Carl Nassib

It's rare that player who never started a game in high school or college would suddenly blossom as a senior and lead the nation in sacks, but that fairytale was reality for Nassib in 2015. The younger brother of former Syracuse and current New York Giants quarterback Ryan Nassib, he battled injuries in high school and with a gawky 6-foot-6, 215-pound frame, Nassib struggled to see the field and didn't receive any scholarship offers from FBS programs. After walking on at Penn State, he filled out his frame with 60-plus pounds, received a scholarship as a sophomore and earned the respect of his coaches and teammates for his relentless work ethic as a back-up. Nassib finally got his chance to start in 2015 as a redshirt senior, a moment he had prepared for his entire life, and he didn't disappoint with 46 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks (new school record) and six forced fumbles. He earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and was also a finalist for the Nagurski Award (nation's top defender) and Burlsworth Trophy (nation's best player who started as a walk-on). Nassib lined up predominantly as a left defensive end (six through nine technique) in a three-point stance in Penn State's four-man front and occasionally dropped in zone coverage. A late bloomer, he arrived at State College as a 215-pound freshman and developed into a 275-pound record-setting senior pass rusher, working hard behind the scenes to prepare for his chance, which finally arrived in 2015. A self-starter, Nassib is a coach's dream with his work ethic, motivation and intelligence and he has the size and length that translates well to the next level. He plays with his hair on fire, but unless he competes with more control and strategy, he will have more negative than positive snaps against NFL competition. Although he needs more seasoning and likely won't start from day one, Nassib has the tools to compete for a NFL starting role by year two, fitting both even and odd fronts.

smart on the field and off - two-time academic all-big ten and graduated in december 2015 with a 3.5 gpa and degree in biology (plans to attend medical school one day to be a doctor). athletic bloodlines as his older brother (ryan) was a quarterback at syracuse and 2013 fourth round pick of the new york giants.

Impressive senior season on tape and on the stat sheet, setting a new school record for sacks (despite playing only four combined snaps in the final two regular season games), including at least one sack in 10 straight games.

weaknesses

Straight-linish athlete with some hip tightness. Needs to better keep his balance through contact and around the edge, ending up on the ground too often. Struggles to protect himself from low blocks.

long strides to eat up grass in a hurry off the edge and in pursuit to chase down plays away from the line of scrimmage. comfortable on his feet to pedal, stay balanced in reverse and cover space. very good initial momentum to launch off the line and convert his speed to power when he extends his arms into blockers.

Try-hard hustler with a motor that never quits. Humble, spiritual and football is important to him. Lives in the weight room and the concept of hard work was instilled in him at a young age. Intense practice player with a team-first attitude.

in our view

Put simply, Nassib isn't the blue-chip prospect that his NCAA-best 15.5 sacks would indicate as he lacks the initial explosiveness and the fluidity to bend around the corner. He's long, strong, athletic and plays with a high-revving motor, however, which will earn him a spot within the top 100 and help him develop into a key part of a club's rotation early in his NFL career.

football instincts are undeveloped and he's still figuring out how to string together pass rush moves. goes hard each snap, but needs to introduce more patience and purpose behind his movements. will over-run the pocket and needs to play with more of a plan. needs to keep his head on a swivel to stretch his vision beyond what's in front of him. will abandon the edge and can be washed out of plays in the run game.

Only one year as a starter (never started in high school or college prior to 2015). Minor durability issues - missed almost all of the final two regular season games in 2015 due to a hamstring injury.

strengths

Tall, long athlete with a large wingspan. Has worked hard in the weight room to fill out his frame, adding 60 pounds since high school. Improved snap anticipation and often the first linemen off the ball.

compares to

Trent Murphy, Washington Redskins - Similar to Murphy, Nassib is limited in some areas, but both are good-sized athletes with the pass rush skills to fit various schemes.

2015

interceptions
TD	AVG	YDS	INT
0.0	10.0	10.0	1.0