2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: DL Cameron Sample, Tulane
DL CAMERON SAMPLE
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 274 lbs.
Class: Senior
School: Tulane
Former two-star recruit out of Shiloh High School in Snellville, Georgia. He was the 290th Georgian recruit and the 2590th national recruit in the 2017 cycle, according to 247 Sports. Sample was recruited by Elon, Eastern Kentucky, Georgia Southern, and Florida A&M before ultimately signing with Green Wave.
Sample had 162 tackles in four seasons, 20.5 for a loss, and 10.5 sacks, along with seven passes defended. 2020 was a somewhat breakout type season for Sample; he had 52 tackles, 7.5 for a loss, and five sacks in 11 games. Rose to the occasion against top competition when Tulane faced Ohio State in 2018; had 2.5 tackles for a loss and a career high nine tackles in that game.
Notables
Sample suffered a sprained ankle towards the end of the 2018 season that forced him to miss two of the last three games. He returned for the final game of the season (a win against Louisiana), where he earned a sack.
Traits
Not tall and possesses natural leverage for the position with solid length and “tweener” weight at 274 pounds. Was used as the field side 4-Technique in an Eagle front (odd) and would kick out to wider rushing angles on obvious passing downs. Sample is a one-gap penetrator who has 3-tech upside in the NFL.
He has good overall athletic ability with a quick first step off the snap. He has good bend, for a defensive tackle, in his lower half--knows how to drop his weight, use his natural leverage advantage, and play with a good base. Lateral quickness helps him evade blocks around the edge due to a powerful double swipe and club/dip or rip.
Leverages his hands very well off the snap. He gets his hands inside of blockers and uses impressive force to stack, see, and shed blocks at the point of attack. He plays low, has a good center of gravity, and uses every bit of his 31 ½” arms (marginal length for the position).
While taking on pullers on the edge, Sample shows good play strength and bend to get really low and take out the puller forcing the run to spill to secondary defenders.
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Athletic capabilities, hand usage (10” hands - good), and bend make him intriguing for an inside pass rusher. He has impressive grip strength and knows how to string moves together to shed and break away from blockers. Can bull rush as well with good lower body drive and leverage.
Generates good force through his legs and hips while having a strong upper body to help with shedding. Processing is solid and competitive toughness is excellent. He runs around the field making high effort plays from the backside.
He has experience on the EDGE in passing situations; while I like his athletic ability as a tackle, I question if it's as an NFL EDGE. The issues with Sample in the NFL will stem from his possible role. He has many intriguing traits that a coaching staff can harness, but coaches must have a plan for Sample.
He doesn’t get bullied in the run game but will be limited to one-gap defenses - isn’t going to eat up double teams. I see Sample as a very nice rotational player who can step in and play snaps for a defense.
The “tweener” label on the defensive line isn’t great unless a player has a dynamic trait. Sample has plenty of good traits, but maybe not a dynamic one just yet. Sample did have a very good Senior Bowl week that should help his stock. His name will be heard on Day 3, and a team should be happy with that selection.
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