Ivan Pace Jr., LB Cincinnati: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Pace was a two-star recruit from Colerain High School in Cincinnati, Ohio in the class of 2019

Cincinnati Bearcats All-American linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. was one of the nation’s most productive linebackers in 2022. The former Miami (OH) transfer showed several enticing traits as an attacking, downhill linebacker. He’ll fight for a Day 3 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Ivan Pace Jr., LB Cincinnati: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Background: Pace was a two-star recruit from Colerain High School in Cincinnati, Ohio in the class of 2019. He was the No. 3,045 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 2,573 (three-star) for On3.com. Pace was an unranked two-star recruit for Rivals. He did not receive a star ranking or grade from ESPN. Pace served as a team captain during his senior year of high school. That season, he was the Division I Defensive Player of the Year and amassed 84 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles on defense. Pace ran for 1,414 yards and 22 touchdowns on offense, leading Colerain High School to a 14-1 record and a spot in the state title game. Before transferring from Miami (OH) to Cincinnati, Pace tied the NCAA single-game record for sacks with six against Akron in 2019. He transferred to Cincinnati ahead of the 2022 season to play with his younger brother, linebacker Deshawn Pace. Deshawn was a three-star safety recruit who transitioned to linebacker once joining the Bearcats. The younger brother was an All-American Athletic Conference honorable mention in 2021. The older Pace was born on Dec. 16, 2000.

2022 Production: 13 games, 136 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, 54 pressures, 9 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 4 passes defensed

2021 Production: 13 games, 125 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 21 pressures, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception, 3 passes defensed

2020 Production: 3 games, 26 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 5 pressures, 2 passes defensed

2019 Production: 13 games, 19 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 19 pressures, 7 sacks

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2021 First-Team All-MAC, 2022 First-Team All-American Athletic Conference, 2022 AAC Defensive Player of the Year, 2022 First-Team All-American

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, nearly double-digit career special teams tackles, significant upside as a blitzer, strong leg drive, fires through gaps, out-leverages blockers, absolute missile coming downhill, explosive linear athlete, fast enough to cross a lineman’s face, rip move, spin move, terrific contact balance, speed mismatch for IOL, displays some ability to dip and corner around linemen, motor runs hot, offers downhill burst to make plays as a backside run defender, some experience lining up in a three-point stance along the line, gets hands in passing lanes, rallies to the ball as a secondary tackler, creates displacement by firing into the lineman at full power, slips blocks at the second level

Cons: Undersized linebacker, missed tackles are concerning, overpursues ball carriers, penalized eight times in 2022, lacks sideline-to-sideline range, pursuit speed is good but not great, arm length appears below-average, must improve angles to the football, lacks the play strength and counters to revive his pass rush once stopped, not tasked with many man coverage assignments or deep zone drops, lacks the agility to stick with tight ends, arm lengths gives him a small sphere of influence in zone coverage, role at Cincinnati isn’t typical in the NFL, displaced by climbing offensive linemen, lacks the mass and pass rush plan to play 3-4 outside linebacker, not a true bender off the edge, not twitchy or sudden, change of direction skills, lacks arm length to disengage from blocks consistently

Overview: Pace is unofficially listed at 6'0", 235 lbs. The Ohio native offers significant upside as a blitzing linebacker. He’s a missile coming downhill who generates displacement against offensive linemen with his leg drive and momentum. Pace is an explosive linear athlete who frequently stuns offensive linemen or fires through gaps when rushing the passer. The American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year plays with excellent leverage, which further helps him drive offensive linemen back or get small and shoot gaps. Pace is quick enough to cross a lineman’s face before getting backfield penetration. His speed generates a significant mismatch against interior offensive linemen, but he’ll face significantly more challenging opponents in the NFL. Pace rushes the passer with rip and spin moves. He even displays some ability to dip and corner around linemen. Pace makes the most of his terrific contact balance and high motor when clashing with larger opponents. He rallies to the ball as a secondary tackler and gets his hands in passing lanes. Pace has the downhill burst to make plays as a backside run defender. As a second-level defender, he frequently slips or slides off blocks before locating and chasing down the ball carrier. Pace’s special teams experience on kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units gives him an early path to the field as a rookie. The Miami (OH) transfer produced nine sacks in 2022 and has some experience lining up in a three-point stance along the line of scrimmage, but he lacks the mass and pass rush plan to play 3-4 outside linebacker. Pace lacks the play strength and counters to revive his pass rush once halted. The senior isn’t truly bendy as an edge rusher. He is undersized, and his arm length appears below average. Pace’s arms limit his ability to complete tackles, generate consistent separation from blocks, and completely occupy zones in coverage. The former two-star recruit lacks sideline-to-sideline range. His pursuit speed is good but not great. Pace must improve his angles to the football. He takes steep angles that result in him taking a trail position. The All-American sometimes overpursues ball carriers, creating opportunities for cutbacks. Pace lacks the agility and change of direction skills to recover from these mistakes. Climbing linemen easily displaced Pace. He wasn’t tasked with many downfield man coverage assignments or deep zone drops in 2022. Pace’s abilities to stick with tight ends in man and predict threats in zone are questionable at best.

Overall, Pace is an undersized but gutsy linebacker who does his best work charging downhill against the run or shooting gaps as a blitzer. He projects to a niche role early in his NFL career with the possibility to expand outward as he becomes more proven in diverse coverage assignments. A team might be tempted to play him as a 3-4 edge rusher, but his best role is as an off-ball linebacker.

Role & Scheme Fit: Weakside linebacker in a 4-3 scheme

Round Projection: Early Fifth to Late Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 01-19-23