SI All-American Candidate Isaiah Pipkin Highlights and Evaluation

Isaiah Pipkin is an outside linebacker prospect from Wake Forest High School in Wake Forest, N.C. Pipkin is an SI All-American candidate.

Prospect: Isaiah Pipkin
Status: SI All-American candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-6, 220 pounds
Position: Outside Linebacker
School: Wake Forest (N.C.)
Committed to: Arizona State
Projected Position: Outside Linebacker

Frame: Slender with long arms and legs. High, thin waist. Looks more like a basketball prospect at this point. Not especially big naturally, but ample room to put on mass.

Athleticism: Fluid rather than explosive, with light feet. Long-strider; deceptive speed while closing to ball-carrier. Shows ability to sink hips in space, bend around edge as pass-rusher. Adequate quickness and agility. Flashes soft hands in coverage.

Instincts: Doesn’t avoid contact, but best described as a finesse player. Solid understanding of angles in pursuit. Comfortable running with receivers in coverage and arriving from second level as tackler. Quickly flattens to quarterback after getting edge in pass rush. 

Polish: Somewhat hesitant taking on blockers due to lack of strength; absorbs blow rather than delivering it. Little wasted movement in footwork. Not always assignment-sound; loses gap responsibility on occasion.

Bottom Line: Pipkin’s combination of length and dexterity is rare for high-school prospects. He needs to gain weight and get much stronger, but profiles as a situational edge rusher at the very least for ASU. If training results in improved explosiveness, Pipkins has a ceiling of impact starter at WILL.