Josh Paschal

Context

Plays in a multiple defensive front, mostly at 5/4i technique but also 1/3/7.

Pass Rush

He has measurable explosion that translates to the field as he processes at a high level in all game situations. This means he has good upfield burst when rushing the passers, both initially in getting out of his stance but also in his second and third steps due to his acceleration. He is unpolished as a pass rusher after his initial burst. He does not yet have a sophisticated plan to beat his blocker. He has a fastball move that he overuses but it can be effective. It takes advantage of his excellent lateral explosion – he fakes the outside move with a pressure step upfield and attacks vertically with lean before hitting his outside foot and coming back inside hard. He has a long stride and brings that lateral explosion into play before working a strong and effective club-swim to get to the back of the blocker. This works when rushing both inside and outside for him. He has the beginnings of a secondary offering with a long-arm move but he isn’t consistent in his hand placement or the leverage he exerts when using this move.

Outside of these there is a smattering of other moves tried but nothing particularly effective yet. He has no developed counters off his primary moves for when a savvy OL with patient hands and good feet shuts down the inside club swim. He has the raw tools with his play strength, play speed and explosion but he hasn’t put this together with an effective rush plan to consistently turn the blocker at the college level. When he does turn his man, he has good ankle flexion, excellent body control and this allows him to corner well. He has impressive bend and it’s the point of his pass rush where he uses his natural leverage to it’s best effect. He also has good closing speed to the Quarterback. He also has great core strength to withstand OL looking for work or RBs in max protection coming over to hit him late after he wins. He has a motor that’s always running and great physical toughness – he is relentless.

Vs Run

His upfield burst is equally impressive against the run, he reads run effectively and gets into the blocker first with very good hand usage. His hand placement, power and timing all work together and he plays with a consistently low pad level. He reads Zone runs very quickly and uses his upfield burst and play strength to beat the inside blocker trying to reach him.

He’s also especially good on the backside of runs, keeping disciplined before exploding to the ball carrier and consistently tackling the runner in his gap. Against Gap runs when setting the edge he does so with similarly good hand usage and play strength, leveraging his gap and tackling the runner. He can be slower to read Gap runs when he plays inside and can get trapped.

SUMMARY
Outstanding run defender right away. Plays with great play strength and play speed for the position. No rush plan as of yet, needs more moves, but raw tools to develop.

PRODUCTION
SR: 6 Sacks, 4 QB Hits, 48 Total Tackles, 1 FF
JR: 4 Sacks, 6 QB Hits, 33 Total Tackles, 1 INT
INJURY: Malignant melanoma – 3 surgeries (SO)

RAVENS FIT
Athleticism 4
Intelligence 4
Versatility 5
Grit 5
Scheme 5