Photo by Pittsburgh Sports Now

Height	Weight	Arm Length	Hand Size
6'1"	281 lbs.	30 5/8"	9 1/8"

Games	Tackles	Tackles for Loss	Sacks	Pass Defended	Interceptions	Forced Fumbles	Touchdowns
33	91	34.5	16	3	0.0	1	0.0

40 Yard Dash	Bench Press	Vertical Jump	Broad Jump	3-Cone Drill	20 Yard Shuttle
Sec	N/A​	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Pros

• Elite athleticism for an interior lineman that makes him one of the most unique defensive tackles in the draft.

• First step quickness off the line is off the charts and often wins him battles before they start.

 

• Pad level out of his stance probably won't ever be beaten, giving him a clear and present advantage out of the gate.

 

• Elite quickness and agility in his lower half allows him make moves out of the gate almost completely untouched.

 

• Elite hand speed on his moves allow him to swipe and shoot into the backfield with unreal consistency.


• Has a swim, spin, and rip move that can be unblockable when playing against slower offensive lineman. 

 

• Was a game wrecker often the last two seasons with his ability to penetrate the backfield at will at times.

 

• Shocking flexibility for his build allows him to bend interior guards like and edge rusher.

 

• Has clear rush plan to the quarterback and executes it with exceptional precision.

 

• Great tackler in the backfield as he often has to dance with ball carriers a bit to bring them down.

 

• Closing speed in the backfield is unreal.

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• Will be a magnet for holding calls in the NFL.

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• Has a backup plan if his initial rush move doesn't work. 

Cons

• Very much undersized for the position which does rear it's ugly head.

• If he can't win off the snap, it can lead to a great deal of losses.

 

• Too often relies on his elite quickness and agility to win rather than power. 

 

• Bull rush more with his shoulders rather than arms which causes him to lose sight of the ball carrier.

 

• Athletic guards that can match his speed a bit have proven difficult for him to beat.

 

• More of a gap shooter than versatile lineman.

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• Inconsistent at breaking double-teams. 

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• Has struggled to match up with powerful guards guards that can use his lacking size against him.

 

• Most likely won't find success outside of a 4-3 defense as a 3-tech defensive tackle.

Overview

Outside of Jalen Carter in 2022, there wasn't a terror in the trenches quite like Calijah Kancey whose combine performance was simply outstanding but not shocking. The Aaron Donald comparisons have been almost endless since he ran the 40 as people are saying that because he's another Pitt defensive tackle that's undersized with incredible athletic ability and production but unfortunately I can't agree with the comparison's because Aaron Donald was a much more complete prospect than Kancey is currently in his career. Kancey struggles with powerful offensive lineman that can get a hold of him and breaking away consistently has been an issue. Donald was also one of the strongest defensive tackles in the draft both on tape as well as at the combine and could take on powerful blockers with relative ease. A more comparable player to Kancey would be HOFer John Randle as Kancey's make-you-miss style of pass rush and gap penetration strategy is what Randle made living doing for the Vikings. It's not a prediction that he'll be John Randle but it's hard not love the style both played and if Kancey can add a little more power to his game and continue to hone his craft, skies the limit on what he can do in the right scheme.