2020 NFL Draft: Scouting South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw
By Ian Higgins
Football IQ
One of the underrated portions of a defensive tackle’s game is his play recognition and general football IQ. Being in the middle of the defense, defensive tackles need to read and react to every single snap because they are always capable of impacting the play. Whether that means chasing a running back into space, keeping tabs on a play-fake outside, or chasing down the quarterback on a misdirection play-action, they are always involved in the play.
Kinlaw has shown through multiple games of tape that he is team-focused and willing to drop into his assignment instead of chasing the play. Against the run, Kinlaw chases well from the backside with his explosiveness and closes down angles well with intelligent positioning. Against the screen, Kinlaw has let his teammates do their job and get after the quarterback while following the running back into space behind the offensive line that has shifted out to block.
Another play that caught my eye was a ‘goal-to-go’ situation where a play-fake opened up into a short flood concept flowing right. A flood concept usually contains a route clearing the right side (at the goal, likely a fade) and some combination of receivers coming from the weak side across the formation on drags and slants. Kinlaw acknowledged his teammates had open lanes to the quarterback, so instead of wasting effort on a task that was already done by his teammates, he dropped into a shallow hook zone over the middle of the play.
The defensive tackle position is not for the glamorous or egotistical, but instead for the grinders and guys who know even without the stats they make a big difference in the course of a game. Kinlaw has embraced that identity perfectly in South Carolina by sticking to his assignments and making the best decision for the defense rather than blindly rushing into trouble.