New York Giants Draft Prospect: LB Kain Medrano, UCLA

Kain Medrano makes for an intriguing Day 3 developmental player/special teams guy who could also have a future at safety.

Kain Medrano, LB

Height: 6’3”
Weight: 222 lbs
Class: 6th-Year Senior
School: UCLA
Hand size: 9 ⅛”
Arm length: 32”
40-yard-dash: 4.46s
10-yard-split: 1.57s
Vertical Jump: 38”
Broad Jump: 10’5”
STATS

A former three-star recruit out of East High School in Pueblo, Colorado, where he was the 16th recruit in his state and the 131st overall athlete during the 2019 recruiting cycle. Medrano started two seasons for UCLA.

He was named Third-Team All-Big-Ten in 2024. He played 699 snaps in 2024, which was a career high for Medrano. He played a total of 1,758 collegiate snaps on defense with 609 special teams snaps.

He recorded 39 STOPs in 2024; he had 42 in his previous four seasons. Medrano was the fastest LB at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. (Forty-yard-dash of 4.46)

Strengths

Smooth explosive athlete with very good overall athletic ability
Fluid in space – can flip & turn/come to balance
Sudden mover in space
Changes direction well with very good agility
Sideline-to-sideline speed (ran fastest linebacker 40 at the NFL Combine)
RANGY!
Maximizes his play speed with good mental processing
Quick trigger with good low & controlled nature while moving
Solid ability to evade climbing OL – dips and quickly balances toward ball carrier
Good lower-body flexibility + feel to bend away from punches to avoid stack & shed
Excellent backside pursuit defender
High processor - understands where to be in run game
Good feel for blitz timing/angle into the pocket
Man coverage upside on TE/RB
Adequate overall feel as a zone coverage defender
Interesting sub-package option
Will be a great special teams’ player

Kain Medrano is the fastest of the LBs 💨

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— NFL (@NFL) February 28, 2025

Weaknesses

Looks more like a DB than a LB
Poor frame for LB is limited for more growth
Concerningly lean for a LB
Struggles to shed OL with a solid angle: stack & shed is marginal with OL engagement
Inexcusably high missed tackle rate in 2024 – 26%
Missed 20.7% of his tackles in college
Missed tackles isn’t just a play strength issue – he’s wild into contact
Must break down and focus on tackling mechanics when LIVE
Marginal overall play strength for a LB
Older player

Summary

Kain Medrano is an explosive – VERY undersized – linebacker who may eventually offer upside as a DIME/BIG-NICKEL in sub-packages at the next level.

He’s fluid like a defensive back and does well to identify his run-fit, while triggering quickly downhill to penetrate. He’s a smart overall player with an adequate feel in zone coverage and he offers upside as a man coverage defender on TEs/RBs.

Medrano has light feet and good lower-body flexion to avoid climbing OL in the run game. However, his inability to effectively secure tackles, coupled with his poor LB frame and marginal overall strength to stack & shed OL at the POA, make Medrano more of a developmental player who will initially earn time on special teams. A position change to safety is also possible.

GRADE: 6.0D

Nick Falato's Draft Grade Chart | Nick Falato

Kain Medrano, LB

Strengths

Weaknesses

Summary

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