STRENGTHS
Kris is a solid…do your job…type of defensive lineman. He is smart and works well with his teammates. He has good size and strength and enough foot speed to be an effective disrupting type of lineman. You can use Kris as a DE in a 3/4 alignment or as a DT in a 4/3 alignment depending on down and distance. He shows leadership skills through his consistent play on the field and high football IQ and has the ability to get into the backfield quickly and make a play. He always seems to know where the ball is off the snap and this is a rare skill for most defensive linemen coming out in a draft. Kris has a lot of pass-rushing moves and if an offensive lineman makes a mistake blocking him, he will make him pay. Kris gives excellent effort on every play until he hears the whistle, and because of this effort alone, it make Kris one of the better defensive linemen in this draft.
CONCERNS
Kris is what I call an “Almost” Defensive player. He’s almost the right size. He almost just made that play. He almost defeated that double team, he almost made that sack. Nevertheless, because of his relentless effort, Kris will make plays because of that offensive lineman who…almost blocked him before he made that tackle, forced that fumble, or pressured that quarterback into throwing that interception. “Almost” works both ways when you’re an “Almost” player, who is relentless on every play.
BOTTOM LINE: 1.86
Kris reminds me a lot of a former Buffalo Bills DL Kyle Williams. Kyle wasn’t big enough or quick enough or fast enough to be a Defensive lineman in the NFL. That being said, he played for 13 years and had 609 tackles, 48 sacks, 103 Tackles for losses, and made most of his impact plays in the 4th quarter when his opponents got tired of blocking his relentless ass all game long. Kris has more pass-rushing moves than most Edge Rushers coming out in a draft so it’s likely he will impact more pressuring a quarterback than he did at the college level. Michigan used a heavy rotation system and still, Kris had the stats of a full-time defensive lineman with 17 solo tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one interception. The year before he had 29 solo tackles and 2 sacks. As far as pressures and disruptions…countless. It’s possible that Kris might be better suited as a DE in a 3/4 defensive alignment then again, because of his relentless effort I’m not convinced that will matter very much. I do expect Kris to become a core player, a captain, and a fan favorite no matter what defensive front he plays in just like Kyle Williams was. Kris is the type of player who could be selected at any round in this draft. He could be selected late in the 1st round or fall through the cracks and not get drafted until the 3rd, 4th or even the 5th round. He is the type of player teams will think he is either a great fit for their defense or a tweener.
