DeMario Pressley Scouting Report

DeMario Pressley might just be the best example of a boom or bust player at the defensive tackle position in this class. He is a superb athlete with solid speed and pursuit skills. He can get into the backfield in a hurry and managed to earn six tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks during his senior season, despite struggling with injuries.

Those injuries are one of the main concerns about the 6-3 North Carolina State product. He has had knee, wrist, elbow and foot injuries over the years and that led to his disappointing production as a senior. Yet, he still earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honorable mention, but that probably has just as much to do with what everybody knew he could do than what he actually did do during last season. Injuries could be partly to blame for his inconsistency, but there will be times when Pressley disappears from a game for large portions at a time. Other than his injuries, his strength is the other big problem. He can get beat badly at the point of attack and that will have to be addressed soon or Pressley might spend most of his NFL career on his backside or the bench.

His athleticism could sneak him into the third round, but he would have really needed to prove that his injuries are behind him and that he can get a lot stronger at the point of attack to go much higher than that. A team who needs some depth at defensive tackle and not much else could be willing to take a chance on him, but it is a risk. And since Pressley had nearly as much hype as fellow Wolfpack defensive lineman Mario Williams heading into their respective senior seasons, it is probably a risk worth taking for many teams.