2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: LB Nick Bolton, Missouri
LB NICK BOLTON
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 232 lbs.
Class: Junior
School: Missouri
A former three-star recruit out of Frisco, Texas, where he attended Lone Star High School. He was on the 2020 watch list for the Butkus Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
Bolton was First Team All-SEC in 2019 while also finishing on the First Team All-Academic squad. He’s also an avid leader, which is one reason why he landed on the latter squad.
In his three seasons with the Tigers, he recorded 220 tackles, 17.5 for a loss, four sacks, two interceptions, and 12 passes defended. He was one of the nation’s top linebackers in college over the last two seasons. He was primarily used as the middle linebacker in Missouri’s defense.
Traits
Bolton is a physical type of linebacker that can square defenders up and run through their faces. He’s shorter with a good filled-out, thick frame, along with shorter arms and adequate overall athletic ability.
He lacks sideline to sideline range, but he does have good short-area quickness that he engages when moving downhill on targets-- he’s got burst in that area.
- Find all of Nick Falato’s draft profile scouting reports in one centralized location.
A good run defender who does a good job keeping his chest clean and not allowing bigger offensive linemen to take him out of plays when he gets a beat on the running play, which is often.
He has good vision and football IQ to read, react, and attack downhill on running plays while being instinctual and trusting his keys--he’s one of the quicker processors in college football.
He brings a ton of physical and competitive toughness to the defense. Lands bone-jarring hits that rock ball carriers. He is solid in pursuit, but his overall lack of top-level athleticism will affect his ability to track faster backs down to the wide side of the field.
He can be reckless as a tackler and drop his head--I would like to see some better mechanics in this area.
He has awareness in zone coverage--he can read route combinations and bait quarterbacks into some mistakes. He keeps the play in front of him and takes good angles to the catch point.
He gets his hands into the catch point well and disrupts throwing lanes. It’s impressive what he can do in zone coverage, despite not having above-average athletic traits, albeit he does look stiff in space. More athletic running backs and tight ends, as well as bigger tight ends, will take advantage of Bolton’s athletic and size deficiencies.
He is very effective as a blitzing linebacker who thrives in “green-dog” situations where his pass coverage assignment stays in protection and subsequently blitzes.
He brings his physical nature and very good play strength into his bull rush to put smaller blockers on skates. He doesn’t have a lot of bend or elite change of direction, but he can be a wrecking ball with a head of steam.
Overall, Bolton is a downhill linebacker that hits hard and puts himself into a really good position to make effective tackles and get his defense off the field.
The NFL is transitioning to more second-level defenders that are athletic. Bolton isn’t quite that, but there’s still certainly a place in the NFL for him. I would expect him to be selected somewhere on Day 2.
What's next for the Giants this off-season? Sign up for our FREE newsletter for all the latest, and be sure to follow and like us on Facebook.
Submit your questions for our mailbag. And don't forget to check out the daily LockedOn Giants podcast, also available for subscription wherever you find podcasts.
