Marshawn Kneeland, who starred in football and track at Godwin Heights High School in Wyoming, Michigan, took his game to Western Michigan and became a force for the Broncos’ defense in 2020, with four sacks and 13 total pressures on just 91 pass-rushing snaps. Through four seasons, Kneeland kept that high pass-rush rate up, and in 2023, he had a career-high six sacks and 37 total pressures. At 6′ 3″ and 267 pounds, Kneeland also put up 38 solo tackles and 35 stops in 2023, and he had a strong Senior Bowl week as an exclamation point to his good game tape.
Every defensive coordinator wants a guy who plays like his hair is on fire at all times, and Kneeland certainly qualifies. He’s a multi-gap disruptor with a ton of upside, and I’m betting that a lot of NFL evaluators will set aside any small-school biases when discussing his professional potential.
PLUSES
— Gap-shooting edge-rusher who can quickly work from outside the tackle to the center, and will move to the pocket quickly.
— Can win everywhere from an edge alignment to head-over nose tackle. — Relentless disruptor who works from snap to whistle.
— Stacks and sheds quickly and powerfully; his 83⅜” wingspan (90th percentile for edge-rushers) allows him to establish dominance from the snap.
— Brings extra juice as an off-ball “spinner” who can time rushes and work to the quarterback in a hurry.
— Has a dynamite spin move to disengage from blockers who slow him down.
MINUSES
— Kneeland’s frenetic style will have him missing targets in the backfield at times.
— Could stand to have more of a plan with his hands to knife through double teams and penetrate through more adept opponents.
— Must keep his leverage together to avoid being blocked out too easily by tight ends and running backs.
— Prone to biting on action and misdirection in the backfield.
— Strength of opponent is a legitimate concern in a transitive sense, though the tape shows more than enough NFL potential.
Kneeland has a fabulous playing personality — if there’s a play anywhere near him, he’ll do everything he can to kill it with fire. There are a few points of precision to deal with when he gets to the NFL level, but he’s an ideal multi-gap disrupting prospect in the next phase of his career.
Marshawn Kneeland, DL, Western Michigan
PLUSES
— Gap-shooting edge-rusher who can quickly work from outside the tackle to the center, and will move to the pocket quickly.
— Can win everywhere from an edge alignment to head-over nose tackle.
— Relentless disruptor who… pic.twitter.com/aFJFEoSl4o
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) April 8, 2024
