After a dominant 2017 season, how high could Michigan’s Maurice Hurst rise 2018 NFL draft boards? The All-American defensive tackle is a must-have prospect.
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In his four years donning the maize and blue, Maurice Hurst had a very productive career. He accumulated 130 tackles, 32 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks as a three-year starter for Jim Harbaugh. Hurst was constantly mentioned as one of the best defensive linemen in the nation in 2017, and deservedly so as he was a consensus first-team All American.
Hurst used his smaller stature to slide by bigger offensive guards in college and wreak havoc in the backfield. Will his game be able to translate to the NFL?
Strengths
As previously stated in the previous section, Hurst’s biggest strength is his quickness. Being a smaller defensive lineman, he had to rely more on his speed to get by interior lineman and excelled at the technique. His smaller stature also allowed him to have a lower center of gravity and let him be able to split double teams easier than most interior defensive linemen. Hurst also had fantastic use of his hands to shield himself from the hands of the offensive lineman and speed by them into the backfield. Hand violence and quickness are two lethal talents for any NFL defensive lineman.
Weaknesses
The biggest knock by far for Hurst is his small stature. He only stands at 6-foot-2 and 280 pounds, which makes him built more like a fire-hydrant than an NFL defensive tackle. Another weakness is his ability to battle with a lineman in the trenches in a one-on-one power situation simply because of his small stature. With time, however, Hurst will become more powerful as his pro career progresses.
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Draft Expectations
Hurst comes from the same mold of other undersized NFL defensive tackles such as John Randle, D’Marco Farr and Aaron Donald. What they all lacked in size they made up with hard work with quickness and hand violence and heart, which can go a long way for any prospect. Hurst has the potential to be a disruptor, especially in the right defensive scheme.
Prediction: Mid first round to early second round.