2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Shaka Heyward (LB – Duke)

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 Shaka Heyward.

Check out all of our 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Reports & Prospect Profiles

Shaka Heyward (LB – Duke)

6’3” – 240 lbs.

Background:

Took over a starting job as a freshman (six of ten appearances), finishing with 68-6.5-3.5. Has been a productive starter at middle linebacker ever since, with lines of 79-8.5-3.0, 97-10.5-3.0, and 93-6.0-2.0 over the past three years.

Positives:

Experienced four-year starter who took a step forward this past year. Has added roughly twenty pounds of bulk while at Duke and is one of the bigger linebackers in the class. Overall flexibility looks good. Does a nice job of keeping his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage. Good extension and strong hands to shed blocks and get to the football; doesn’t shy away from getting involved between the tackles, and rarely gets stuck on blocks. Flashes the ability to slip by opponents with quickness and get to the ball. Works hard to pursue to the sidelines and down the field; doesn’t give up before the snap. Length gives him a wide tackling radius and is one of the most reliable tacklers in the class, having missed just 11.4% of career attempts. Uses his hands well in coverage, and made strides in the area this past season, with a good work rate to get depth and keep things in front of him. Solid ball skills; intercepted four career passes and broke up another seven, including six this past year. Has the size to potentially work against some tight ends. Flashes the ability to time the snap count as a blitzer.

Negatives:

Not one of the faster or more explosive players at his position in the class. Can have some difficulty locating the football; was victimized by misdirection and run-pass options, getting frozen, or taking false steps. Contact balance coming off of blocks is a little bit inconsistent. Spot drops in zone but may be exploited in man coverage; wasn’t really asked to work in man during the games reviewed. Pretty straightforward pass-rusher who will probably need to be schemed lanes.

Summary:

A bigger and more experienced linebacker than many of his peers in the class, he is a high-motor player who plays off of blocks effectively and provides reliable tackling, traits which should draw interest from teams that run more even fronts or favor more traditional linebacker prospects. Helped his stock this past season by cleaning up his tackling and making more plays in coverage, but will need to improve his awareness and may never be a linebacker who can work in man coverage, which looks like it will probably push him into the third day of the draft.

Projection: Round 4