Washington Redskins Draft Profiles: Louis Nix, DL

Louis Nix

Defensive Lineman

Height: 6'2.5", Weight: 340 lbs

Notre Dame

Strengths: For starters, he's built like an ox. His size alone is a huge strength and helps him to be unmovable and almost always fill his gap. He has the ability to eat up blockers and/or rush the QB. When he's not occupying multiple blockers, Nix can frequently get through the line and blow up a RB in the backfield before a play even gets going. He has a great bull-rush that allows him to collapse the pocket and prevents the opposing QB from stepping up. This also creates a lot of sack opportunities for others on the defense. His size also helps with another thing; the guy doesn't get knocked off the LoS... even against double teams. He's nearly impossible to move.

In addition to his great size, Nix is also incredibly nimble, quick, and explosive for someone that weighs 340 lbs. He's much faster than he looks. Couple that with his great motor and you've got an excellent defensive lineman. On the rare occasion he only faces a single blocker, he uses his combination of size, athleticism, and quickness to quickly shed the blocker and disrupt the backfield.

Weaknesses: Nix has had knee issues the last two years. Two years ago, he had knee tendinitis. Rather than having anything done about it in the offseason, he came back this past season and tried to play through it. The result was a torn meniscus that ended his year early. He had to have surgery.

Another potential weakness for Nix is his conditioning (or lack thereof). He showed up at the start of this past season significantly out-of-shape and it affected him. After what happened with LeRibeus in college and then again before this past season, this is a red flag.

Bottom Line: "Irish Chocolate" as Nix calls himself is a special DL talent. He's considered by most to be the best NT available in the draft this year and has the tools to play not only NT, but also DT in a 4-3 scheme. He has great size and agility and will most likely be an NFL starter from day one.

Player Comparison: B.J. Raji/Vince Wilfork

Projected Round: 1. He'll probably go around the middle of the first round but could garner interest in the top 10.

Team(s) He Fits Best On: Steelers or Packers

Louis Nix III vs Alabama 2013 BCS Championship (via JPDraftJedi)