STRENGTHS
Jer’Zhan looks like a bowling ball on the field lineup against offensive linemen that looks like pins. He gives excellent effort on every down, and when using the correct techniques, he is very hard to block and keep out of the backfield. He has quick feet and straight-line foot speed to be a disrupter on passing downs with the strength and leverage to bull rush. Jer’Zhan is a “bust your balls” type of defensive tackle. By that I mean, that if you make a mistake when blocking him, he will make you pay and your coach will bust your balls on the sidelines after the play is over. He is powerful, gives good effort on every play, and because of his quickness can change the line of scrimmage in his favor on almost every play.
CONCERNS
There is a host of concerns. He is undersized, lacks flexibility and change of direction athletic talent, lacks consistency coming off the line, lacks consistency in using his techniques when pass rushing and against the run, and is easily double-teamed because he has such a wide body there is no way he can get skinny, and is carrying too much weight.
BOTTOM LINE: 3.61
I see Jer’Zhan as a rotational 1 gap attack defensive lineman who needs to lose some weight to become more effective at rushing the quarterback. I don’t believe at this point in his career that he can be effective playing every down and distance. He needs a lot of development and has to understand that his job at the next level is to disrupt the timing of the offense and not just sack the quarterback. He needs to get off the line and into the backfield quickly to do that, and right now he doesn’t do that consistently. In the backfield, he can make a play on a running back or force quarterbacks to quickly and destroy the rhythm of the play. Being limited to a 1 gap defensive system will affect his draft status but if he is in the right defensive system and rotated, Jer’Zhan can become an effective disrupter for the team that selects him.
