Daviyon Nixon 2021 NFL Draft Overview
Position: Defensive Tackle
Height: 6’-3”
Weight: 313 pounds
School: Iowa
Daviyon Nixon 2021 NFL Draft Profile
After three years at the college football level, defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon is taking his talents to the NFL level. The Iowa product is coming off another successful season, recording seven sacks, 16 hurries, two batted passes, and 16 run stops on 478 total snaps.
Daviyon Nixon’s path to the NFL was not an easy one. Despite being an All-State athlete in high school, Nixon struggled to generate any interest from the top college programs. Labelled a two-star prospect, the Wisconsin native began his collegiate career at Iowa Western Community College. After a season of dominant play, he finally had the necessary interest to move on to a bigger program. Now ranked as a three-star prospect, Nixon ended up committing to Iowa for the remainder of his collegiate career.
Nixon proved right away that he should’ve been playing for Iowa the whole time. The Wisconsin native managed to start right away, and had a solid first year with the organization. In total, Nixon finished the 2019 season with three sacks, seven quarterback hits, 11 hurries, and one batted pass on 366 defensive snaps.
Strengths
- Very quick player with the ability to swim right past interior linemen;
- Aggressive, physical pass rusher;
- Can play multiple positions along the interior;
- Smart football IQ with ability to diagnose offensive tendencies and blow up plays;
- Production numbers negatively skewed thanks to scheme – often asked to eat blocks and free others.
Weaknesses
- Slightly undersized for the position and could struggle in the run game;
- Struggles to adjust when opponent makes first contact;
- Inconsistent, streaky player with equal moments of great and terrible play;
- Play strength could use some improvement;
- Not good at shedding blocks.
NFL Comparison: Dominique Easley (without the off-field stuff)
Teams With Need At Position: Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders
Projection: Late 3rd Round
Bottom Line on Daviyon Nixon
Opinions on Daviyon Nixon are going to vary tremendously, depending on what you value in a prospect. Passing is king in today’s NFL, and teams should try to build their defenses to stop opposing quarterbacks first and foremost. Nixon is at his best when applying pressure from the inside, as his quick feet and exceptional burst allow him to collapse the pocket on a regular basis. While he only recorded 10 sacks during his two years at Iowa, he could’ve easily had more in a better system. However, Iowa often asked Nixon to eat up space for others to make plays, and that obviously affected his overall output.
Nixon has some fantastic tape, but he also has some clear flaws in his game. The biggest one, in my humble opinion, is consistency. The Iowa product goes from looking like one of the best all-around interior linemen in the draft to one of the worst on a game-by-game basis. Additionally, he struggles to shed blocks and could be a liability in the run game.
Nixon will have a home in the NFL, but his overall impact is going to be entirely dependent upon his landing spot. If he winds up with a coach that puts him into pass rushing situations on a regular basis, then he could easily become a starter. However, if he’s asked to play a true nose or run-stuffing job, then he’ll struggle to be anything more than a backup.
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