Felix Anudike-Uzomah, EDGE Kansas State: Offseason 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Anudike-Uzomah was a three-star recruit from Lee's Summit High School in Lee Summit, Mo. in the class of 2020

Felix Anudike-Uzomah burst onto the national scene in 2021 by producing 11 sacks and walking away as the Big 12 Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year. The former three-star recruit still has plenty to prove ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, but he has the potential to go in the top 50 selections.

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Felix Anudike-Uzomah, EDGE Kansas State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior defensive end from Kansas City, Mo.

Background: Anudike-Uzomah was a three-star recruit from Lee's Summit High School in Lee Summit, Mo. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 2,421 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 2,347 for On3.com. Anudike-Uzomah was an unranked two-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 71 grade out of 100. As a high school junior, he totaled 77 tackles, five sacks, and 20 tackles for loss. Anudike-Uzomah finished his three-year high school career with 184 tackles, 13 sacks, and 55 tackles for loss. He originally committed to North Dakota State before switching to Kansas State. The Missouri native has one brother, Celestine, and two sisters, Destiny and Vanessa. Anudike-Uzomah was born on Jan. 24, 2002.

2021 Production: 13 games, 52 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 43 pressures, 11 sacks, 6 forced fumbles

2020 Production: 5 games, 3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 4 pressures, 1 sack

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed spring activities in 2022 after surgery

Awards: 2021 First-Team All-Big 12, 2021 Big 12 Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year, 2021 Honorable Mention Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (Coaches), 2021 Third-Team All-American (Phil Steele)

Pros: Zero penalties committed in college, some experience reducing inside, special teams experience on the punt return and field goal block units, has a nose for the football, possesses the speed to make plays against the run as a backside defender, motor runs hot when chasing the quarterback, makes plays in pursuit against the run and screens, adequate arm length, uses a spin move to create space in traffic, active hands and arms look to win the tackle’s inside shoulder, used a head fake and semi-Euro step to create room around the edge against TCU (2021), makes hustle sacks because he never quits on the play, above-average lateral movement skills to redirect to the football, strong awareness of where the quarterback is at all times, instances of winning the tackle’s outside shoulder and flattening his rush against TCU (2021), two-handed punch is fairly effective, instances of great get-off leading to successful wins around the tackle’s outside shoulder

Cons: His get-off is sometimes delayed, struggled against Iowa State’s (2021) double teams and often found himself displaced five or more yards downfield, too much backward movement against the run, pop in his punch is inconsistent, needs to get his arms up for more PBUs, rarely dropped into coverage, pad level can be inconsistent, has tried but failed to execute a one-armed bull rush, gets erased by double teams, gap discipline looks concerning, spin move wasn’t consistently effective, has solid linear burst and bend but is not elite in those areas, became stuck on too many blocks in both the pass and run games

Overview: Anudike-Uzomah is unofficially listed at 6'4", 255 lbs. He applied pressure on roughly 15.4% of his pass rush attempts in 2021. Anudike-Uzomah is an above-average athlete possessing closing burst and enough agility to redirect to the football and occasionally bend around tackles. While players with similar size to Anudike-Uzomah have played outside linebacker in the past, the Kansas State product has almost no experience dropping into coverage. He plays 3-4 defensive end for the Wildcats, and his experience projects better for a down lineman at the next level. Anudike-Uzomah lacks the mass to continue his 3-4 role in the NFL, so it’s likely he’ll move to a 4-3 scheme. The rising junior is relentless in pursuit and never quits on plays. He’s begun developing pass rush moves, setups, and counters, including a spin move and a two-armed punch and rip. However, Anudike-Uzomah’s get-off and play strength aren’t always consistent. He also struggles after his initial move fails and becomes zeroed out on too many plays as a pass rusher and run defender. Anudike-Uzomah struggles heavily against the run, often being sealed or displaced by linemen. He’s unable to do anything against double teams and seems to lose his spatial awareness when taking on multiple blocks against the run.

Overall, Anudike-Uzomah has flashed upside as a pass rusher with above-average athleticism and a high motor. However, he’s yet to develop a signature go-to move or counter and hasn’t developed a consistent pass rush plan. Despite plays Anudike-Uzomah makes in pursuit, he’s a significant negative in the run game who will compromise his own defense’s front line. Still, he possesses too much talent to fall past the third round.

Role & Scheme Fit: Defensive end in a 4-3 scheme

Round Projection: Late Second to Mid Third

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 08-20-22