Christian Wilkins | DT | Clemson
Height | 6-4
Weight | 315
Class | Senior
Strengths
- Disruptive presence with impressive interior pass rush ability. Flexible athlete with body control and redirection skills to pursue and break down in short spaces.
- Strong upper body. Initial quickness off the snap to stack-and-shed initial blocks, drive his feet, and break through the line of scrimmage.
- Despite lack of length, he has sudden and impactful hand usage. Able set up and disengage with a variety of different moves including a cross-chop, swim, and a spin move to the inside.
- Understands hand placement and works hard to gain inside positioning. Quick punch, shooting his reach to engage blockers.
- Lateral agility to attack multiple gaps or make plays outside his gap. Balanced feet through scrap with range to make stops away from scrimmage.
- Aggressive demeanor and determined individual. Excellent work habits and treats practice like a game—well-respected team captain.
Weaknesses
- Struggles to get to next gear after a quick first step. Lacks a cohesive plan when rushing. Tends to stop his feet at the point of attack, relying on his upper body to shed blocks.
- Doesn’t have ideal length for the position and does carry some bad weight in his stomach.
- Inconsistent play recognition and locating skills with a bad habit of ducking his head at contact.
- Moved from his spot and beat by angle blocks, steering him off from run lanes.
- His length limits his tackling radius and did miss some when trying to extend and go out of his frame.
Summary
Wilkins lacks the length and build for a player of his position. But he makes up for it with great leverage and style of play. He flashes short area explosion and such great burst off the ball. He can defeat blocks quickly and penetrate into the backfield or beat blockers to the spot rapidly.
He uses power and initial quickness to put pressure on opposing lineman and collapse the pocket. He plays with a great motor, active hands, and constantly moving feet to disrupt offensive rhythm. Wilkins shows the functional strength to take on blocks and hold the point of attack.
Areas of improvement that will further enhance his game at the next level if they’re fixed, include run defense and play recognition. While unpolished in these areas, Wilkins has the production that matches the tape due to his hustle, power, and mechanics.
Wilkins is a versatile defender, playing anywhere from the 0-3 technique, but favors most as a three-technique in an even front in the NFL.
