Sheldon Day 2016 NFL Draft Profile
By Reid Hanson
Defensive Tackle, Sheldon Day, is one of the safest and most versatile players in the draft. Here’s the 2016 NFL Draft profile for Notre Dame’s Sheldon Day.
One of the more intriguing prospects entering the 2016 NFL Draft is Notre Dame defensive lineman, Sheldon Day. Sheldon Day, 6’1” 293lbs, isn’t your typical interior lineman. Stoutly built, Day plays with a tenacity and technique rarely seen from players his size.
Sheldon Day has good strength (225 lbs 26 times at his Pro Day), and excellent agility. His hand technique is second to only Ohio State’s Joey Bosa and his discipline is second to none. The senior DT from Notre Dame finished the 2015 season with 15.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, and 13 QB hurries all while facing consistent double teams from opposing offenses.
Day, widely regarded as a defensive tackle, played at both the 1-technique and 3-technique DT spots with the Irish last season, but he also logged snaps as the DE in 3-4 and 4-3 looks. Despite his stocky size, Day has a good burst and nice lean round the edge.
Techniques
Watching film you can see Sheldon Day has a multitude of assignments on any given snap. Sometimes he’s staying at home and controlling the middle of the pocket (usually against mobile QBs) and sometimes he’s cut loose and in all-out attack mode. Sometimes he’s playing 2-gap and playing a red-and-react role, while other times he’s a rushman playing 1-gap. Sometimes he’s lined up inside and sometimes he’s on the edge. Sometimes he’s even standing in a 2-point stance. His versatility is extraordinary.
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1 gap vs 2-gap
It’s that versatility that could make him so attractive to defensive coordinators like the Dallas Cowboys’ Rod Marinelli. With so many unsettled positions on the Cowboys’ defensive line, a player like Sheldon Day (accused by many as a man without a primary position), would be a match made in heaven.
Sheldon Day returned his senior season to compete for a National Championship and for most of the 2015 College Football season, he did just that. He was the focus of opposing offensive linemen and was regularly met with double-teams. Even with the added attention, Day was able to progress and deliver a career season.
Watch the film above and it’s clear that Day is called upon to fill multiple roles with multiple assignments. He aggressive when he must and passive when asked to. He’s not a bull-rusher and will lose some arm tackles but he puts himself in position, he never quits, and he’s physically gifted.
Note: It’s also hard to ignore top (but injured) LB, Jaylon Smith, dominating behind him on the Notre Dame defense.
As an interior DL part of your job is keeping the offensive linemen off of your playmaking LBs and Sheldon Day did a fantastic job at that, all while making plays himself.
Day uses his hands extremely well and often controls bigger and stronger linemen in front of him as a result. His quickness and agility make him a weapon when stunting inside or outside and his low pad level prevent him from being overpowered in heads-up battles.
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Sheldon Day could be a high value pick considering he’s projected as a 3rd-4th round pick by most draft sites. Sheldon Day will be an immediate contributor at the next level and could develop into more if dropped into the right system.