The Athletic Names Ivan Pace Jr. Potential 2023 NFL Draft Sleeper
CINCINNATI — The Athletic unveiled its potential 2023 NFL Draft positional sleepers following showcase games around the country.
One former Bearcat cracked the list: linebacker Ivan Pace Jr.
"A stack of bricks that can run," Nick Baumgardner wrote. "Pace (5-10, 231) is as tenacious as he is smart on a football field. A Luke Fickell linebacker all the way, Pace overcomes his size limitations by never finding himself out of place, either in coverage or against the run. He’s not afraid to get downhill in the run game, and he brings plenty of lumber when he finds the ball carrier. There will be limitations to what he can do in coverage, but there aren’t many areas in which he struggles or makes mistakes when playing in the stack. You have to look beyond the size."
Pace ended the 2022 season as PFF's highest-graded linebacker (93.1). He was a finalist for the Butkus Award (the nation’s top linebacker) and a finalist for the Bednarik Award (the nation’s top overall defensive player).
Overall, Pace tallied 120 tackles (10th nationally), 19.5 TFLs (third nationally), and 9.0 sacks in 2022 (14th nationally).
The numbers and tape speak for themselves. Pace is currently ranked 155th overall on the consensus big board and projects as a fifth-round pick.
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