R.J. McIntosh Has The Building Blocks To Be A Disruptive DL With Starter Potential

R.J. McIntosh, DL
School: Miami | Conference: ACC
College Experience: Junior | Age: 21?
Height / Weight: 6-4 / 286 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 3rd Round or 4th Round
NFL Comparison: Ethan Westbrooks

College Statistics

Player Overview

R.J. McIntosh was a 3-star recruit from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Miami nabbed him over rival Florida and he was one of Miami’s best defensive lineman last season. McIntosh is the oldest of 3 brothers who also play football. His brother Deon McIntosh is a WR at Notre Dame who just finished a RS Freshman season. His other brother Kenny is a highly touted RB recruit who has yet to make a commitment but has received offers from Alabama, Georgia, Miami, and Michigan to name a few. McIntosh is close to his teammate and fellow DT Kendrick Norton Jr. and their decisions to declare early were linked together. McIntosh uses his quickness off the snap to get penetration into the backfield. He plays with good awareness and vision as well and rarely loses sight of the ball. He also has great pursuit ability and can really put the pressure on the QB. McIntosh needs to get better at fighting double teams, his contact balance needs work, he needs to get stronger, and he must finish consistently. He has the tools though to be a solid rotational 3-4 DE and has a chance to develop and become a starter.

Strengths

• Good size and length and athleticism for the position. Wins with his quickness off the snap and has an excellent motor. Very fluid for a guy his size.
• Has an arm over move he used to split the OL and a spin move that can make linemen look silly. His pursuit speed is good and he can close quickly.
• An instinctive player that plays with good vision and can sniff out plays before they get started. Competitive as a pass rusher and a run defender.
• Defends the pass and is very active with his hands at the LOS with impressive pass defended numbers for a DL.

Weaknesses

• Needs to get stronger and refine his technique especially his footwork. Contact balance is just ok but if an OL gets to his legs or wins the leverage battle he’s out of the play.
• Still learning how to chain his pass rush moves together. If his initial move doesn't work he can get tied up and become stagnant.
• Needs to learn how to finish the QB more consistently.

Let's see his work:

More R.J. McIntosh videos

How He Would Fit On The Redskins

McIntosh has clear upside in my opinion as a run defender and a pass rusher. His length and quickness are rare in a lot of DL especially compared to other prospects in this draft. He like his teammate Norton Jr. came out too early in the view of many including myself. McIntosh is still developing his body and strength and it shows up on tape. He can win with his quickness but he is not winning a strength battle if he is tied up with an NFL offensive lineman. I think his awareness and vision are impressive as well and I think overall he shows good promise if he is developed. He will take some time. Adding strength will likely take an entire season and improving his base, balance, and footwork may take that long as well not to mention he still needs to improve his hand fighting and ability to chain moves. Still he has the raw talent to come in and contribute to the Redskins DL rotation. Investing in a guy like McIntosh would allow the Redskins to move on from players like Ziggy Hood (FA and 31) and Terrell McClain (potentially 4.5M in cap savings in 2019) the season after next. I also can’t help but see some similarities between McIntosh and Anthony Lanier as well and I think McIntosh can make the jump Lanier did this year learning under the best position coach in the NFL.