Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State DE Scouting Report

By Lance N. Poirrier | Oct 7, 2015

Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Shilique Calhoun/ EDGE/ Michigan State
6’5″/ 250lbs/ RS Sr/ #89

Overview: Shilique Calhoun is a very gifted athlete and smart football player, he has a keen eye for the ball and has a good sense of how to attack blockers. The only major knocks on this Spartan is how slow he plays and how tangled up he can get when taking on blockers, but… there may be good reason for it. Calhoun’s natural talent, versatility, and smarts will make him a hot commodity as draft time comes around.

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Strengths:

– Athletically Gifted
• Size, speed, and strength, has every physical tool to become a dominant force in the NFL
– Smart Defender
• He can diagnose run from pass and attack accordingly
• Finds lanes between blockers, can jump in, and get to the ball carrier
– Versatility
• In Michigan State’s shape shifting defense, he lines up at defensive end and outside linebacker depending on the defensive front with decent success at both.

* I still firmly believe that ex-Michigan State defensive coordinator and current University of Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi will soon make his way into the NFL *

Weaknesses:

– Too Smart?
• He has a tendency to slow down and pull up when tracking the play
• Waits for lanes to open up rather than attacking and turning the edge
– Too Light
• Can get caught up on blockers and gets pushed around.
• Gets stood up and looses all his leverage to the better balanced and heavier offensive linemen
– Limited Pass Rush
• On occasion, Calhoun seems to forget he has hands, he’ll lock up on blockers and hope

Take a look at Calhoun’s performance against Oregon from earlier this season, courtesy of our friends at DraftBreakdown.com

Prospect Grade: B+
Draft Projection: Second Round

Next: UCLA Linebacker Myles Jack Declares for Draft Early