Fansided
Fansided

Aaron Wallace, LB, UCLA: 2016 NFL Draft Scouting report

By Ross Woomer

Sep 19, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins linebacker Aaron Wallace (51) sacks Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Tanner Mangum (12) in the first quarter of the game against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 19, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins linebacker Aaron Wallace (51) sacks Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Tanner Mangum (12) in the first quarter of the game against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

2016 NFL Draft: Aaron Wallace redshirted as a true freshman. As a senior he recorded 65 total tackles and seven sacks. He put up 25 reps of 225 pounds at UCLA’s pro day.

Aaron Wallace redshirted as a true freshman and didn’t see any playing time his first year at UCLA. He played in ten games his second year and appeared in all 13 games each of the following three seasons. Wallace played primarily on special teams and didn’t put-up big numbers until his senior season where he recorded 65 total tackles and seven sacks, 2.5 of those sacks were against the highest ranked quarterback in their draft class, Jared Goff.

Measurables

Height: 6′ 3″

Weight: 243 lbs

40-yard dash: 4.57 seconds

3-cone drill: 7.35 seconds

Strengths
Wallace is strong, he put up 25 reps (225 pounds) at UCLA’s pro day. He’s a good pass rusher, has speed around the edges and sheds blockers without much trouble. He has quick feet and an athletic frame. Wallace has experience playing all positions at linebacker and is always a presence in the backfield when pass rushing.

Wallace played his best football against better opponents. (11 tackles, one sack at USC; nine tackles, one sack at Utah; seven tackles at Stanford; 5 tackles, 2.5 sacks vs California)

Weaknesses
He’s under experienced for his position, Wallace is only a one year starter at linebacker and was primarily a special teams player his sophomore and junior seasons. His hesitation is exploited on play-fakes and he gets caught stutter-stepping. He’ll need to be coached-up and learn more to become acclimated playing linebacker at the NFL level.

Final Thoughts
Wallace will fit better as an outside linebacker rather than playing inside. He’s always in the backfields and would fit best on the strong side. Wallace’s natural play style seems to be more aggressive, penetrating the O-line, rather than thinking about all of the MIKE’s responsibilities and trying to react to plays that way.

We won’t see Wallace playing linebacker until he further develops a mental understanding for the position and its multiple roles. Since he’s lacking reps at linebacker, look for Wallace to initially be used on special teams, where he’s played before at UCLA.

Potential Fits

Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants

Home/Scouting Reports