Steele Chambers NFL Draft Overview
Height: Six-foot-one
Weight: 266 pounds
Position: Linebacker
School: Ohio State
2024 NFL Draft: Steele Chambers Scouting Report
Just as Cade Stover started on one side of the ball and eventually made a name for himself on the other, Steele Chambers started off as a running back for the Buckeyes and switched to linebacker before the 2021 season. In those two years on offense, Chambers was seldom used and he managed 221 yards and a touchdown off of 28 carries.
From there, Chambers transitioned to help out in the linebacker room and earned playing time as the season went on. In his first season on defense, Chambers accounted for 47 tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble. He took over as the full time starter in 2022 and added 77 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, two pass breakups, and a fumble returned for a touchdown. Last year, Chambers put up a career-high 83 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss, an interception, and a pass breakup.
He earned Third-Team All-Big Ten honors last year and Honorable Mention in both 2021 and 2022.
Strengths
- Uses history as running back to know where runners are headed
- More than willing to fill the hole and take on blockers
- Great motor, can play run defense sideline-to-sideline
- Can make his way through traffic
- Is disciplined in coverage
- Plays faster than he actually is
Weaknesses
- Not the best athlete despite once being a running back (4.57 RAS)
- Does not have the best size, can get thrown
- Very short arms; 30.25 inches vs. 32.35 inches for an average linebacker
- Could be a liability in man coverage
- Missed too many tackles
Projected Round: Late Day Three/UDFA
Best Fits: Los Angeles Chargers, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers
Bottom Line on Steele Chambers
With over 1,700 snaps under his belt in his “new” position, Chambers is what he is at this point. As a run defender, Chambers is more than willing to come downhill, fill the hole, and deliver the hit. He can defend laterally and has a great first step when reacting. In pass defense, his strengths lie with zone coverage as he has shown that he can remain disciplined.
Despite moving from running back, Chambers is not as athletic as one would think. His lack of speed leaves him susceptible to getting dusted in man and even if he can hang with the receiver, he’s a tad too handsy and can get called for holding or interference. While that first step and reaction on his keys are good, he struggled to finish plays. Often, Chambers had the ball carrier dead to rights in the backfield and he missed the tackle, allowing a positive play to be salvaged.
If Chambers can be developed a bit more to match the effort and response to his execution, he can be a late day-three steal. As with his former teammate Josh Proctor, Chambers will likely be a solid special teams player to start and could find his way into the actual linebacker rotation in time.
Main Image: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
