Ufomba Kamalu, DL, Miami: 2016 NFL Draft Scouting Report
The NFL draft is actually one of the most awkward events throughout the year. Many personal executives’ naive choice in prospects’ physical attributes rather than a player’s production who have proved themselves at whatever level they may have played in emerge in draft rooms and on the field.
It is really outrageous how many teams would select athletes or size guys over those with proven resumes and on-field production. This isn’t to say that players without size can’t succeed but many teams tend to invest long-term into more physically built prospects. This year will be no different as teams try to sort out the football players away from the workout players.
When searching through this year’s draft class you see many cases where players have more vaule in their physical abilities more so than their on-field production but none are more intriguing tham Miami’s defensive lineman Ufomba Kamalu.
Player Overview:
Height: 6’5
Weight: 295lbs
40-yard dash: 5.01 sec
Bench Press: 26 reps
Vertical Jump: 25.0″
Broad Jump: 106.0″
3-cone drill: 7.32 sec
20 yard shuttle: 4.58 sec
Career Stats: 94 tackles, 11.5 tfl, and 8.5 sacks.
Strengths:
At 6’5 295lbs, Kamalu has great prototypical defensive lineman size but could stand to add even more weight to his frame. Shaped more in the defensive tackle mold, Kamalu has a wide range of positions where he could play, but matches up best in 3-4 defense where he is asked to help support the run as a 5-tech. At the point of attack he uses his heavy hands to knock offensive linemen off their set especially during passing downs.
One of Kamalu’s biggest attributem seems his long arms and how he extends then when asked to compete in one-on-one situations. He doesn’t have as much football IQ as others but he does understands when to engage blockers head on and close gaps quickly. He will probably become a better run-support player than pass-rusher.
Kamalu isn’t the flashiest player but he does the gritty jobs that goes unnoticed a lot. His highest ceiling may be somewhere around the “Desmond Bryant” area if he can improve his pass-rushing abilities.
Weakness:
Kamalu isn’t the most athletic player despite having great build. He should never really be asked to be a primary pass-rusher because of his stiff lower body and inconsistency with disengaging blockers. At times, Kamalu can get lost among the line and tends to depend on his power more than often.
As mentioned before, he has the body frame for a nose tackle more so than a defensive end. Whether this can be taken as a negative or not, it’s something that evaluators will notice.
At Miami, Kamalu left a lot on the table as far as becoming a dominant player and it showed on the field. He has ok athleticism but isn’t going to dominate NFL offensive linemen off that alone. He is a little slow when asked to help run stunts and changes but is inability to stay low may be his biggest downfall.
Draft Projection:
Many teams with Kamalu’s physical abilities but his tape will show an inconsistent player but with potential to become a great run force.
6th – 7th round