Trevin Wallace, LB Kentucky: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Wallace was a four-star recruit from Wayne County High School in Jesup, Ga. in the class of 2021
Kentucky linebacker Trevin Wallace is a developmental prospect, but he has the physical tools to sneak into the top 100 picks of the 2024 NFL Draft in a weak linebacker class. Check out his prospect report below.
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Trevin Wallace, LB Kentucky: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Junior weakside linebacker from Jesup, Ga.
Background: Wallace was a four-star recruit from Wayne County High School in Jesup, Ga. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 141 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 104 for On3.com. Wallace was an unranked four-star recruit for Rivals. ESPN ranked him 216th in the nation with an 83 grade out of 100. Wallace was a two-way player in high school who played receiver, running back, quarterback, and multiple linebacker spots while returning kicks and punts. As a high school senior, he amassed 96 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, five sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception. That year, he also carried the ball 78 times for 910 yards and seven touchdowns while making ten receptions for 79 yards. Wallace was the 2020 Gibson Animal Clinic Defensive Player of the Year and a Sports Illustrated All-American. He lettered four times on the track team, competing in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 100-meter hurdles, high jump, long jump, and shot put. He ran an 11.08 100-meter dash. Wallace broke his high school’s record with a 23’ 4.25” long jump. He also won the state weightlifting championship with a power clean of 335 pounds. Wallace’s uncle, Robert Bryant, was a linebacker at Oklahoma from 2009-11.
Injuries & Off-Field: Junior high school season shortened to four games by injury, missed 2022 season opener with an injury
Awards: 2021 All-SEC Freshman Team
Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, rarely penalized, arm length, room on frame to add mass, above-average speed and range vs. run and pass, good closing burst, pursuit range, explosive downhill run defender, vision into the backfield improved in 2023, quick shuffle to get around and behind offensive tackles in the run game, meets RBs in the hole and drives them back, physical finisher, tackle radius, wrap-up form tackler, gains depth quickly in coverage, range in zone opens coverage options, athletic traits offer potential covering tight ends, some good reps covering Brock Bowers in man and zone (2023)
Cons: Body needs to fill out to increase play strength, opens his hips too early in plays causing delays when changing direction, runs himself out of position, falls for misdirection, drawn downhill by play action, displaced by climbing offensive linemen, doesn’t flash the twitch to make blockers miss, hand placement is wide during block deconstruction, hands aren’t rapid or violent against blocks, hands lack consistent pop on contact, block deconstruction is developmental, some missed tackle opportunities because he didn’t separate from blocks, moved by eye manipulation, inconsistent zone coverage discipline, needs to be more poised in coverage, grabby in man coverage, needs more experience in man coverage
Overview: Wallace has special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. He is on the smaller size as far as height goes, but otherwise he has an NFL-caliber frame with long arms (33 inches) and room to add muscle mass. Wallace was a Freaks List selection for Bruce Feldman of The Athletic last summer. According to Feldman, Wallace won the state weightlifting title with a 335-pound power clean in high school and is an explosive jumper. He has hit 22 miles per hour on the GPS, jumps 38.5 inches in the vertical, power cleans 380 lbs., and squats almost 600 lbs. Wallace pairs his power with above-average speed and range in the run and pass game. He has good closing burst and is an explosive downhill run defender. His vision fitting the run really improved in 2023. The Georgia native has developed a quick shuffle that allows him to slide past and then behind offensive tackles in the run game. Wallace isn’t afraid to meet running backs in the hole and drive them backward. He is a physical, wrap-up tackler with a good tackle radius. Wallace gains depth quickly in coverage and has the range to take on a wider array of coverage assignments in the NFL. His athletic traits offer potential covering tight ends, and some of his best coverage reps from 2023 came against Georgia’s Brock Bowers. Wallace’s body still needs to fill out to increase his play strength. He opens his hips too early in plays, which causes delays when changing direction. The junior runs himself out of position, falls for misdirection too easily, and is drawn downhill by play action. Climbing offensive linemen displace Wallace because he lacks the twitch and elusiveness to make blockers miss. His hand placement is wide during block deconstruction, and his hands aren’t rapid or violent against blocks. The former four-star recruit’s hands also lack pop on contact. His block deconstruction is still developmental. Wallace misses out on some tackle opportunities because he is stuck on blocks. Eye manipulation moves him in coverage. He has inconsistent zone coverage discipline and needs to show more poise in coverage. Wallace becomes grabby in man coverage, but more experience in this area should iron out some of the flaws.
Overall, Wallace has the tools and athleticism to develop into a starting-caliber NFL linebacker, but his lack of experience limits his current level of play. Wallace is a traits-based early day three pick who could go late on day two because of the need for promising young linebackers in a weak linebacker class.
Role & Scheme Fit: Weakside linebacker in a 4-3 scheme
Round Projection: Late Third to Mid Fourth
Size: 6012, 244 lbs. (Senior Bowl)
Submitted: 02-06-24