Overview
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 235 pounds
School: TCU Horned Frogs
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.51 seconds
Bench press: 27 reps (third-best among linebackers)
Vertical jump: 36 inches
Broad jump: 10 feet, 3 inches
Ty Summers 2019 NFL Draft Profile
Ty Summers was not a heavily recruited player coming out of high school. However, in four seasons at TCU, Summers proved himself to be an impact player. Over his tenure in college Summers amassed 317 total tackles and 10.5 sacks. In addition to these impressive numbers, he showed great instincts in the run game and in rushing the passer as evidenced by his 22.5 tackles for loss over four seasons. Summers’ ability to finish tackles and not miss is something that will be crucial to his success at the linebacker spot in the NFL.
Although Summers has many strengths in his game there is one glaring weakness: in his covering ability. Similar to a player like Alabama’s Christian Miller, Summers works best when getting after the quarterback. Summers struggled when he had to drop back in man coverage as he lacks a natural feel for covering an offensive player one on one. This flaw in his game will likely limit the amount of snaps Summers will play at the next level as his best value in passing situations comes when he is being used to blitz. In addition to his issues in coverage, there are some concerns about his injury history. Summers suffered a high ankle sprain in each of the last two seasons as well as suffering a torn labrum in 2014. This injury history could easily cause Summers to slip in the draft.
Strengths
- has the strength coveted by teams at the next level;
- an outstanding tackler who delivers forceful blows;
- able to avoid blocks effectively;
- works well between the tackles;
- tested fairly well at the Combine.
Weaknesses
- man coverage is an issue;
- decision-making can be a touch too slow at times
- lateral athleticism doesn’t stand out;
- coverage issues could negatively impact his every-down value;
- injury history is a concern.
NFL Comparison: Dont’a Hightower
Teams With Need at Position: Oakland Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins
Projection: Fifth round
Bottom Line
Overall, Summers is an extremely interesting draft prospect. He possesses an elite ability to make tackles and rarely misses his mark. He is effective in defending against both the run as well as blitzing. Despite these strengths, he is still not considered one of the top linebackers in this class. This likely comes back to his injury history and lack of coverage skills.
While there are some concerns about the two ankle sprains Summers suffered while at TCU, the concerns should be minimal as he was able to play 12 games in each season. His struggles dropping back into man coverage are cause for greater concern as it will limit his ability to stay on the field for passing downs. Despite the negatives, Summers has a high motor and should be a solid situational pass rusher for whatever team decides to take a chance on him in this year’s NFL Draft.
