Highlights & Evaluation: Louisville DL Signee Bailey Abercrombie

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program was very active on the first day of the early signing period, and Bailey Abercrombie was the first of three to commit-and-sign with the Cardinals.

Here is Louisville Cardinals On SI's full evaluation:

Prospect: Bailey Abercrombie
Position: Defensive Tackle
Measurables: 6-foot-3, 295 pounds
School: Moody (Ala.) HS
Top Offers: Arkansas, Memphis, UAB, South Alabama, Middle Tennessee State
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat'l Rank): N/A

Bailey Abercrombie's Senior Year Highlights: HERE (Hudl)

Frame: As you can tell by his measurables, Abercrombie already has a well-built frame at this stage in his development for his position. He's got good height, a solid wingspan, and his lower body and mid-section are particularly bulky. That being said, he'll definitely have to turn some of that weight/baby fat into pure muscle.

Athleticism: Being primarily a defensive tackle, it's no surprise that Abercrombie's best physical trait is his strength. He's got good game strength, but one can't help but feel that leaves some to be desired in this department at time. He also has very good drill work agility for someone his size, but has inconsistent in-game explosiveness - especially north-south.

Instincts: Normally fans think that interior linemen are just guys that eat up blocks and rely on strength to make their plays, but Abercrombie has great pass rush moves for a defensive tackle. He does very well at countering initial block attempts from lineman thanks to a very effective swim move. He also does a great job at keeping his eyes on the backfield while engaged in a block, and can disengage from said block fairly quickly to make a play when the ball carrier approaches him. An underrated aspect of his game is that not only is he a hard tackler, he regularly tries to make plays on the ball in the process.

Polish: Abercrombie primarily played nose tackle in Moody's three-down lineman scheme, but sometimes played on the edges as well. The bulk of what he needs to work on mostly revolves around improving his overall athleticism. His striking power is decent, but definitely needs some work. He's also shown the potential to be able to get off the line quickly, but he's very inconsistent with it. Abercrombie also struggles staying low with regularity, especially if his first block shed/pass rush move attempt isn't successful.

Bottom Line: Overall, this is a pick up that has much more potential than his unranked recruiting profile suggests. Abercrombie absolutely needs a year of college-level strength and conditioning, but once he gets that under his belt, his ceiling for Louisville has the potential to be very high.

(Photo via Hudl)

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