SI All-American Candidate James Gillespie Highlights and Evaluation
Prospect: James Gillespie
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 300 pounds
Position: Defensive Tackle
School: Woodbridge (Va.) Senior
Schools of Interest: Boston College, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina, among others.
Projected Position: Defensive Tackle
Frame: Powerfully built with broad shoulders, thick waist and thunder thighs. Long arms. Room to add more weight at next level, but may not be necessary.
Athleticism: Carries 300 pounds with relative ease, often moving like a player 15 pounds lighter. Plays low to the ground despite height. Impressive short-area quickness, with enough all-around agility to corral shifty ball-carriers in phone booth. Power isn’t consistently overwhelming, but will be further weaponized by college strength program.
Instincts: Quick to diagnose plays from the snap and mesh point. Routinely beats opposing linemen off the ball by anticipating count and cadence. Rarely followed by counters, read-options and overall misdirection.
Polish: Fairly limited arsenal of moves, relying mostly on bull rush and push-pull. Effective with swim while pass-rushing after getting into opposition’s chest. Must continue adding counters at next level because quickness advantage will be mitigated. Plays with consistently low base.
Bottom Line: Gillespie is a big, active and agile interior defensive lineman with burgeoning strength. Possesses all natural tools needed to be a disruptive presence inside, especially once coached-up. Best suited as 1-technique in a 4-down system long-term, allowing him to wreak havoc with initial quickness and burst.