New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: LB Ivan Pace Jr

Nick looks at a very intriguing linebacker prospect who, despite being somewhat undersized, could be a Day 2 steal.

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Apr 21, 2023 10:47 AM EDT

In this story:

New York Giants

Cincinnati Bearcats

Ivan Pace Jr., LB

Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 231 lbs.
Class: Senior
School: Cincinnati
Age: 22 (born 12/16/2000)

Pro Day Testing Results

Arm length: 30 ¼”
Wingspan: 72”
Hand size: 9½”
40-yard-dash: 4:59
10-yard-split: 1.70
Vertical jump: 35”
Broad jump: 9’8”
Short-shuttle: 4.40
3-cone: 7.18
Bench press: 22

A former two-star recruit out of Colerain High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was the 142nd inside linebacker and the 110th Ohio recruit in the 2019 recruiting cycle. Pace Jr. also played fullback in Colerian’s triple-option offense. As a linebacker in high school, Pace Jr. was named Ohio’s Defensive Player of the Year. He also was an excellent wrestler who won a conference title in the 220-pound weight class.

Notables

Pace Jr.’s size led to a very shallow pool of interest for his collegiate career. He stayed in Cincinnati and became a Bearcat, where he thrived in his junior and senior seasons while also recording a team-leading seven sacks in 2019. [STATS]

Pace recorded 55 pressures in 2022 when he was a Unanimous First Team All-American and a Butkus Award Finalist, Chuck Bednarik Award Finalist, and Pro Football Focus’ Second-Highest rated Defensive Player in college football; he also had the highest pass-rushing grade of all draft-eligible prospects. Pace’s senior season also earned him the AAC Defensive Player of the Year. He attended the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he became a darling of the draft.

Strengths

Undersized with a muscular frame
Good athlete with excellent burst and short-area quickness
Plays very low to the ground
Good flexion in his lower-body
Closing speed into the pocket is excellent
Good redirection ability and COD when in hot pursuit
Can bend and keep shoulders square to target when blitzing
Packs a punch with solid overall play strength
Shockingly effective on the blitz
Led college LBs with 55 pressures in 2022
Excellent contact balance when blitzing
Stays very low coming forward with bend, violence, active hands, and pass-rushing moves
Understands how to counter and forces OL to lunge
Elite penitration skills - size helps him slip through cracks, does an excellent job executing angles when moving forward
Elite competitive toughness - tracks down from the backside
Smart in zone coverage - reads quarterback’s eyes
Floor is elite special teams player

Weaknesses

Poor size and length
An outlier - 1st percentile height, 3rd percentile length
Could be limited in man coverage at the next level
Gets eliminated in the run game by climbing IOL when they get on his toes

Has to rely on quickness and quick processing to avoid climbing IOL

Length is a big issue in stack & shed situations
Much more effective on blitz or coming forward
Can be over-energized and overpursue
What position will he play at the next level?

Get More 2023 Draft Profiles here.

Summary

Ivan Pace Jr. became the first player in Cincinnati’s program to earn Unanimous All-American honors. Pace Jr. is surprisingly strong with an elite ability to pressure the quarterback due to his burst, ability to slip past blocks, his active hands, and his understanding of pass-rushing moves. His overall fit at the next level would be an undersized situational pass-rusher who may struggle to find the field on early downs.

Pace Jr.’s size works to his advantage with his best traits - being a difficult target to block on the blitz. Still, it also is a disadvantage when executing most other linebacking assignments.

He’s feisty, quick, fun, and violent. A team could fall in love with him. The Giants selected Micah McFadden last year on day three out of Indiana; Pace Jr. is a better version of McFadden, but he could have similar limitations in coverage.

GRADE: 6.0D