Kendrick Blackshire

A bulked-up specimen with virtually college-ready size at linebacker as a high school sophomore. Powerful lower body with impressive upper-body build. Has made plays as traditional inside linebacker, off the edge, and playing with a hand on the ground. Could provide personnel flexibility in college. Diagnoses quickly and closes fast in pursuit, especially relative to size. Productive with 180 tackles in freshman-sophomore seasons in Texas' largest classification. Owns size and strength to play off blocks in the run game. Not asked to drop and cover too much, but gets good depth when needed. Has missed significant playing time because of injury. Missed junior season with ACL. Reliable tackler, but can improve breakdown ability and arriving power. Fairly agile laterally relative to size, but lower-body mass can cause some stiffness. Physical ceiling could be limited because of such advanced bulking early in development. Long-term positional home not cut and dried, but could potentially fit almost any linebacker variation. Among the top defensive prospects in Texas for the 2021 class. Possesses long-term NFL Draft potential.