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Position
Edge linebacker
School
Tennessee-Chattanooga
Size
6'2, 246 pounds
Strengths
Tull wins with explosion. He has one of the best first steps of any pass rusher in this class. Tull backed this observation up in February at the NFL Combine, putting up huge numbers in the lower body drills. His high jump numbers were especially impressive, coming at 42.5 inches. This put Tull second overall in the high jump standings for the entire draft class. He then added an 11 foot broad jump to cap things off.
What do all of these measurements mean? It means that Tull can really fire off of the line of scrimmage. He routinely gets ahead of the blocker, bending the edge and squeezing the pocket. Check out the play below. Watch how fast Tull gets up the field. Though he doesn't make the play, he totally wrecked the pocket, forcing the quarterback to move up into more traffic.
Tull primarily wins with explosion and speed, but he's also flashed a nice rip move. He appears to have a pair of strong, heavy hands that can assist him around the edge when needed. The rep below is a good example of what Tull can do with his hands. He completely neutralizes his blocker's hands and rips around the edge.
Weaknesses
Obviously, Tull didn't go up against top flight competition during his time in Chattanooga. You always worry about the competition level with small school guys. Tull lacks length, which could be a bigger issue at the next level than it was for him in college. He may struggle with longer tackles in the NFL initially. He projects as a 3-4 edge rusher which will be a new experience for him. He didn't play in space very much, so expect a little bit of a transitional period there.
Summary
Tull should immediately help out his future team as a passing situation specialist. He can fly off of the ball and turn the corner quickly. Given some time to adjust, Tull should be able to develop into an every down 3-4 edge linebacker. I think he's a fringe top 100 pick right now and should hear his name called somewhere in the 3rd round.
Draft Projection
3rd round