SI All-American Candidate Gabriel Rubio Highlights and Evaluation
Prospect: Gabriel Rubio
Status: SI All-American candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-6, 285 pounds
Position: Defensive Tackle
School: Saint Peters (Mo.) Lutheran
Committed To: Notre Dame
Projected Position: Defensive Tackle
Frame: Square and wide shoulders with thick arms and bulk throughout the body. Big lower-half/trunk with big thighs and hips.
Athleticism: Excellent strength and power. Plays even bigger than his size at the point of attack. Violent and active with his mitts. Easy anchor ability. Can toss and throw to shed/disengage. Fair torso rotation as a pass-rusher after impact and entry point. Surprising agility and quickness in tight space to close and finish. Gets a good fit and thump at collision points on ball-carriers
Instincts: Natural to punch, lockout, and anchor to peak and read. Solid eye discipline and ball-location skills post-snap versus the run. Will widen his vertical track some to alter setpoints and punch timing when rushing from edges. Good initial reaction and alertness in reaction phase of his rush to counter before squeezing.
Polish: Has played everywhere across the defensive front from 0, 1, 2, 3, 4i, and 5-technique alignments. Has been used as a looper on stunts and has even been asked to drop into coverage. Advanced hand usage for a high school player with an impressive toolbox that allows him to have a plan. Arsenal consists of power/bull rush, swim, swipe, club-and-rip, and even has flashed a rare hump move. Has size, strength, and hand usage to impact a roster very early in his college career.
Bottom Line: Rubio’s father, Angel Rubio, played defensive line in the NFL and it appears he has schooled Gabriel well. The younger Rubio doesn’t just rely on his size and point-of-attack power, as he uses his hands violently in diverse ways to make plays. He projects to be capable of playing 0, 1, 4i, and 5-technique on different fronts at the collegiate level. He doesn’t possess great lower-half twitch or space-athleticism, yet his tools make him a fit in a read-and-react style defensive scheme with some 2-gap concepts.