Habakkuk Baldonado, EDGE Pittsburgh: Offseason 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Baldonado was a three-star recruit from Clearwater Academy International in Clearwater, Fla. in the class of 2018

Pittsburgh pass rusher Habakkuk Baldonado is a native of Italy who only spent one season playing high school football in the United States before signing with the Panthers. Baldonado has the power and play strength to attract attention in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Habakkuk Baldonado, EDGE Pittsburgh: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior defensive end from Rome, Italy

Background: Baldonado was a three-star recruit from Clearwater Academy International in Clearwater, Fla. in the class of 2018. He was the No. 885 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 918 for On3.com. Baldonado was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 77 grade out of 100. He played football for three years in Italy before spending one season at Clearwater Academy. During his lone year in an American high school, Baldonado totaled 83 tackles, 30.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries on defense. As a wide receiver, he caught nine passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns. Baldonado committed to Coastal Carolina before re-opening his recruiting process and choosing Pittsburgh. He earned his bachelor's degree in economics and is enrolled in Pitt's Katz Graduate School of Business. Baldonado was born on Sept. 6, 1999 and has one brother.

2021 Production: 14 games, 41 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 48 pressures, 9 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery

2020 Production: 4 games, 3 tackles, 6 pressures

2019 Production: 13 games, 30 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 23 pressures, 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery

2018 Production: 1 game (Redshirt Year)

Injuries & Off-Field: Tore ligaments in his elbow while at Clearwater Academy, missed seven games in 2020 with injuries

Awards: 2021 Second-Team All-ACC

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, punt return, and field goal block units, appears to have ideal arm length, uses head and arm fakes, will grip tackles and rip them down to win the outside shoulder, also uses rip techniques on tight ends, thick throughout his frame, flashes of a swim move, high motor leads to chasing play-side wide receiver screens, packs legitimate power to walk linemen back into the pocket, easily disengages and redirects to the football, active and powerful hands, uses power to manipulate the tackle and open inside rush lanes, lots of swats and swipes to attack the tackle’s hands, inside spin move, experience working from two and three-point stances, uses his strength to anchor against the run and set the edge, room to add more muscle on his frame

Cons: Age, penalized three times in 2021, needs finish more tackles, use of proper leverage is inconsistent, processing needs to speed up on quarterback-running back exchanges, lacks elite linear speed and agility, doesn’t use speed rushes, limited instances of displaying bend off the edge, tightness causes him to play upright and lack looseness, instances or running himself out of his gap in run defense, first step is inconsistent, inside spin move often takes him nowhere, needs to compress and crash down the line more on inside runs, finished to the ground by Cade Mays of Tennessee (2021) several times, balance needs to improve, hand placement/accuracy needs to improve

Overview: Baldonado is unofficially listed at 6'5", 260 lbs. He applied pressure on roughly 11.8% of his pass rushing snaps in 2021. Baldonado possesses the ideal physical traits for his power rush style. The Italy native has long arms and the grip strength to grab linemen and jostle or toss them. He is thick throughout his frame, which reinforces his style as a power rusher and helps him set hard edges against the run. Baldonado is already strong enough to anchor against the run but has room to add more muscle mass to his frame. Despite only playing football for one season in high school, Baldonado already has the beginning steps of a pass rush plan. He uses head and arm fakes to draw out the tackle, will grip and rip down linemen or tight ends, and has shown flashes of a swim move. Baldonado will walk the tackle backward while manipulating him to open interior rush lanes. He uses an inside spin move when he feels the tackle has drifted too far outside. Baldonado’s hand placement and accuracy are suspect, but he incorporates a lot of swipes and swats into his rush. He’s a high motor player who easily disengages from blocks and redirects to the football for plays in pursuit. Baldonado uses leverage inconsistently, and he needs to keep his pad level under control. He’s not an elite linear athlete and lacks the speed and agility to quickly change directions and chase down speedsters. Baldonado displays limited bend and no aptitude for speed rushes. His tight frame causes him to play upright, which explains his issues bending and winning the leverage battle. Baldonado’s first step isn’t consistent. He was finished to the ground by Cade Mays of Tennessee (2021) several times, suggesting his balance and control need to improve.

Overall, Baldonado is a power rusher with promising length and powerful hands. He’s still learning some of the position’s finer details but has massive potential if he ends up with the right coaching staff. Baldonado’s raw style and physical limitations make him an early Day 3 pick.

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

Round Projection: Early Fourth to Late Fourth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 09-11-22