Thomas Incoom, EDGE Central Michigan: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Incoom was a two-star tight end recruit from Stone Mountain High School in Stone Mountain, Ga. in the class of 2017

Central Michigan edge rusher Thomas Incoom was one of the Mid-American Conference’s most productive defenders in 2022. The former tight end recruit has a chance to make some serious noise in the 2023 NFL Draft with a big showing at the Senior Bowl later this month.

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Thomas Incoom, EDGE Central Michigan: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior defensive end from Stone Mountain, Ga.

Background: Incoom was a two-star tight end recruit from Stone Mountain High School in Stone Mountain, Ga. in the class of 2017. He was the No. 2,663 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 2,513 (three-star) for On3.com. Incoom was an unranked two-star recruit for Rivals and didn’t receive a star ranking or grade out of 100 from ESPN. He attended Valdosta State for four years before transferring to Central Michigan ahead of the 2021 season. Incoom made the full-time transition from tight end to defensive end during his time with the Blazers.

2022 Production: 12 games, 57 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 43 pressures, 11.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 defensive touchdown

2021 Production: 13 games, 28 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 30 pressures, 4 sacks

2020 Production: Season Canceled: COVID-19

2019 Production: 11 games, 33 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 2 passes defensed

2018 Production: 14 games, 28 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks

2017 Production: (Redshirt Year)

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2019 First-Team All-Gulf South Conference, 2022 First-Team All-MAC

Pros: Special teams experience on the punt return, field goal, and field goal block units, well-built/thick frame, good weight packed into his build, rarely penalized, sturdy tackler who wraps up, good acceleration upfield off the snap, quick off the line and stresses the tackle’s outside shoulder with speed, strength to maintain trajectory while working through half-man rush, swats the tackle’s hands, push-pull move, rip move, swim move, speed rush, long-arm, chained a long-arm into a swim against LSU (2021), two-armed bull rush, understands how to chain multiple moves together in a pass rush plan, plays with leverage, reactionary athleticism to close rush lanes, aggressive and powerful hands, upper body strength to pull himself through against linemen, fast and light feet, posted two wins to Penn State (2022) LT Olumuyiwa Fashanu’s inside shoulder, patiently reads the QB-RB exchange

Cons: Age, arm length is shorter than ideal, limited bend off the edge, inconsistent competition level, needs to attack inside rush lanes more often, focus on rushing the quarterback sometimes opens run lanes, displaced in the run game when linemen get vertical, largely contained against Penn State (2022) on reps versus LT Olumuyiwa Fashanu, effectiveness drops off when he doesn’t get a quick initial jump, still relies more on his physical gifts down-to-down than his technical development, hand counters remain underdeveloped, footwork isn’t weaponized enough, rush gets too far upfield at times, lacks a developed spin move, doesn’t hammer pulling guards, overruns plays and opens cutback lanes, sealed inside against the run, inconsistent anchor in run support, pursuit speed is good but not great, doesn’t get his hands up for PBUs

Overview: Incoom is unofficially listed at 6'4", 265 lbs. He applied pressure on 14.71% of his pass rushing snaps in 2021 and 11.17% in 2022. Incoom has a thick, well-built frame that he carries with few to no physical limitations. He rushed from two and three-point stances as a 4-3 defensive end at Central Michigan but projects best as a 3-4 outside linebacker at the next level. As a pass rusher, Incoom quickly accelerates upfield off the snap to stress the tackle’s outside shoulder with his speed. He displays the strength and balance to maintain his trajectory while working through the half-man portion of his rush. The All-MAC edge rusher swats the tackle’s hands with his own aggressive and powerful hands. He uses a push-pull move, rip move, swim move, speed rush, long-arm, and two-armed bull rush as part of his pass rush plan. Incoom understands how to chain multiple moves together. For example, he carried a long-arm into a swim move against LSU (2021). Incoom has the upper body strength to pull himself through once he’s even with the tackle’s shoulder. He usually plays with proper leverage, which unlocks the power elements of his game. The redshirt senior needs to show more flashes of converting speed to power, considering his quick reaction to the snap, violent hands, and acceleration. In 2022, Penn State left tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu began to overset against Incoom because of the Central Michigan defender’s acceleration and speed around the outside. That opened opportunities for Incoom to attack Fashanu’s inside shoulder, which he did to the tune of two pressures against Penn State. While he’s starting to take advantage of inside rush lanes, there’s room for him to take those lanes more often once he sets them up with better footwork. Incoom has fast and light feet and the reactionary athleticism to close rush lanes quickly. He’s a sturdy tackler who usually wraps up. Incoom made a number of splash plays against the run at Central Michigan, but he was unblocked and allowed to read the play in many of those instances. The former Valdosta State star is on the older side for a prospect, and he doesn’t have ideal arm length. Incoom has some ability to flatten his rush angle, but he only displays limited bend. He thrived at Central Michigan but faced inconsistent levels of competition. As a pass rusher, Incoom’s effectiveness drops off when he doesn’t get a quick initial jump. He still relies more on his physical gifts down-to-down than his technical development. Despite his age, Incoom has significant room for growth in his hand counters and footwork. He doesn’t have a spin move in his arsenal, which would be great for the instances where his rush carries him too far upfield. More developed pass rushers usually spin back into the pocket, but Incoom hasn’t made that move yet. He was largely contained against Penn State (2022) on reps versus LT Olumuyiwa Fashanu. The Georgia native’s focus on rushing the quarterback sometimes opens run lanes. He needs to be more mindful of gap integrity and cut out the instances when he overruns plays, opening cutback lanes. Offensive linemen climbing vertically frequently displace Incoom, who displays an inconsistent anchor in run support. The edge rusher is easily sealed inside against the run, although he hustles to get back into the play. Incoom’s pursuit speed is good but not great. He doesn’t get his hands in passing lanes right now but has a history of forcing fumbles.

Overall, Incoom is one of the best speed rushers in the draft and already has a developed bag of pass rush moves, but he needs to perfect his hand counters and footwork and show more consistency against the run. Incoom’s age and arm length will likely prevent him from going in the top 100, but his high-end flashes should captivate teams in the fourth round.

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

Round Projection: Late Third to Late Fourth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 01-18-23