Hogs Haven takes a look at 2024 NFL Draft prospects that could contribute to the Commanders
Tyrice Knight, LB
School: UTEP| Conference: C-USA
College Experience: Senior | Age: ?
Height / Weight: 6’ 0.5” / 233 lbs
Projected Draft Status: Rounds 5-6
Player Comparison: Malcolm Rodriguez
College Statistics
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| 2020 | UTEP | CUSA | JR | LB | 8 | 26 | 28 | 54 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| *2021 | UTEP | CUSA | JR | LB | 13 | 57 | 44 | 101 | 7.5 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2022 | UTEP | CUSA | SR | 12 | 48 | 47 | 95 | 6.5 | 1.0 | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2023 | UTEP | CUSA | SR | LB | 12 | 84 | 56 | 140 | 15.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | |
| Career | UTEP | 215 | 175 | 390 | 32.0 | 8.5 | 2 | -2 | -1.0 | 0 | 16 | 4 | 17 | 1 | 4 | ||||
Player Overview
It has been a grind for Tyrice Knight to get to this point in his career. Hailing from Lakeland, Florida, Knight was productive in high school but lightly recruited. He opted to attend Independence Community College, famed Last Chance U from Netflix, over offers from Samford, South Florida, and Bowling Green. He’d spend two years there, 2018 and 2019, before transferring to UTEP in 2020. He only played eight games in a pandemic-shortened season, but was second on the team in tackles. From 2021-2013, Knight would be named All-Conference USA for his prolific play. He topped 100 tackles twice during that time, and in 2023, he led the country with 84 solo tackles.
Strengths
- Trust his reads to get to the ball
- Navigates the blockers to get into the backfield
- Solid tackler with some thump in his hits
- Capable of dropping in coverage with good awareness
- High-effort player
Weaknesses
- Can overrun plays in effort to avoid blocks
- Struggles with quick change of direction
- Can be fooled by misdirection
- Has trouble coming to balance on tackles
Let’s See His Work
Tyrice Knight, ILB, #10
Coverage Linebacker. pic.twitter.com/Kf32GjTGju
— Rapinas do Mar (Cortes) (@cortesrapinas) April 1, 2024
Sources to @_MLFootball: UTEP star linebacker Tyrice Knight
had a TOP-30 visit with the New York #Giants on April 4th.Knight also had TOP-30 visits with the #Seahawks on April 14 and #Commanders on the 16th. @Tyricek_ had 140 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 15.5 tackles for loss. pic.twitter.com/4eTMddsXD3
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) April 8, 2024
Tyrice Knight is a LB prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 7.31 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 724 out of 2686 LB from 1987 to 2024.https://t.co/kHTgdX2WaM pic.twitter.com/Z9E9YR5Xe0
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 17, 2024
How He Fits on the Commanders
The Commanders look set at linebacker for next season with Jamin Davis, Frankie Luvu, and Bobby Wagner leading the position group. The team will need to think about the future of the position with Wagner on a one-year deal and Davis unlikely to have his fifth-year option picked up.
The Commanders may have serious interest in Tyrice Knight. His production speaks for itself as he uses his straight-line speed and play analysis to get to the ball. If he can do a better job of taking on blocks and being more disciplined, he has a chance to be a starting middle linebacker. At worst, he would provide younger depth at the position while the team looks for a true difference maker.
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