Analysis of Draft Picks & Undrafted Rookie Free Agents

Kyler Baugh- DT, Undrafted Rookie Free Agent, Minnesota, (6'3"/305#)

I was able to get some good information on Baugh and got to watch a few of his games.
These are his career stats. and they aren't too shabby.

Baugh's career stats., Games Played- 51, Tot. Tckls.- 164, Tot. Solo Tkls.- 70, Tot. Assists.- 94, TFL's- 21.5, Sacks- 9.5, Passes Def.- 8. He plated 5 yrs. of college ball and was a 4 yr. starter.

The Positives:
Baugh has a big, thick, athletic build of a body. He is a gap disruptor who moves well upfield, he has good use of his hands at the point of attack and he doesn't allow the offensive lineman to get good hand placement on his body. Baugh gets good push upfield in pass defense, he is is also a very good run stuffer. He displays very good ability at disengaging blocks and runs downplay to make tackles in goal-line situations. He does a good job of closing off run run lanes forcing ball carriers to bounce outside. Baugh has a relentless motor and very good play strength. He gets off his blocks and runs downplay with violence to make tackles on ball carriers

The Negatives;
Baugh needs to be more consistent keeping his eyes in the backfield. He will occasionally overrun plays. Baugh can get overaggressive and needs to be more consistent slowing down and sinking his hips to gain better balance to stay square against O-Linemen. He has some trouble at times disengaging combo blocks at the line of scrimmage and gets washed out of position resulting in him losing his leverage.

My Final Thoughts:
In Baugh I see an athletic defensive tackle, who has quick penetration skills and attracts double-teams due to his ability to disrupt run gaps. He's also scheme versatile, he can play in either a 4-3/3-4 defensive schemes, rotating from 0-Tech., 1-Tech. and 3-Tech. He can take on combo blocks to allow other D-Linemen and LB's to engage and make plays in the pocket. Baugh could develop into a good quality DT, he just needs to be more consistent with certain aspects of his game. Hopefully our defensive coaching staff can help his correct the inconsistencies and help him develop. In reality, I don't see Baugh making the final 53, unless something like he outperforms other DT's or God forbid, injuries happen to push him up the list. Right now the Saints have a log jam at the DT position. but He is a perfect candidate for the practice squad further development.