Nick Fairley

Height: 6’4
Weight: 298
College: Auburn
40 Time: 4.90
Class: Junior
Stock:
Projected: 1st Round

Stats

2010 – 60 tackles, 24.0 TFL, 11.5 sacks
2009 – 28 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks

Overview:

Nick Fairley has a good shot at being the first overall pick in this years draft. Normally, DT’s don’t go that high but with the recent success of Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy, teams may look at Fairley as an immediate contributor. He has a great blend of size and quickness but he needs a lot of work before he can make a big impact in the NFL. He needs to get much stronger. Right now he dominated opponents with his quickness and explosive ability. When his quickness is neutralized he is effectively taken out of the play. Combine this with his questionable work ethic and I wonder if he will work hard to improve his game in the NFL, or coast on his rookie contract.

Scouting Report:

Positives

- Great size and athleticism
- Tremendous production Senior year
- Dominated games at times
- Explosive burst
- Uses his hands violently
- Has a nice variety of moves
- Nimble on his feet and can move around near the LOS
- Flows down the line well
- Good pursuit
- Easily beats OL with his quickness
- Can get under OL’s pads and drive them back into the QB
- Does a good job of disengaging
- Ferocious tackler
- Great potential

Negatives

- Limited experience
- One year wonder?
- Needs to work on his technique
- Gets upright too quickly and gets stonewalled too often
- Needs to get stronger in the lower body
- Can get knocked off-balance too easily
- Struggles against double teams
- Has an issue with fatigue
- Has earned a reputation as a dirty player
- Work ethic has been questioned
- High risk/high reward player

Skills:
1-poor, 2-weak, 3-above average, 4-very good, 5-elite

Strength: 2.5
Point Of Attack: 3.5
Quickness: 4.0
Pass Rush: 3.5
Motor: 3.0
Pro Potential: 4.0