2021 NFL Draft Profiles: Should Iowa's Daviyon Nixon Interest the Jaguars?
The 2021 NFL Draft season is upon us and the first wave of free agency is now over. Now, scouts, coaches, and general managers will hit the road as all eyes will turn to the draft.
Among the 32 teams building their rosters to compete for the next Lombardi Trophy is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hold 10 picks in this season’s draft -- including the No. 1 overall pick. The Jaguars are entering a new era under Head Coach Urban Meyer, and the 2021 draft will serve as a catalyst to the Jaguars’ rebuild moving into the future.
As we march closer and closer to April’s draft, we will look at individual draft prospects and how they would potentially fit with the Jaguars. Instead of looking at any negatives, we are going to look at what the players do well and if they could match what the Jaguars need at the specific role or position.
In this edition, we review Iowa defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon. Nixon was one of the most productive defensive linemen in the nation last season, but does his skill set make sense for the Jaguars?
Overview
A three-star defensive end coming out of high school, Nixon spent one season at Iowa Western Junior College after high school. After five sacks in his lone junior college season, Nixon became a three-star JUCO prospect and committed to the Hawkeyes, redshirting in 2018.
Nixon played in 13 games in 2019 in a rotational role, collecting 29 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks as he continued to earn his way onto the field in the Hawkeyes' impressive defense. It took just that one season as a backup for Nixon to shoot to the top of the depth chart, however.
In 2020, Nixon stepped into his role as a starter and had the definition of a breakout season. He recorded 45 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble, two pass deflections, and one interception in eight games. He was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten, and was a unanimous All-American as a result of his stellar final season.
What Daviyon Nixon Does Well
One of the more explosive defensive tackles in this class, Daviyon Nixon is a prototypical three-technique prospect due to his explosive get off and overall athleticism. He played all over the line for Iowa, seeing snaps at one-technique, as a slanted nose, and head up on guards as a two-technique, but his explosive skill set best projects to three-technique where he can attack the outside shoulders of guards and get upfield.
Nixon does a terrific job of maintaining a solid pad level out of his stance, especially as a pass-rusher. His explosive first step, strength into contact, and non-stop feet help him get a lot of instant push. He could frequently find himself two to three yards in the backfield before a running back even got the handoff, a direct result of his blend of explosiveness and power.
While not all explosive defensive tackles can consistently play with leverage, Nixon is a bit uncanny with his ability to consistently get under a blocker's pads. He needs to work on disengaging, but his pure penetration into the backfield after initial contact is a big positive.
Along with his explosive get off, Nixon shows terrific body control and agility as a pass-rusher. He is relentless moving into the backfield and can turn a sliver of space into pressure. While his hands are a work in progress, he flashed a nice swipe and arm-over move. His quickness in working his feet and hands together and attacking space is special for a defensive tackle.
As a run defender, Nixon offers a non-stop motor and good lateral quickness to make plays up and down the line of scrimmage. His ability to get into the backfield creates opportunities for the rest of the defense, but his range as a tackler gives him a good chance to capitalize himself. His instincts in terms of finding the ball and reacting are a plus too as he rarely looked out of position, even on reps he didn't win.
How Daviyon Nixon Would Fit With the Jaguars
The Jaguars were busy adding defensive linemen this offseason, signing nose tackle Malcom Brown, defensive end/outside linebacker Jihad Ward, and defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris. The Jaguars also re-signed Dawuane Smoot and Adam Gotsis, retaining two of the team's most productive defensive linemen from a year ago.
But in all of these additions, the Jaguars haven't made many that are in the mold of Nixon. Robertson-Harris is a long and explosive 3-4 defensive end, but the Jaguars don't have a true three-technique on their roster outside of Taven Bryan, and he doesn't fit their new defense. Nixon would give the Jaguars an explosive presence in the middle of their defensive line that they otherwise don't have.
Considering Nixon's athleticism in space and explosive traits, it is hard to say he doesn't fit the Jaguars' defense. Players like him who can both shoot into the backfield and be a menage on stunts are hard to come by, even if he has a lot to work on in other areas. He may not be the consistent run defender the Jaguars want out of a defensive tackle, but there is at least reason to think he can improve.
In short, Nixon fits because the Jaguars are missing his type of presence along the defensive line. He isn't quite ready to be an every-down starter, but they can afford to add another body to their rotation, and doing so with an explosive pass-rusher with room to grow is a smart bet.
Verdict
Nixon can be a frustrating watch at times -- his explosive skill set is perfect for today's NFL and there are moldable traits, but there is a limited sample size of production and his ability to anchor against the run for four quarters is a question.
With this in mind, his type of athleticism at defensive tackle is something the Jaguars badly need to add. Considering him at No. 45 is likely a bit too rich considering his strengths and weaknesses and the overall weakness of this defensive tackle class, but he would be a quality selection at No. 65 overall.
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