside to contribute immediately as a rookie rushing the quarterback.

You can watch him play here against the Hawaii Warriors, courtesy of the great folks at Draft Breakdown.