Pass Rushing
As opposed to the run game, nose tackles generally take a back seat on passing downs. Star Lotulelei was very limited as a pass rusher beyond his ability to push the pocket; Dontari Poe is a far better pass rusher, often attracting inside help on passing downs, but very few are consistent pass rushing threats. Not so with Vea. As with Poe, Vea’s stack-and-shed move allows him to be effective off play-action as he can stack the guard and then disengage in a controlled fashion, and doesn’t force him to make sideways movement which can cause gap-discipline issues in the running game:
As with the running game, Vea’s hand usage is a major part of what allows him to be so effective. He even shows the same inside swim move that Poe has used very effectively in his career:
Where he goes beyond Poe is in his use of pass rushing subtleties in order to get pressure; an example of this is a hesitation-and-go move where he fakes outside the guard and then cuts back inside and drives towards the quarterback.
This requires good hand placement in order to sidestep the guard and makes use of Vea’s remarkable quickness. This move is usually something exhibited by speed-rushing defensive ends, and to see it from a nose tackle is unprecedented. That is not to say that Vea can’t also use his power to be effective, as on the next play he shows the ability to effectively stiff-arm blocks in order to get pressure.
Sometimes a guard gets blown backwards if they are completely off balance, but the guard actually appears to show a decent pad level and yet Vea is still able to completely blow him aside. This ability to use both power and speed moves is rare, and creates real issues for anybody trying to block him. Unsurprisingly, teams often looked to double team Vea, even on passing downs.
By being able to force that second block, Vea takes help away from other defenders and is still able to push the pocket at the same time, and on occasion even showed the ability to split the double teams and still get pressure:
By maintaining a good pad level, he is able to drive to blockers upwards creating leverage for him to push through and get to the quarterback. While this is never going to be a staple of his pass rush, it shows an ability and desire to be effective, even when forcing help.
As impressive as Vea’s ability to shed blocks and get to the quarterback is, what is almost more impressive is how he is able to be effective even while being blocked. Vea shows a great awareness for what is happening around him and continue to push and work even once block, using his strong arms to direct blockers and create pressure. On both of the following plays, the guards do a good job of staying in front of him but he is still able to have a wrecking ball-like effect on the pocket:
Vea is not just good, as a prospect he is almost unmatched, and while that in itself doesn’t guarantee success, he is certainly the most athletic nose tackle prospect since at least Dontari Poe; while his pad level could be more consistent, he is far more technically developed than Poe, the former 11th overall pick, was at this stage and exhibits some skills that I am not sure have been seen on an NFL field before at the nose tackle position. Nose tackle isn’t a need for the Panthers, but it would be hard to pass on a player like this.
NFL Best Case Comparison: Warren Sapp
NFL Worst Case Comparison: Danny Shelton
Grade; A+
One Sentence to gush about Vea to your friends: “His combination of power, quickness and hand usage make him arguably the best nose tackle prospect in a generation. There are areas he can improve on, but Vea should be a staple in NFL backfields for years to come.”
