NFL Draft Profile: Darrian Beavers, Linebacker, Cincinnati Bearcats

NFL draft profile scouting report for Cincinnati Linebacker, Darrian Beavers

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#0
Pos: LB
Ht: 6040
Wt: 237
Hand: 0968
Arm: 3238
Wing: 8100
40: N/A
Bench: N/A
3-Cone: 6.91
Shuttle: N/A
Vert: 36.5
Broad: 1005
DOB: 7/5/_
Eligible: 2022
Cincinnati, OH
Colerain High School

Darrian Beavers
Cincinnati Bearcats

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One-Liners

A productive and experienced starter, Darrian Beavers is a massive off-ball linebacker who projects to an early-down MIKE role in the NFL; he lacks the instincts, technique and athleticism to make a 53-man roster at this point in his development.

Pros:

Beavers has a very long frame with good reach and length at the second level. He shows functional strength in and around the line of scrimmage to be physical with blockers. He has the ability to stack and shed in the box when offensive lineman lead block to the second level. The Cincinnati linebacker has some versatility because of his length, lining up as a traditional inside linebacker and offering value to his team as a stand-up outside rusher on occasion. In coverage, he shows really good awareness to understand his zone and let the quarterback’s eyes lead him. Shows good pre-snap communication to his teammates. Has the ability to recognize plays and flow towards the ball in an appropriate manner. Beavers has some suddenness to his game to shoot gaps. 

Cons:

Hips and overall flexibility look restricted within his movements. As he moves laterally or extends his stride, Beavers looks fairly limited in the range of his sideline-to-sideline ability because of the tightness. He needs to be better and more firm in his tackling efforts when he is outside the box. Whether it is taking bad angles or not committing fast enough to the play, he misses out on a lot of opportunities to make tackles out in space. He also arm-tackled way too often instead of taking advantage of his bigger frame. In coverage, Beavers doesn’t have the foot speed or reactive abilities to play man coverage. 

Summary:

After spending two years at Connecticut, Darrian Beavers transferred to the Cincinnati Bearcats. The linebacker is a bigger-bodied, lengthy player at the second level of the defense who can also provide some versatility. He shows good intelligence throughout his game, especially in coverage, getting good depth on his drops into zones and being able to read the quarterback’s eyes. He lacks the athleticism and foot speed to have a huge impact at the next level. Despite his size, Beavers struggles with his ability to finish plays off because of inconsistent tackling technique out in space. 

Background:

Darrian Beavers attended Colerain High School in Ohio where he played safety and wide receiver, while making first team all conference on defense in 2015 and 2016. Additionally, Beavers lettered in basketball and track, plus was recognized as a 4.0 GPA student. After high school, 247Sports ranked him as a 3-Star recruit, the 2034th-best recruit nationally, the 157th-ranked safety recruit in the country and the 78th recruit in the state of Ohio.

Beavers committed to Uconn as a defensive end and in his freshman season in 2017, he played in all 12 games and finished with 15 tackles, three tackles for loss and three sacks. In 2018, he played in 12 games, started six and finished with 23 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. Beavers transferred to Cincinnati in 2019 and played in 14 games, started 10 and finished with 36 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. In 2020, Beavers started 10 games and was named Second-Team All-ACC honors while he finished with 58 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions. Beavers continued his impressive play in 2021, where he started 13 games, finished with 88 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks and one interception. He was named to the First Team All-ACC and was also a finalist for the Dick Butkus award.

Beavers draws praise from the Bearcats’ coaching staff for his strong mental approach to the game. Head coach, Luke Fickell says of Beavers, "And the great thing about Darrian is he's kind of accepted all the different things we're asking him to do, realizing that if he can continue to grow in what he's doing, he's got a real future in the game of football. Furthermore, former Bearcats’ defensive coordinator and current head coach for Notre Dame, Marcus Freeman, says of Beavers’ leadership, "Beavers is that intelligent guy that can grab some of those young guys and kind of help develop them. He is a leader.”

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Grades

Current Player Value/Potential Player Value

5.8 / 6.7

11/30 - NFL Draft: Darrian Beavers is this year's Zaven Collins

Floor/Ceiling: Developmental / Special Teams

Scheme Fit: 4-3 MIKE

Grade: UDFA

Injury History: N/A

Character Notes: N/A

2/8/22 - Based on Beavers' film, it was easy to see the similarities between him and Collins. Beavers then went to the Senior Bowl and showed another level of athleticism in coverage that few players at 255 pounds have. Beavers locked down some of the best tight ends in the draft throughout the week, exhibiting great instincts and change-of-direction skills. He made plays on the football and looked like the best linebacker in Mobile. It wouldn't be shocking to see him test better than Collins at the combine too. Devin Lloyd seems to be the favorite to be the first linebacker off the board but don't count Beavers out as the second one drafted in the first round come April.

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