Kylie Fitts, DE, Utah: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report

With the 2018 NFL Draft soon approaching, take a look at a scouting report on a hard working pass rusher out of the Pac-12, Utah’s Kylie Fitts.

Year in and year out, finding prospects from the Pac-12 for the NFL Draft becomes a task on it’s own. It doesn’t help when particular prospects battle the dreaded injury bug over the course of their career. As well as bouncing from one program to another. In pass rusher Kylie Fitts out of Utah, his career dabbled in both realms which has affected his draft status of course. Let’s dive into the skill set of Fitts and where he falls into the draft.

Measurables 

Height: 6’4

Weight: 263 lbs

Games watched: vs. BYU (2017), vs. Arizona (2017), vs. West Virginia (2017)

Strengths: The name of the game for Fitts is versatility. He has experience as a defensive end and as a standup linebacker. When it comes to pass rushing, Fitts gets after the quarterback with a purpose and there are very wasted movements. At the Combine this year, Fitts topped all edge rushers in the important 3-cone drill (6.88 seconds) as well as the 20-yard shuttle at 4.19 seconds. Those drills show his burst as a pass rusher in small spaces.

His best season came in 2015 with 40 tackles, seven sacks, and seven tackles for loss. It was also his first season with the University of Utah after transferring from UCLA. Fitts shows good discipline when it comes to reading and defending teams that operate RPO and zone read packages. Fitts has designated pass rusher written all over him.

“The name of the game for Fitts is versatility.”

Weaknesses: In four seasons of college football experience, Fitts only has 22 games worth under his belt. In that same span, Fitts only posted 11.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. Simply put, injuries played an influential role to his lack of collegiate production. He must find a way to improve his durability. Converting speed-to-power as a pass rusher is another key item that Fitts must improve on at the next level. At times, opposing blockers are able to handedly remove Fitts out of his run fit on run plays.

Next: Oakland Raiders Mock Draft

He fits the mold that many teams look for. However, Fitts has experienced a great deal of injury issues during his career and many teams do not have enough from him to get a true reading on his ability. He has shown several flashes over his career to warrant a late Day 3 look from teams. Luckily for him, he can play in both 4-3 and 3-4 schemes. Fitts has the ability to take his game to the next level and put together several seasons of double-digit sacks. What he needs is a team willing to give him an opportunity to develop without asking much from him.