Scouting Report: Henry Poggi

Baltimore (MD) Gilman defensive tackle Henry Poggi

Name: Henry Poggi
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 255 lbs.
Class: 2013
Position: Tight end, defensive tackle
School: Baltimore (MD) Gilman

Notes: Holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Boston College, California, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, South Florida, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin . . . Claims a 4.7 forty yard dash . . . As a junior in 2011, had 49 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and 1 forced fumble . . . As a sophomore in 2010, had 6 sacks . . . ESPN 4-star DT . . . Rivals 4-star DT, #2 DT, #43 overall . . . Scout 4-star DT, #16 DT . . . 247 Sports 4-star DT, 95 grade, #6 DT, #66 overall . . . Brother Sam played at Duke . . . Brother Jim plays for Iowa . . . Father Biff is head coach at Gilman and one of the subjects in Season of Life, a book by Jeffrey Marx

Strengths: Really improved from sophomore to junior year . . . Uses hands well on defense . . . Not extremely explosive, but gets off blocks by using technique and effort . . . Good speed for a defensive tackle . . . Plays low and changes direction well for a big kid . . . Takes good angles of pursuit . . . Aggressive, hard-nosed tackler who wraps up ball carriers . . . Appears to be well coached . . . Strong blocker who could be used in short yardage situations as a tight end . . . Understands leverage and moves feet well when blocking

Weaknesses: Not particularly fast or explosive with pads on . . . Needs to improve upper body strength

Projection: Defensive tackle.  I can see why some teams and analysts have talked about Poggi as an "athlete" because he could contribute at multiple positions at the next level.  He's a very technically sound player on both sides of the ball.  As he adds weight to his frame, I don't think he's going to wow anyone with his physical skills.  He's not enough of a fast-twitch athlete to contribute as an edge rusher or be a real threat to catch the ball.  He might not end up being big or stout enough to play nose tackle.  But it looks to me that he would fit in well at the 3-technique defensive tackle position, where he can take on (and beat) single blocks with strength and technique.  Heck, with the way he blocks, someone might even want to put some weight on him for a few years and plug him in at offensive guard.  Ultimately, he doesn't look like a guy who will develop into a first round draft pick, but he could easily be one of those guys who has a very solid college career and gets picked in the 4th through 7th round.

Reminds me of: Dan Klecko