Kenny Willekes Overview
Position: Edge Defender
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 264 lbs
School: Michigan State
NFL Combine Performance Data
40 Yard Dash: 4.87 seconds
Bench press: 32 reps
Vertical Jump: 32.5 in
Broad Jump: 119 in
Kenny Willekes 2020 NFL Draft Profile
Kenny Willekes was practically not recruited when he came out of high school. He had one offer from Wayne State, but decided to instead walk on to Michigan State instead where he finished his career tied for second all-time in sacks in Spartan’s history. He went from walk-on to All-American during his time as a Spartan. Kenny Willekes was redshirted his freshman year in 2015 and only played in one game during the 2016 season.
In 2017 he received his chance to play when he earned a starting role on the Michigan State defense. He finished that season with 72 tackles and 7 sacks. He was named to the third team All-Big Ten. His second year as a starter in 2018 he had another very productive year for the Spartans by collecting 78 tackles and 8.5 sacks. This allowed him to be named First-Team All-Big Ten as well as the Big Ten’s defensive lineman of the year. Willekes returned for his senior year in East Lansing and recorded 78 tackles and 10.5 sacks. He was once again named First-Team All-Big Ten and also received the Burlsworth Trophy for being the most outstanding FBS college football player to begin his career as a walk-on. Kenny Willekes was fantastic at Michigan State and looks to be a potentially elite player in the NFL that can contribute every Sunday for a team.
Strengths
- Unbelievable Football IQ;
- Strong(2nd most bench press reps at combine among all defensive lineman);
- Great nose for the football;
- Fast off of the line of scrimmage;
- Has a good arsenal of moves, keeps the offensive lineman guessing from play to play;
- Great aggression and intensity;
- A lot of experience and played at elite level in the Big Ten.
Weaknesses
- Straight-line speed;
- Has average size for NFL;
- At times plays with too high of a pad level;
- Short arms for pass rusher;
- Relies too much on first step coming off of the line of scrimmage.
Willekes has had some doubters because of his athleticism but tried to address those doubters with this video from Twitter.
"Not athletic, below-average athleticism for edge rusher"
"Physical tools don't jump off the page"
"Isn't a good athlete"
"Has pedestrian physical gifts”
Shhhh Just watch… pic.twitter.com/LpvLpzBu9C— Kendrick (@kennyw97) March 26, 2020
NFL Comparison: Rob Ninkovich
Teams with need at Position: Detroit Lions, Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Projection: 4th or 5th round
Bottom Line on Kenny Willekes
Kenny Willekes is an exceptional football player and should be a steal for whatever team drafts him. Willekes has had to overcome doubters in the past and will most likely continue to do so in the future. He is an unbelievably smart and tough football player that finds a way to get the job done regardless of what happens. Willekes may not be super fast but has more athletic ability then he is given credit for. He has a tremendous first step off of the line of scrimmage which can be devastating to offensive lineman. Kenny Willekes is an underrated prospect that possesses some qualities that could make him a potential Pro Bowl-caliber player in the NFL for years to come.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
