{"id":110929,"date":"2021-04-23T18:00:53","date_gmt":"2021-04-23T22:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=110929"},"modified":"2025-09-25T12:02:46","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T16:02:46","slug":"2021-nfl-draft-daelin-hayes-player-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/04\/23\/2021-nfl-draft-daelin-hayes-player-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"2021 NFL Draft: Daelin Hayes Player Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Daelin Hayes NFL Draft Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Position:<\/strong> Edge Defender<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Height:<\/strong> 6\u2019-3\u201d<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Weight:<\/strong> 253 pounds<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>School:<\/strong> Notre Dame<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021-nfl-draft-profiles\/\" target=\"_self\"><strong>More 2021 NFL Draft Profiles<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Daelin Hayes 2021 NFL Draft Profile<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If draft grades were handed out purely based on character and leadership skills, Daelin Hayes would grade out as a first-rounder. However, along with an average physical profile for an edge defender in the NFL, there\u2019s also a lack of an elite trait to his game Hayes can hang his hat on. It\u2019s likely the Notre Dame edge rusher will drop to the later rounds in the 2021 NFL Draft.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Born and raised in Belleville, Michigan, Daelin Hayes moved around a lot for school. He originally attended St Mary\u2019s Preparatory in the same state. Hayes moved to California as a sophomore and played football for half a season at St. Bonaventure High School before moving back to Michigan. He attended Cass Technical High School in Detroit before transferring again and rounding out his high school career at Skyline High School in Ann Harbour, Michigan as a senior. Hayes committed to USC before switching to Notre Dame during his final year of High School.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hayes played five seasons with Notre Dame and leaves as a redshirt senior. He became a starter as a sophomore in 2017 and recorded three sacks in 12 games. His junior year, Hayes recorded a career-high 32 total tackles that included two sacks. A shoulder injury forced Hayes to miss most of the 2019 season and he was granted a medical redshirt. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He returned in 2020 and finished the year with 17 tackles, six tackles for loss, and three sacks with an interception and two forced fumbles.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Strengths<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A+ leadership and character &#8211; Team captain.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Effective with his hands &#8211; technically sound and understands how to take on pulling guards;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Good speed-to-power &#8211; wins with a strong get off;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Understands and knows how to use his body &#8211; Shows good control with his swipe, occasional spin move, and good reactionary pass rush skillset;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stays active &#8211; Good motor.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Weaknesses<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Production is far from ideal &#8211; Nine career sacks;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">History of shoulder injuries;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Athletics profile isn\u2019t going to test well &#8211; Has to win in other ways;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Doesn\u2019t have a special move he can rely on to consistently get to the quarterback &#8211; average speed, size &amp; strength;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Struggled against elite competition &#8211; Washed away in the run against Alabama.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>NFL Comparison:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=SimoJo01,SimoJo00&amp;search=John+Simon&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Simon<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Originally a fourth-round pick by the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/ravens\/\" target=\"_self\">Baltimore Ravens<\/a> in the 2013 NFL, Simon has bounced around the league as a versatile edge defender on four different NFL teams over his career. Playing for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/patriots\/\" target=\"_self\">New England Patriots<\/a> the last three seasons, Simon lacks ideal size on the edge but plays with intelligence. He\u2019s earned eight sacks with the Patriots in three seasons but also dropped into coverage 9% of his snaps in 2020. Simon is also a willing special teams contributor. Something Hayes might need to get used to if he\u2019s to catch on with a team.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Teams With Need at Position:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/jets\/\" target=\"_self\">New York Jets<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/browns\/\" target=\"_self\">Cleveland Browns<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/saints\/\" target=\"_self\">New Orleans Saints<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/texans\/\" target=\"_self\">Houston Texans<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/titans\/\" target=\"_self\">Tennessee Titans<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Projection:<\/strong> Sixth Round<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[pickup_prop id=&#8221;6366&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Bottom Line on Daelin Hayes<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accepting his best path onto a roster as a rookie is through special teams would benefit Hayes. He\u2019s likely a late-round pick as the more athletic prospects are prioritized by war rooms in earlier rounds. Particularly at the edge position. Hayes is a solid 3-4 outside linebacker but at that position, getting to the quarterback counts. The fact is, Hayes didn\u2019t get to the quarterback enough in college.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, scouts have reiterated often the positive character, work effort, and leadership skills Hayes brings to a locker room. Making it likely Hayes will do anything he can to catch on with a team and get on the field early in his career. He\u2019s extremely coachable and showcased improvement in his technique every year at Notre Dame. Hayes also displayed some movement ability and decent awareness in coverage. Although limited as an athlete for the NFL&#8217;s high standards, his knowledge and football IQ are skills that will benefit him whenever he gets on the field for defensive reps in camp.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021-nfl-draft-profiles\/\" target=\"_self\"><strong>More 2021 NFL Draft Profiles<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Main photo:<br \/>\n<a id=\"3lbuvLPaQSh9V3zS_O0Vlg\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1230986373\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'3lbuvLPaQSh9V3zS_O0Vlg',sig:'xzbCriqxMvXtToJ79kcgjZDNcoHLwKidhO78Trqia0I=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1230986373',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Daelin Hayes NFL Draft Overview. Edge &#8211; Accepting his best path onto a roster as a rookie is through special teams would benefit Hayes&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3597,"featured_media":111083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647,33760],"tags":[8075,2030],"class_list":["post-110929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","category-profiles","tag-daelin-hayes","tag-nfl-draft-profiles"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3597"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110929"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110929\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":246936,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110929\/revisions\/246936"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}