Scouting Profile: Darius Alexander - IDL - Toledo
Sales Pitch: Athletic linemen with ideal size and length. Stiff upright frame limits his lateral quickness but has the skillset to be a versatile 3-down defender.
*Gold Numbers Indicate NCAA T-25 for 2024*
Scouting Report
Darius Alexander is a former 2-Star recruit from the state of Indiana. He was a 4 year contributor for the Rockets, starting 27 games across 5 seasons. Alexander was a two-time All-MAC honoree in both 2023 and 2024.
Alexander is a powerful defender with ideal size and length for the position. He is a good straight-line athlete with plus burst and change of direction skills. Alexander shows the ability to win with both speed and power as a pass rusher. He drives out of his stance with a low pad level that allows him to convert his burst into strike power and get initial knockback. His is able to extend his long arms and separate as a rusher to either drive through the chest or the outside shoulder of linemen. He has the ability to use a push-pull and swim-move as a counter to his bull-rush as well. Alexander displays the lateral agility and pass rush arsenal to quickly counter across the face of blockers when his initial attempt fails, and even when he cannot home, he uses his long arms to disrupt throwing lanes with 11 batted passes in his career. As a run defender, Alexander is at his best when being attacked downhill, where his size and strength allows him to anchor at the point of attack. His long arms are able to hold linemen at bay, and quickly deconstruct blocks. Alexander also shows the quickness and block shed ability to win upfield as a penetrator as well.
Alexander has a boxy frame that limits his lateral quickness and fluidity. He can struggle to convert pressures into sacks because of a lack of flexibility. He is easily moved off his rush path if he doesn’t win quickly, and struggles to drop his weight and bend into the pocket. As a run defender Alexander is far less effective when forced to play on the move. His angles when matching zone concepts are inconsistent, and allows blockers to get around and seal him. Alexander also struggles to maintain a low pad level versus horizontal blocks and gets moved off the ball far more easily by double teams. His length and block shed ability indicate the potential to thrive as a two gap defender, but his processing ability holds him back. Alexander has a bad habit of dipping his head to take on contact and losing track of ball carriers. He is slow to shed and fill his gap when he tasked with manning multiple assignments.
Alexander profiles as a B-Gap defender in either an odd or even front. His size, length and athleticism are all above average for an NFL player and give him good upside as a starter. While Alexander still requires some refinement despite being a 5th year player, his physical traits make him a fringe Top-50 player in the class.