NFL Draft prospect profile: Zacch Pickens

Measurement & Combine Results

Overview

Zacch Pickens was highly touted coming out of high school, being ranked as the No. 1 defensive tackle in the 2019 recruiting class and finishing as the No. 8 overall recruit in the country. He was also the No. 1 recruit in South Carolina, ahead of Gamecocks teammate Cam Smith. Pickens was a five-star prospect and lived up to expectations during his time at South Carolina, becoming the third top-ranked recruit ever to sign with the Gamecocks, behind only Jadeveon Clowney and Marcus Lattimore. In 2022, he was named Second Team All-SEC, team MVP, and team captain, solidifying his position as a top draft prospect in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.

Positives

• He effectively utilizes his long arms and large hands to dominate in initial contact on the field.
• Has a good ability to recognize and respond to blocking schemes in the run game. He effectively utilizes his power and length to press and dominate against reach blocks, as well as one-on-one zone blocks.
• In the pass rush, he has the ability to create chaos for the quarterback when he wins quickly against blocks. He wins around 17% of his pass rush snaps against true pass sets, which is consistent with the mean of his class and higher than names like Siaki Ika and Gervon Dexter Sr.

Negatives

• Needs to gain more mass to improve his game. While he has an average height, his weight is only in the 15th percentile of IDL. By adding more weight, he can significantly improve his Relative Athletic Score (RAS) and potentially become one of the best in his class.
• Has a limited arsenal of moves, often relying on power-based rush moves. While he does use multiple moves, his power-based moves tend to be his go-to options.
• Can be flattened out by double teams.
• If he can’t win with his initial move, he struggles to apply pressure and often gets stood upright.
• His production in the backfield has been subpar, with only 7.5 sacks and 8 tackles for a loss in the last three years.

Draft Projection

Zacch Pickens projects as an athletic defensive tackle who has lined up as both the 1-tech and 3-tech. He projects to be a 3-tech at the next level. He has the ability to shoot gaps with quickness and control them with his strength, but needs to work on improving some of his techniques. In his first season, he is expected to be a rotational tackle, but he has a high upside for the future. He is projected to go somewhere in the middle of the draft.