Shaquille Quarterman Overview
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6’-0”
Weight: 234 pounds
School: Miami (Florida)
NFL Combine Performance Data
40 Yard Dash: 4.74 seconds
Bench Press: 23 reps
Vertical Jump: 31.0”
Broad Jump: 120.0”
Shaquille Quarterman 2020 NFL Draft Profile
After four seasons at the University of Miami (Florida), linebacker Shaquille Quarterman is taking his talents to the NFL level. The 6’-0”, 234-pound linebacker is coming off arguably the best season of his young career. Playing in a career-high 866 snaps, Quarterman recorded 82 tackles, 25 assists, and 12 missed tackles.
Quarterman initially entered the college football ranks as a four-star prospect. A Florida native, the linebacker opted to stay in-state and played sparingly as a true freshman. His role grew in 2017, as Quarterman played in 810 snaps while recording 58 tackles, 19 assists, and 18 missed tackles. He continued to improve as a junior, recording 56 tackles, 15 assists, and 15 missed tackles on 669 snaps. It’s worth noting that his number of missed tackles decreased every year since taking over as a full-time starter.
Strengths
- Remarkably effective as a blitzer;
- Powerful build, strength to push back offensive linemen;
- Durable player that never missed a start;
- Aggressive, downhill thumper that limits yards after contact;
- Old-school linebacker mentality.
Weaknesses
- Active liability in coverage that struggles changing direction;
- Misses tackles too frequently in space;
- Too small for inside linebacker, too slow for edge defender;
- Not a great athlete;
- Sometimes over pursues and gets caught in traffic;
- Doesn’t have the speed to go sideline-to-sideline and chase down a play.
NFL Comparison: Brandon Spikes
Teams With Need at Position: Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins
Projection: 6th/7th Round
Bottom Line on Shaquille Quarterman
Shaquille Quarterman would have been a solid linebacker in a different era of football. The Miami product is dangerous in the middle of the field, especially against the run. He rarely misses a tackle in the box and is incredibly useful as a blitzer. He’s a physical guy that packs a punch, doesn’t shy from contact, and hasn’t missed a start in his collegiate career.
Unfortunately, most of those skills aren’t that valuable in today’s NFL. In today’s pass-happy league, the most important thing in evaluation is seeing how a player affects the passing game. While Quarterman can be utilized effectively as a blitzer, the rest of his game leaves a lot to be desired. Quarterman lacks the speed and lateral agility to hold up in coverage, which is the biggest red flag. His issues in space aren’t limited to coverage, as he’s a below-average tackler in the open field.
Theoretically, one could hide these flaws by pushing him inside and making him an early-down run defender. Unfortunately, Quarterman is undersized for a traditional middle linebacker and might not hold up as well in run defense. He’s something of a ‘tweener lacking the speed to succeed on the edge and the size to play in the middle. He might make it as a situational blitzer, but that’s about where it ends for Quarterman.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
