With being more than halfway through the college football season, FantasyPros will be taking a look at early NFL Draft scouting reports before the Combine in March. Here’s a look at Dontay Corleone.

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2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Dontay Corleone

Dontay Corleone (DL – Cincinnati)

6’2” – 318 lbs.

Background:

A Cincinnati native and three-star recruit who redshirted, Corleone rotated into the defense heavily in 2022, played 328 snaps and finished with an impressive line of 45-5.5-3.0. Has started every game thus far this season as of the time of writing.

Positives:

He’s a two-year contributor who immediately stepped in as a redshirt freshman and make a big impact. Corleone is a thickly-built nose tackle who has experience working as the zero on an odd defensive front. A physical and relentless player who fires out of his stance low and with explosiveness. Has incredible power in his hands to jolt opposing blockers on contact. Impressive knee-bend and natural leverage to get low and hold the point of attack; very rarely disrupted by contact. Relatively advanced ability to locate the ball. Gets good extension to keep blockers out of his frame, and shows active, heavy hands to shed/disengage. Surprisingly mobile, especially for his size, and shows an excellent motor in pursuit out to the sidelines. Flows laterally very well to defend outside zones. Racked up a ton of stops for someone who rotates out of the game relatively frequently. Wasn’t limited exclusively to early downs and appears to have some value as a pass-rusher as well. Shows suddenness and active hands out of his stance to threaten gaps. Actively seeks out alternative lanes to the passer. Attracts additional attention because of his overall power.

Negatives:

While Corleone has played more this year, he still has some games in which his snap counts are relatively limited. Reaction times to the snap vary a bit. Some minor balance issues crop up when he gets too aggressive and he plays a bit out over his skis. Not the most creative pass-rusher, either, and is somewhat reliant on his bull-rush.

Summary:

A very impressive nose tackle prospect with an excellent combination of explosiveness, power, quickness and tenacity – traits which have allowed him to rack up a ton of stops in the run game and create some pressure on passing downs, too. He’s surprisingly advanced for being just a redshirt sophomore and his ability to step right in and produce should appeal to teams running any kind of defensive front. Corleone would probably fit better in a two-gap scheme of some sort, either as a zero- or one-technique. Looks like he has a solid shot of coming off the board within the first fifty picks or so as a pro-ready option for teams looking to beef up their run defense.

Projection: Round 1-2