Player Bio Iyiegbuniwe (pronounced ee-yay-boo-nee-way) slipped under the recruiting radar as an injury cut his senior season in high school to just four games. Then, he suffered an injury three games into his true freshman season with the Hilltoppers (he made one tackle), which resulted in his receiving a medical redshirt. The Bowling Green, Kentucky native finally played a full season in 2015, suiting up for 14 games as a reserve linebacker and special teams ace (19 tackles, one sack). That production led to a big sophomore season, as he earned honorable mention All-Conference USA recognition after starting all 14 games (64 stops, 10 for loss, 3.5 sacks, three pass break-ups). The compactly-built and quick Iyiegbuniwe decided to move on to the NFL after a junior year that saw him garner first-team all-conference accolades, leading WKU with 116 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss.
Overview Iyegbuniwe put together a very strong campaign this season, but some of those numbers don't look translatable on the next level without a lot more work. His speed and athletic ability in coverage are big pluses in his favor. His NFL role may have to be as a backup weak-side linebacker with some cover talent who can become a top special teams worker.
Strengths
Rangy, athletic frame Plays with good speed in pursuit Shows early burst in his scrapes to play past climbing blockers Actively searches to strip the football and create opportunities to flip the momentum Finished 2017 with three forced fumbles Very smooth in his backpedal and when driving into space Has athletic ability to warrant consideration as a cover linebacker in subpackages Special teams talent to cover Finished career with 11 tackles on special teams
Weaknesses
Gets caught coasting too much when the play is developing away from him Needs to keep the motor activated Slow to balance eyes between blockers and ball-carrier Will need to improve ability to slip blocks on the next level Gets stuck on blocks when he gets squared up Too accepting of his fate and needs to fight it early with a strong punch Awareness in zone coverage can be improved
Small fast coverage type LB whose a ST ace. Compares favorably to Darius Leonard who Indy took at #36. We passed on another edge guy (Dorance Armstrong) for him. Gotta figure Pace and Fangio just don't like many of these edge guys.
Small fast coverage type LB whose a ST ace. Compares favorably to Darius Leonard who Indy took at #36. We passed on another edge guy (Dorance Armstrong) for him. Gotta figure Pace and Fangio just don't like many of these edge guys.
Put your pads on, Soul. You just made the team as a OLB. I’m on the practice squad.
A couple months ago I said ILB needed as much attention as anything, so I guess that was their thought. The value is on the spot from everything I’ve seen on his stock. Let’s wait and see.
A couple months ago I said ILB needed as much attention as anything, so I guess that was their thought. The value is on the spot from everything I’ve seen on his stock. Let’s wait and see.
He sounds like a pure STs type of pick. That would be fine in the 7th or even 6th. Little hard to figure in the mid-4th where you still got a shot to find a rotational contributor or even an occasional starter. This guy is our 4th ILB at most. Really tough to justify.
A couple months ago I said ILB needed as much attention as anything, so I guess that was their thought. The value is on the spot from everything I’ve seen on his stock. Let’s wait and see.
He sounds like a pure STs type of pick. That would be fine in the 7th or even 6th. Little hard to figure in the mid-4th where you still got a shot to find a rotational contributor or even an occasional starter. This guy is our 4th ILB at most. Really tough to justify.
We just upgraded Timu...maybe. That’s it.
IMO one of Timu's weaknesses has always been speed and range. Does great as a downhill thumper but that is about it. You could be right.