Cardinal's 2nd round pick: Siaki Ika, 6'3" 340
Evaluation:
It is hard to find a player who moves as well as Ika does for his size. He has really good change of direction and athleticism that is evident on film. Ika’s change of direction allows him to make plays upfield and his motor is pretty impressive too. There were a number of plays where he was able to make an impact after the play broke down. The natural power and upper body strength Ika possesses made him really hard to move. He’ll be able to take on double teams at the next level and eat up space. If he is able to continue to improve his lower body strength, interior offensive lineman will struggle to move him off his spot in the NFL. On film, Ika plays with his pad level too high. At times he’d stand straight up as soon as the ball was snapped, limiting his overall power. He has the play strength to bull rush offensive lineman and penetrate the pocket but Ika’s high pad level prevents him from doing that. There is a lack of length that shows up on film. It prevents Ika from making tackles to either side of him and his ability to drive lineman backward. Ika doesn’t possess a quick first step or pass rush moves, which prevents him from being much of a pass rusher. As of now, Ika’s lack of pass rush ability will make him a two down player. It could be advantageous for Ika to lose weight, as it would help his quickness, while not hurting his ability as a run defender. He doesn’t have the talent or upside to be a Jordan Davis kind of player but Ika should be a starting nose tackle in the NFL for a long time, as long as he takes that next step in his senior season. If not, Ika will still be a solid rotational player.
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