Scouting Profile: Jamaree Caldwell - IDL - Oregon
Sales Pitch: Run stuffing nose tackle with surprisingly quick feet for his size. Fails to impact the game on third down but is a NFL ready interior plugger.
*Gold Numbers Indicate NCAA T-25 for 2024*
Scouting Report
Jamaree Caldwell was a unrecruited offensive line prospect from North Carolina coming out of high school. He began his collegiate career at Independence Community College, before spending two years at University of Houston and then transferring to Oregon for the 2024 season. Caldwell started all 14 games for the Ducks, logging 530 snaps and receiving Honorable Mention All-Big 10 honors.
Caldwell is a big nose tackle with a heavy-set round frame. He is a strong run defender with surprising agility and quickness for a man of his size. A shorter tackle at just over 6’ 2”, Caldwell has outstanding natural leverage as a run defender. He is easily able to drop his weight and anchor as a static single gap run defender to foil base blocks and double teams. He plays with excellent effort to fight through blocks and will split doubles late in plays to make stops in the hole. Caldwell’s quick feet allow him to maintain gap integrity when forced to move laterally against zone blocks. He shows the ability to strain and recover even if he loses the drive phase of his rep. Caldwell didn’t offer much as a pass rusher for Oregon, but in 2023 with Houston he posted 6 sacks. His go-to moves to generate pressure are the swim and bull-rush.
Caldwell is a good athlete for his size, but when stacked up against his peers at the position is below average. He is sluggish out of his stance and lacks the burst to win upfield on a consistent basis. Caldwell’s lack of explosion hampers his ability to win as a pass rusher with either speed or power. He also has very short arms (12th percentile) which limit his ability to extend and separate from blockers. Caldwell’s lack of length is an issue in the run game as well, especially when asked to execute two-gap assignments. He fails to quick shed blockers and fill his gap, because he cannot control reps very well with his shorter arms. His arm length and general lack of body control create issues as a finisher as well. Caldwell displays average balance and bend making it difficult for him to throttle down and tackle in space.
Caldwell profiles best as a single gap nose tackle with even/odd front versatility. His size, power and agility make him an excellent run defender versus all types of offensive schemes. Caldwell projects as more of an early Day-3 pick because he lacks the pass rush upside to be a three down starter, but he should be a quality rotational nose from the jump.