New York Giants Draft Prospect: DL Calijah Kancey

Nick Falato takes a look at some interior defensive line depth for the Giants.

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Feb 23, 2023 8:00 AM EST

In this story:

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Panthers

Calijah Kancey, DL

Height: 6-foot
Weight: 280 lbs.
Class: RS-Junior
School: Pittsburgh
Age: 21 (born 3/1/2001

A former three-star recruit out of Northwestern High School in Miami, Florida, where he was the 113th Floridian recruit and the 63rd-ranked defensive tackle during the 2019 recruiting cycle. The powerhouse high school program was also attended by Amari Cooper, Teddy Bridgewater, Lavnote David, Artie Burns, Tutu Atwell, Sean Spence, and Deandre Baker. Kancey earned First-team All-Florida Class 6A defensive lineman in high school as an undersized defender.

Notables

An undersized, dynamic, highly productive defensive lineman who ironically attended the same college as Aaron Donald. Kancey was a Unanimous All-American - the first since Aaron Donald in 2013. He was the only player in the country selected as a finalist for the Outland Trophy (nation’s best interior lineman) and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (national defensive player of the year).

Kancey recorded 31 tackles, 21 STOPs, 14.5 for a loss, 7.5 sacks, and 47 pressures in 2022. He finished his college career with 91 tackles, 65 STOPs, 34.5 for a loss, 16 sacks, and 111 pressures in three seasons. He was also named ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. Kancey’s size is an issue, but he’d make an excellent one-gap penetrating defensive linemen who can wreak havoc in one-on-one situations.

Strengths

Excellent athlete with elite suddenness and lateral agility on the LOS
Elite initial quickness to challenge IOL on the LOS
Great control/balance and movement skills in a phone booth
Closing speed is palpable - excellent at creating interior pressure
Gets low, can dip and bend around contact
Hands and feet work in unison to create advantageous angles/situations
Excellent burst and first step to penetrate
Exploits offensive linemen who are out of position with hands
Showed ability to string moves together - countered well
Understands how to get to the half-man
Better run defender than he’ll get credit for - plays with excellent leverage, strong hands to shed
Dangerous looper on twists
Very good overall play strength for his size
Elite motor and competitive toughness
Would be discussed more if he was bigger

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Weaknesses

Size and length are his biggest weakness
Anchoring down against double-teams

Virginia: Q1, 2:00, 2nd & 9
Tennessee: Q1, 1:06, 1st & Goal; TD
Rhode Island: Q1, 5:19 1st & 10; 63 yd TD run

Best fit in a one-gap penetrating system that can leverage his upfield burst
Won’t fit in every defensive system

Summary

An undersized defensive lineman who possesses excellent burst off the line of scrimmage and can make offensive lineman whiff in a phone booth; his combination of balance, strength, flexibility, and hand fighting allows him to quickly shed/get to the half-man to create pressure into the pocket. He’d be an excellent fit in a one-gap penetrating team as a three-technique, albeit most of his snaps came at nose or one-shade in 2022.

Comparisons to Aaron Donald are easy, but there is only one Aaron Donald. Still, Kancey is a very physical presence with excellent athletic gifts - he’s a very difficult assignment in one-on-one situations for pass-blocking IOL.

He also does a solid job defending the run despite his size. His size may take him off some team’s boards, but he could enter the first round. He’s a fun, productive player who would be drafted much higher if he was slightly bigger.

GRADE: 6.35