Adarius Hayes

A lanky second-level defender that can drop back into coverage and fill gaps. Size hasn’t been verified in a while, but looks to be over 6-foot-3 with some additional length in the arms. Will need to add some mass to a rather slender frame, but should be able to eventually carry 225 pounds or more. Totaled over 120 tackles as a junior playing in one of the Sunshine State’s higher classifications. Face-up tackler that likes to strike people and roll his hips through contact. Owns valuable experience as a blitzer and shows good snap anticipation whenever he gets the green light to crash the A or B gap. Hasn’t been asked to man-up with a lot of tight ends or slot receivers on Friday nights, but doesn’t struggle to gain depth with his backpedal and does a nice job of reading and reacting to what’s going on in front of him. Should be viewed as a developmental inside linebacker prospect with some upside that will likely need some time to get his body right before he’s ready to go on Saturdays. Ability to create negative plays is very encouraging, but must get better at changing gears if he wants to reach his full potential. Size and straight-line speed will get him on special teams units.