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2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Habakkuk Baldonado (DE – Pittsburgh)

2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Habakkuk Baldonado (DE – Pittsburgh)

As the NFL season winds down, FantasyPros will be taking a look at early NFL draft scouting reports before the combine in March. Here’s a look at Habakkuk Baldonado.

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2023 NFL Draft Guide: Prospect Rankings & Player Profiles

Habakkuk Baldonado (DE – Pittsburgh)

6’5” – 260 lbs.

Background:

Born in Rome and moved to the US in 2017. Redshirted in 2018, then rotated in heavily in 2019, finishing with 30-4.5-4.0. Barely played in 2020 while dealing with injuries, then became a full-time starter the following year, posting 41-12.0-9.0. Didn’t play as much this past year (353 snaps compared to 658 in 2021), finishing with 25-5.0-2.0 in nine appearances.

Positives:

Big, well-built edge defender who should meet any team’s size/length requirements. Was highly productive in 2021 when he wasn’t being rotated out so often. Tough. Plays with pretty good discipline as a two-gapper in the run game. Sets a pretty hard edge. Able to lock out opposing linemen with his length. Lower-body strength allows him to anchor at the line. Does a good job of locating the football. Has strong hands to discard blockers. Stays home and maintains run fits when working on the backside. Works hard in pursuit and offers a wide tackling radius. Strong enough to walk back opposing linemen with his bull rush; not the most explosive player, but is able to convert speed to power and put tackles on their heels. Flashes swipe and spin moves that look pretty promising.

Negatives:

Will be 24 in September. Didn’t have the senior year he was anticipating. Somewhat inconsistent get-off. Plays with a high pad level, undermining some of his natural power; moreover, doesn’t always have a stable base under him. Could be more consistent about getting extension to play off of blocks. Range in pursuit is limited by his lack of ideal athleticism; looks lumbering at times. Is a pretty straightforward power-based pass rusher without a deep repertoire of moves/counters. Doesn’t look like he has the explosiveness or suddenness to seriously threaten the edge or work inside moves with consistency. Rarely dropped into coverage in school and might struggle to do so at the next level.

Summary:

A big, long, and strong player who has the lower-body strength and motor to set the edge and two-gap in the run game, and who offers a pretty good bull rush to threaten the integrity of the pocket. However, he needs to improve his pad level and diversify his approach as a pass-rusher, and even then, isn’t a particularly quick or explosive player. Future seems to be in a defensive line rotation, likely on early downs as a strongside defensive end or potentially “elephant” linebacker in an odd front.

Projection: Round 4

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