Post#23 » by Icness » Sat Sep 8, 2012 4:13 am
Utah DL Star Lotulelei vs. Utah State:
--primarily lined up as 5-technique on right side of their 3-man front
--awesome club move, quick, powerful, rocks blocker upon impact
--has a very nice burst once he disengages off block, quick step
--brute strength in his shoulders and arms is impressive
--locates the ball quickly & consistently
--got blocked a little too easily by just the guard on plays run away from him
--got held on at least 30% of snaps, drew 2 penalties for that plus a chop block and a false start
--USU ran right at him four times that I saw where he wasn't doubled or chopped. Those plays produced a net of 1 yard.
--showed some leadership on field
--much more effective crashing the tackle than the guard on pass rush moves
--moves kind of like BJ Raji, but not as quick off the snap
--popped upright out of his stance several times
--got driven backwards by double team, couldn't anchor. You might say "but it's two on one, of course they pushed him backwards". My response is to watch Isaac Sopoaga or Terrance Knighton in those situations. Star is not in their caliber in that facet of the game.
I've seen three of his games now and while I think he's going to be a NFL starter, he's not proven to me he's a dynamic presence a la Ngata or Atkins or maybe even Red Bryant. I wouldn't take him top 20 right now, but that could change.
It's not whether you win or lose, it's how good you look playing the game