PSO Scouting Report: DL Javon Kinlaw (South Carolina)

PSO’s original Scouting Reports strive to be uniquely valuable in evaluating a player’s future outlook by focusing on the four main subjects that summarize a player’s likelihood of succeeding at the next level including: Natural Physical Tools, College Game Film, proven Production, and overall Risk that each individual player presents to a team drafting him. For a full breakdown of PSO’s Scouting Reports, click here.

Bio

Pos: DL

Hometown: Charleston, SC

School: South Carolina

Class: Senior

Age: 22

Height: 6’5″ (84%) | Weight: 324 lbs. (94%)

Hands: 10.5” (88%) | Arms: 34.88” (92%)

Bench: N/A | 40-YD: N/A

Facts to Know

2nd-Team All-American, 1st-Team All-SEC (2019)
Fantastic PFF pass rush grade (90.7), pass rush win rate (18.1) in 2019
Ranked the 10th overall JUCO transfer in 2017

Physical Tools

Pros

Massive frame — 6’5″, 324 lbs
Ideal length — 34.88” (92nd percentile)
Incredibly powerful upper body
Thick and explosive lower half
Unreal burst and agility for his size
Huge hands — 10.5” (88th percentile)

Cons

Non-participant at the Scouting Combine (no raw numbers)

Grade: A

Game Film

Pros

Extremely violent and ferocious
Very impressive burst off the snap
Incredibly powerful hands — jarring 1st strike
Bull-rush can be nearly unstoppable when he’s on
Effective swim and push-pull moves, but not much else yet
Straight up bully at 3-tech — effective at shooting gaps
Athleticism really shows up on stunts and twists
Offered versatility with some success at NT and 5-tech

Cons

Counters aren’t refined — doesn’t really know what to do if his 1st move fails
Tends to focus too heavily on whooping his matchup rather than getting to the ballcarrier
Hand placement and body control can get sloppy
Rush moves must be more controlled — gets caught in over pursuit

Grade: B+

Production

Pros

2nd-Team All-American, 1st-Team All-SEC (2019)
7 sacks, 40 pressures, 13 run stops in 2019
400 snaps at 3-tech, 201 at NT
90.7 PFF pass rush grade, 82 3rd down grade, 89.4 overall
18.1% pass rush win rate (2nd in FBS)
Huge improvement over last 2 seasons (85 and 89.4 overall PFF grades)

Cons

Subpar 4.8% run stop rate — 38 career run stops
Just a 2-year starter (JUCO transfer)

Grade: A-

Risk

Pros

Overcame significant amount of adversity growing up
Completely wrecked his competition at Senior Bowl in a single day
Wins with pure athleticism and raw power, not much technique
Still developing, has a very high ceiling
Vast improvement over his 2 seasons as an FBS starter
Terrific pass rush production in the SEC
Versatility w/ over 200 snaps out of position — NT (201), 5-T (11), EDGE (5), LB (8)
Incredible combination of size and athleticism

Cons

Much more play-to-play consistency is needed
Lacks a pass rushing plan or balanced repertoire
Processing and technique will definitely need to improve

Grade: A-

Overall

One of this class’s most disruptive interior forces, Javon Kinlaw has an incredible highlight reel and backstory. Homeless for a period of his childhood, the JUCO product has battled adversity every step of the way and never dreamed he’d have an opportunity such as this. With such a humble, grateful approach to such a monumental accomplishment, it’s hard not to root for Kinlaw.

In regards to his on-field performance, Kinlaw was very inconsistent. He’s reckless and lacks any sort of consistent technique yet still obliterates his matchup more often than not. Far from a finished product, the countless flashes of pure dominance make his rare talent quite obvious. With a concerted focus on improving his hand placement, body control, and mental processing, Kinlaw has the physical ability to become one of the most destructive DL in football.

Pro Comp: DL Michael Brockers (Los Angeles Rams)

Projected Round: Mid-1st Round

Prime Destinations: CAR, JAX, CLE, SF, ATL

OVERALL Grade: A-