Nazir Stackhouse, IDL Georgia: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Stackhouse was a four-star recruit from Columbia High School in Decatur, Ga. in the class of 2020

Georgia’s Nazir Stackhouse is the latest member in a long line of successful Bulldogs defensive linemen who went on to be top 100 picks. Stackhouse projects as a third round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more opinions on prospects, clips, and the latest football content.

Nazir Stackhouse, IDL Georgia: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior nose tackle from Stone Mountain, Ga.

Background: Stackhouse was a four-star recruit from Columbia High School in Decatur, Ga. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 249 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 226 for Rivals, and No. 253 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 242nd in the nation with an 81 grade out of 100. Stackhouse began his high school career at Martin Luther King Jr. High School before transferring to Stephenson High School and eventually arriving at Columbia High School after his junior season. As a freshman in high school, he competed on the varsity football and track and field teams. Stackhouse was the 2019 Region Defensive Player of the Year and earned First Team Class 5A All-State honors from the Georgia Sports Writers Association. He earned Second Team All-State honors from the Georgia Sports Writers Association in 2018. As a freshman, Stackhouse helped lead Martin Luther King Jr. High School to a 9-2 overall record and the Region 4-6A title. He was selected to represent Team Trench Mob at The Opening 2019 Finals and earned a roster spot on USA Football’s U.S. National Team that competed in the 2020 International Bowl.

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2022 Second Team All-SEC

Pros: Quick off the line, some flashes of good lateral quickness immediately at the snap to shift gaps, good straight line speed for a big man, arm length advantage against centers, high motor player who gives effort in pursuit, thick build to absorb double teams, examples of confronting guard-tackle double teams as a 3-tech and holding his ground, flexibility in his knees to absorb contact, bend, and re-anchor, lone blockers won’t move him, stout at the point of attack, excellent gap discipline, fires hands into the center’s chest, hand placement is ideal for establishing leverage and supporting anchor, punches pack good power, flashes of resetting the line of scrimmage, breaks free from blocks to close gaps, stacks, peaks, and sheds single blocks, keeps his eyes on the ball carrier while engaged with linemen, impressive field vision, flows down the line to the football, attempts to get hands into throwing lanes, throws shoulder and arm fakes, sells stunts well, dips shoulder to get under the guard’s hands when playing 3-tech, swim move, hand swipes and swats, some ability to generate B-gap penetration, slants his body to get skinny and shoot gaps

Cons: Enters 2023 with one year of more than 150 defensive snaps, arm length will be questionable, some hip stiffness, large nose tackle with limited bend and agility, pad level rises quickly, contact balance isn’t ideal when the double team arrives late, inconsistent ability to handle double teams, too willing to flow with the offensive line laterally, pad level leaves him vulnerable to lateral displacement when blocks are slanted, sometimes the desire to penetrate leads to him opening a running lane, not quite quick enough to cross a lineman’s face, stands upright when stunting or moving off the line, shouldn’t be counted on to aid pass rush, pass rush arsenal and upside is limited, doesn’t bull rush often

Overview: Stackhouse plays everywhere from 0-tech to 3-tech for the Bulldogs. He flashes good lateral quickness immediately at the snap to shift gaps. For a defender his size, he has good straight line speed. Stackhouse’s arm length won’t impress evaluators, but he had an arm length advantage against many centers he faced in 2022. The senior is a high motor player who gives effort in pursuit. He has a thick, powerful build to absorb double teams, and there are examples on tape of him confronting guard-tackle double teams as a 3-tech and holding his ground. From an athletic standpoint, Stackhouse is not just a beefy brick in the middle. He can dip his shoulder under a guard’s attacking hands and bend a little when working a stunt. He has flexibility in his knees to absorb contact, bend, and re-anchor without giving ground. Lone blockers won’t displace Stackhouse. He is stout at the point of attack and usually plays with excellent gap discipline, but he sometimes abandons his gap in favor of penetration, which opens rushing lanes. Stackhouse fires his powerful hands into the offensive lineman’s chest with ideal placement for establishing leverage and supporting his anchor. There are flashes of the Georgia native resetting the line of scrimmage or causing the offensive line to bubble backward. He breaks free from blocks to close gaps quickly. Stackhouse stacks, peaks, and sheds single blocks at a high level while keeping his eyes on the ball carrier. His field vision and motor to flow down the line to the ball are impressive. As a pass rusher, Stackhouse throws shoulder and arm fakes, performs a swim move, swats and swipes the offensive lineman’s hands, and slants his body to get skinny and shoot gaps to cause havoc in the backfield. He applied pressure on Spencer Rattler against South Carolina in 2022, which led to a Malaki Starks interception. However, that ability to generate A or B-gap penetration is inconsistent. Stackhouse suffers from some hip stiffness and is a large nose tackle with limited bend and agility. He doesn’t have the pass rush arsenal and quickness to be counted on to produce pressure every week. The former four-star recruit’s pad level rises quickly, especially when stunting or moving off the line. His pad level leaves him vulnerable to lateral displacement when blocks are slanted. If he’s ever displaced, it’s usually laterally instead of vertically. His contact balance isn’t consistent when the double team arrives late in the play.

Overall, Stackhouse is a fantastic run-stuffer who is more athletic than your average two-down nose tackle, but he might not have a diverse enough skill set to justify playing all three downs. With NFL defenses trending back toward adding extra size on the interior, Stackhouse is clearly a top 100-caliber selection.

Role & Scheme Fit: Run-stuffing two-down nose tackle with some three-down upside

Round Projection: Third Round

Size: 6'3", 320 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 07-01-23