Power Echols, LB North Carolina: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Echols was a four-star recruit Julius L. Chambers High School (formerly known as Vance High School) in Charlotte, N.C. in the class of 2021

Power Echols isn’t the top linebacker on the North Carolina Tar Heels, but NFL teams will love his athleticism, effort, and leadership. Echols projects as a day three pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Power Echols, LB North Carolina: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior MIKE linebacker from Charlotte, N.C.

Background: Echols was a four-star recruit from Julius L. Chambers High School (formerly known as Vance High School) in Charlotte, N.C. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 128 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 157 for Rivals, and No. 159 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 155th in the nation with an 83 grade out of 100. Echols totaled 389 tackles, including 57 for loss with 28 sacks, and 11 forced fumbles during his three high school seasons. He was on the Butkus Award watch list as a senior. He was the Charlotte Observer Defensive Player of the Year and an All-State selection twice. As a junior, Echols amassed 156 tackles, including 22 for loss with 14 sacks, and seven forced fumbles. He guided Vance to state and regional championships and was the MVP of the state title game. Echols was a MaxPreps All-American, an ALL-USA North Carolina selection, and an All-State performer as a sophomore. That was the first year he won the Charlotte Observer Defensive Player of the Year award. He tallied 162 tackles, including 23 for loss with eight sacks, two interceptions, and four forced fumbles as a sophomore. He led Vance to a regional championship that season. As a freshman, Echols recorded 71 tackles with 12 tackles for loss, six sacks, and two forced fumbles. He also participated in basketball for two years and track and field for three years. Echols’ father, Brian, played football at Michigan State before spending time with the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets in the NFL. Power Echols’ mother, Astarlove, played on Western Michigan’s basketball team.

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2022 Honorable Mention All-ACC, 2022 Team Captain

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, zero penalties committed in 2022, motor runs hot, sudden and urgent mover, rangy defender, very active and looking for extra work, closing burst, mobility to spy quarterbacks, beats linemen to their spots, swim move, burst and gets skinny to shoot gaps, linemen struggle to mirror his speed and agility on blitzes, identifies and fills gaps quickly, mirrors ball carrier to meet them when they cross the LOS, speed and mobility are a plus in coverage, speed to bracket slot receivers vertically, reads the quarterback’s eyes, aggressive and sticky in man coverage, snaps to pass catchers at the top of the stem, speed to cover running backs in man easily, presses running back wheel routes along the sideline, bumps tight ends off their routes, puts good force into his tackles for a smaller player

Cons: Lean frame, undersized, high-hipped with thin waist, arm length is good but not elite, short strider, hips appear to lock up at times, lacks play strength of a traditional off-ball linebacker, pancaked by climbing or pulling linemen, easily displaced by linemen or tight ends, will be singled out by offenses looking to run the ball, sucked downhill by play action, action in the backfield leads to him allowing pass catchers over his head, late to recognize receiving concepts, doesn’t get hands up and into passing lanes often, grabby in coverage, limited awareness outside his cone of vision, outmatched at the catch point by tight ends, slips off tackles, poor tackle strength when he goes low

Overview: Echols has special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. He is a feisty, ultra-competitive linebacker with a hot motor. Echols is a rangy defender who moves suddenly and urgently. He is always looking for extra work. Echols’ closing burst pops on film. He has the mobility to spy quarterbacks and beat linemen to their spots. The junior uses a swim move and gets skinny to burst through gaps. Linemen struggle to mirror his speed and agility on blitzes. He identifies and fills gaps quickly and mirrors ball carriers to meet them when they cross the line of scrimmage. Echols’ speed and mobility make him an asset in coverage. He has the speed to bracket slot receivers vertically. Echols reads the quarterback’s eyes and is aggressive and sticky in man coverage. He snaps to pass catchers at the top of the stem and uses his speed to cover running backs easily. The North Carolina native presses running back wheel routes along the sideline and bumps tight ends off their routes. He puts good force into his tackles for a smaller player. Echols is an undersized linebacker with a lean frame. He is high-hipped with a thin waist, and his arm length is good but not great. Echols is a short strider whose hips appear to lock up at times. He lacks the play strength and size of a traditional off-ball linebacker. Climbing linemen often pancake him, and linemen or tight ends displace him with ease. Offenses might single him out when looking for weaknesses to run the ball toward. Echols is sucked downhill by play action, leading to catches over his head. He is late to recognize receiving concepts and doesn’t get his hands up and into passing lanes often. Echols is grabby in coverage. His awareness seems largely limited to his cone of vision. The North Carolina team captain is outmatched at the catch point by tight ends. He frequently slips off tackles.

Overall, Echols is an aggressive, undersized linebacker with excellent closing burst and upside in coverage. He lacks the size and power to play a full-time stack linebacker role in the NFL. Echols will likely find a home on special teams and as a subpackage defender who matches up with tight ends or running backs on passing downs.

Role & Scheme Fit: Passing down second level subpackage defender

Round Projection: Sixth Round

Size: 6'0", 225 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 09-14-23