Zacch Pickens, IDL South Carolina: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Pickens was a five-star recruit from T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson, S.C. in the class of 2019

South Carolina defensive tackle Zacch Pickens isn’t a high-level run stopper or pass rusher, but he offers a nice blend of traits for a Day 3 selection. Pickens projects as a fourth or fifth round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Zacch Pickens, IDL South Carolina: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior defensive tackle from Anderson, S.C.

Background: Pickens was a five-star recruit from T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson, S.C. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 8 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 9 for Rivals, and No. 17 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 20th in the nation (four-star) with an 86 grade out of 100. As a high school senior, Pickens led T.L. Hanna to a 14-1 record and a berth in the South Carolina 5A State Championship Game. That year, he amassed 87 tackles, including 15 for loss with six sacks, and a pick-six. Pickens carried the ball 104 times for 889 yards. He earned a spot in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas and was the event’s Defensive MVP. Pickens also received an invitation to the Under Armour All-American Game. He was the 2018-19 South Carolina Gatorade Football Player of the Year and was named South Carolina’s Mr. Football. Pickens earned All-Region honors four times and All-State honors three times. The South Carolina Football Coaches Association voted him the state’s top lineman. Pickens was born on March 6, 2000. He graduated from South Carolina with a degree in sport and entertainment management.

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2019 SEC All-Freshman Team, 2019 Honorable Mention Freshman All-American (PFF), 2019-20 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll, 2020-22 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll

Pros: Excellent arm length, large mitts, plays with good leverage early in the rep, uncoils with initial explosive force, loads and extends arms to push back offensive linemen, upper body strength to torque linemen and forcibly reposition them, drives legs through contact, leg drive to walk linemen back, two-gap potential, re-anchors when initially pushed back, stacks and sheds one-on-one blocks consistently, uses long arms and a strong grip to shed blocks, heavy hands, quick reactive hands help him slip and shed blocks, quick upper body, constantly looking to redirect from blocks to the ball, arm extensions shove linemen back and generate separation, pulls linemen off balance and slides past, high motor player, plenty of effort in pursuit, good awareness of the ball carrier, swim move, club move, long-arm move, attacks the lineman’s hands, relentless pursuit of the quarterback, strength to play through contact on his way to the quarterback, bowling ball pass rusher who pinballs off linemen and creates interior chaos, gets his hands up for pass deflections

Cons: Committed five penalties in the past two years, on the lighter side for an interior player, lower half appears a bit stiff, not a sudden or twitchy athlete, pad level rises on extended plays, pad level gets too high when performing a rush move, gets caught up in the brawl of bodies, inconsistent anchor, gives ground to linemen pushing vertically, gets washed down the line, lacks ideal anchor to handle double teams, gives ground in short yardage situations, occasionally finished to the ground in the run game, sometimes runs himself out of plays by pushing vertically, pass rush arsenal and counters are limited, doesn’t have the speed to hunt down mobile quarterbacks

Overview: Pickens took official measurements at the NFL Combine. He’s 6035 and weighs 291 lbs. He has 10 3/8-inch hands, 34 3/8-inch arms, and an 81 5/8-inch wingspan. Pickens was a team captain in 2022. The former five-star recruit lined up almost everywhere for South Carolina, including 0-tech, 1-tech, 2i, 3-tech, and 4i. He has excellent arm length and large mitts. Pickens uncoils with initial explosive force and maintains good leverage early in the rep. He loads and extends his arms to push back offensive linemen. Pickens has the upper body strength to torque linemen and forcibly reposition them. His leg drive walks linemen back into the pocket. Pickens’ physical traits give him two-gap potential. He re-anchors when initially moved off the line and stacks and sheds one-on-one blocks consistently. The South Carolina native has quick and heavy hands that help him shed blocks. Pickens is constantly looking to redirect from blocks to the ball. He extends his arms to shove linemen back and generate separation. Pickens also pulls linemen off balance and slides past. He’s a high motor player who puts in plenty of effort in pursuit. Pickens displays high-level awareness of the ball carrier. As a pass rusher, he uses swim, club, and long-arm moves. The Senior Bowl attendee attacks the lineman’s hands and relentlessly pursues the quarterback. He’s a bowling ball pass rusher who pinballs off linemen and creates interior chaos. When he doesn’t get home, Pickens gets his hands up for pass deflections. Unfortunately, he’s on the lighter side for an interior player and has a stiff lower half. Pickens isn’t a sudden or twitchy athlete, and his pad level gets too high when performing rush moves. His anchor is inconsistent, and he gives ground to linemen pushing vertically. Pickens gets washed down the line and lacks an ideal anchor to handle double teams. He sometimes runs himself out of plays by pushing too far vertically. Pickens’ pass rush arsenal and counters are limited. He doesn’t have the speed to hunt down mobile quarterbacks.

Overall, Pickens has the arm length, heavy hands, and power to give offensive linemen fits in both the run and pass game. However, his anchor and pad level are inconsistent in run defense, and he lacks a deep bag of effective rush moves and counters. Pickens should see snaps as a rookie, but his best football is two years away.

Role & Scheme Fit: Defensive tackle in a 4-3 scheme

Round Projection: Late Fourth to Early Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 04-15-23