One of the leaders on Miami’s fast and furious stop unit in 2017 has decided to try his luck at the NFL, making the move to chase his dream by leaving school a year early.
RJ McIntosh has been a force on the Canes defensive line for the better part of 2 seasons now. After playing a bit role at defensive end as a true freshman, McIntosh moved inside to defensive tackle and flourished, becoming a mainstay on the interior and starting every game his sophomore and junior seasons. In 2017, he tied for the team lead in TFL with 12.5 and had a ridiculous 7 pass breakups, batting many passes down at the line. His efforts last season earned McIntosh second-team All-ACC recognition as well as the team defensive MVP award.
Pre-Draft Measurables
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 286 pounds
Arms: 33 7/8”
Hands: 9 3/8”
Strengths
Speed/Athleticism
McIntosh made his bones as a penetrating force on the Hurricanes’ defensive line, making frequent appearances in the opponent’s backfield. He regularly shoots gaps in the O-Line and there were many times last season where he was in the RB’s face to blow up a run before they even had time to blink. His hands and athleticism as a quicker DT allow him to rapidly beat his man into the opponent’s backfield to disrupt plays. His quick get-off and foot-speed were a nightmare for some offensive lines.
Football IQ/Awareness
McIntosh takes to coaching very well and attempts to impact the game in more ways than simply rushing into the backfield. He had seven batted down balls in 2017, showing he can recognize pass and play throwing lanes extremely effectively. McIntosh has played both end and tackle in his career and knows what each spot requires, so coaches won’t need as much effort to get him functional in either role.
Weaknesses
Playing Strength
If McIntosh is to become an NFL starter, he will have to get his play strength to a functional level in order to hold up. He is bullied out of his run fit too often and can get knocked off balance. Both his base and core aren’t developed enough for an interior NFL linemen and fail him consistently.
Pass Rush
For someone with McIntosh’s pure speed and athleticism, you would have liked to see more than 5 career sacks in 3 college seasons. If he doesn’t win his rep off the snap and the offensive guard gets his hands on him, he’s too easily snatched up and taken out of his pass rush.
Draft Projection: 3rd-5th round
McIntosh left school early and hoped to raise his stock in the pre-draft workouts to where he’d be considered a solid 2nd round pick, but that didn’t happen. From an anonymous AFC Director of Scouting: “Should have stayed in school. He needs to keep growing into his frame and get a lot stronger. You don't want to come out until you know you're ready to do battle against grown men and I don't think he's there yet." His versatility of being able to play both end and tackle in the NFL gives his value a nice boost and the potential of what he could become will attract many teams. However, he is not enough of a finished product to go in the first two rounds, and could possibly slip to the 3rd day.
RJ McIntosh has been a force on the Canes defensive line for the better part of 2 seasons now. After playing a bit role at defensive end as a true freshman, McIntosh moved inside to defensive tackle and flourished, becoming a mainstay on the interior and starting every game his sophomore and junior seasons. In 2017, he tied for the team lead in TFL with 12.5 and had a ridiculous 7 pass breakups, batting many passes down at the line. His efforts last season earned McIntosh second-team All-ACC recognition as well as the team defensive MVP award.
Pre-Draft Measurables
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 286 pounds
Arms: 33 7/8”
Hands: 9 3/8”
Strengths
Speed/Athleticism
McIntosh made his bones as a penetrating force on the Hurricanes’ defensive line, making frequent appearances in the opponent’s backfield. He regularly shoots gaps in the O-Line and there were many times last season where he was in the RB’s face to blow up a run before they even had time to blink. His hands and athleticism as a quicker DT allow him to rapidly beat his man into the opponent’s backfield to disrupt plays. His quick get-off and foot-speed were a nightmare for some offensive lines.
Football IQ/Awareness
McIntosh takes to coaching very well and attempts to impact the game in more ways than simply rushing into the backfield. He had seven batted down balls in 2017, showing he can recognize pass and play throwing lanes extremely effectively. McIntosh has played both end and tackle in his career and knows what each spot requires, so coaches won’t need as much effort to get him functional in either role.
Weaknesses
Playing Strength
If McIntosh is to become an NFL starter, he will have to get his play strength to a functional level in order to hold up. He is bullied out of his run fit too often and can get knocked off balance. Both his base and core aren’t developed enough for an interior NFL linemen and fail him consistently.
Pass Rush
For someone with McIntosh’s pure speed and athleticism, you would have liked to see more than 5 career sacks in 3 college seasons. If he doesn’t win his rep off the snap and the offensive guard gets his hands on him, he’s too easily snatched up and taken out of his pass rush.
Draft Projection: 3rd-5th round
McIntosh left school early and hoped to raise his stock in the pre-draft workouts to where he’d be considered a solid 2nd round pick, but that didn’t happen. From an anonymous AFC Director of Scouting: “Should have stayed in school. He needs to keep growing into his frame and get a lot stronger. You don't want to come out until you know you're ready to do battle against grown men and I don't think he's there yet." His versatility of being able to play both end and tackle in the NFL gives his value a nice boost and the potential of what he could become will attract many teams. However, he is not enough of a finished product to go in the first two rounds, and could possibly slip to the 3rd day.
