Devonte Wyatt DT Scouting Report

[Jets Global]

Devonte Wyatt NFL Draft Profile Position: Defensive Tackle School: Georgia Current Year: Senior Height: 6'2" Weight: 307 pounds
Devonte Wyatt Scouting Report Wyatt is not the monolith that Davis is, but he’s not the lanky disruptor that Walker is, either. Wyatt stands at 6’3″, 307 pounds, with a uniquely dense and stout frame. Within that frame, he stores a lot of power and energy. He brings a great first step and can reach the contact point quickly on reps. Wyatt has surprising lateral agility and twitch for his stout frame. He can spin off blocks and surge into space. To that end, he can also leverage his twitch into immense amounts of force at the point of attack. Wyatt’s lateral quickness allows him to manipulate leverage at a moment’s notice in the trenches. Furthermore, he flips his hips well when he has to change directions. Wyatt’s explosiveness shows up in multiple phases. The Georgia DT can pry through lanes with his explosiveness alone, blowing up gaps. He also has surprising pursuit ability in the box. Although he shouldn’t drop into coverage consistently, he has decent closing speed and burst in the open field. Wyatt has exceptional flexibility, both in his upper and lower body. With his upper-body flexibility, he can absorb blocks and stay on his feet through contact. Meanwhile, his solid ankle flexion allows him to splice his way around blocks when he establishes a half-man relationship. Wyatt is built to be an interior lineman in the modern NFL. But his explosive athleticism isn’t the only thing to be excited about. Wyatt also has some operational utility. He has a strong upper body. He can generate great amounts of torque when ripping anchors. It helps that he generally plays with a good pad level. The Georgia DT can lean into targets and impose superior leverage. To that end, Wyatt also has good balance. His strong base allows him to maintain gap leverage, and he has good leg drive when anchored. Wyatt shows promise with his hands. He has violent, forceful hands, and he flashes good hand usage. He can combine club and swim moves with his violence and agility and walk linemen back with bull rushes. Additionally, his violent hands enable him to disengage blocks quickly in run defense. From there, he can surge toward the ball carrier and seal off lanes. Wyatt is a high-effort pass rusher who brings energy through the entire rep. He’s also exceedingly versatile for his build. He has reps anywhere from nose tackle to wide 9-technique, although he’s best between 1-technique and 4i. Wherever he lines up, Wyatt proactively uses his arms to disrupt passing windows as well.
Areas for Improvement Wyatt is a strong defensive tackle prospect, but there are some limitations to take note of. First off, Wyatt’s length, while decent, is not proportionally elite. This relative lack of elite length can prevent Wyatt from getting outside his opponent’s frame on stunts. It also inhibits his ability to consistently anchor and stand tall against double teams. Longer linemen can make first contact, negating Wyatt’s initial effectiveness. Wyatt can keep refining his hand usage as well. There’s room for him to be more consistent leveraging his explosiveness into power. Wyatt’s hands can be more precise when working in conjunction with his lateral agility. Moreover, his hand strikes can be cleaner. With his less-than-elite length, his margin for error is smaller. Wyatt has promising flashes of polish as a pass rusher, but there are times when he doesn’t have a composed plan. He can be more calculated and direct with his hand usage. His extensions can be slow at times, and he doesn’t always exert his full violence capacity. The Bulldogs DT can also be a hair late reacting off the snap and give up too much cushion on stunts. Wyatt has successful pass-rushing reps, there are times when he over-pursues and fails to finish. He can also be a bit too upright at the contact point, effectively pausing his momentum.
Devonte Wyatt Career at School Wyatt joined the Bulldogs as a sophomore but quickly entered the defensive line rotation. Although he wasn’t a full-time starter, the JUCO product helped contribute in 2018, logging 19 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and a pass deflecton. The following season was similar. Once again in a reserve role, Wyatt earned 30 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery. 2020 was Wyatt’s first season as a full-time starter on the Georgia front, but he largely went unnoticed alongside Davis. Wyatt held up his end with a steady 25-tackle, 2-TFL campaign — but 2021 was where his breakout would truly take hold. In 2021, Wyatt has emerged as a legitimate pass-rushing threat on Georgia’s interior. In 10 games during the regular season, he accumulated 31 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble. With almost a dozen draft prospects to compete with, Wyatt carved out his own production. And in doing so, he drastically improved his draft stock.
Devonte Wyatt NFL Draft Player Profile Wyatt can strive for greater consistency as a pass rusher, but a lot of the hallmarks of a strong interior defender are there. He is explosive, tenacious, powerful, and well-balanced. He can get low, keep his balance, and flex to absorb power. And on top of all that, he has the lateral agility to manipulate leverage and keep blockers on their toes. Wyatt brings a lot of the desired qualities in a three-down defensive tackle. The Georgia product can hold down his gap in run defense with his strong base and natural leverage. And with his burst, agility, and force as a pass rusher, he can be a disruptor from multiple alignments. Wyatt’s lack of elite length may dilute his upside somewhat, but he isn’t a liability there. His arms are long enough to give him baseline utility, and he has a great profile outside of that. Wyatt is a great Day 2 option, with visible starting talent and scheme versatility.