Mathias Kiwanuka (10/2004)

Position:

DE

School:

Boston College

Height:

6' 7"

Weight:

261 lbs.

General Variables:

33 out of 40

Size:

7

Strength:

8

Speed:

9

Athleticism:

9

Position Variables:

30 out of 40

Run stopping:

7

Pass rushing:

8

Technique:

8

Attitude:

7

Positives:

The difference between the top 3 DEs and Mathias Kiwanuka is that Kiwanuka is a pure speed edge rusher.  He has a long, lean physique, with a narrow waste, long arms, and powerful legs.  Mathias has the quickest first step in the country, and although he’s not the biggest guy in the game, his speed makes him almost impossible to stop when he comes on a full out edge rush.  Like most speed guys, he’s got great balance and is able to get to the edge, then turn and chase the QB down with ease.  He played amazing last year at around 250 lbs. and promises to play above 260 lbs. this year, but with no loss of speed or quickness.  He isn’t a great run stopper, but he’s smart and able to dissect a play and chase down most any back in the country from behind.

Negatives:

Kiwanuka is a one trick pony.  Not that the one trick he has isn’t great, but he’s a very one dimensional player.  Watching him play, you can see he relies on his speed to just get under the tackle’s outside shoulder and rush around him.  In the NFL, that can only get you so far.  He’s the DE that teams will want to run at, because one on one, against a big nasty LT, Kiwanuka struggles at the point of attack on run plays.

Overall:

I see a lot of Dwight Freeney in Kiwanuka, and since his rookie year, Freeney has shown that he can be almost completely taken out of a game with a proper scheme.  Kiwanuka is going to have to get stronger, so he can develop a better group of moves to get to the QB, but also helping him fight off blockers in run support.  There’s a little tiny part of me that wonders what kind of 3-4 OLB he could be.  He’s certainly athletic enough, but can he drop and cover, and make plays in space?  Could be an interesting experiment, and if it doesn’t work, stick him on the left side, and let him run….Oh, and put your best run stuffing OLB on his side.

Final Word:

‘TWEENER ― I didn’t want to use this word, too early in my breakdown of Mathias, but watching him play, it’s the word that keeps popping back into my head.  I am more inclined to believe Kiwanuka can pack on a little more weight, and stay at DE, without losing his speed, but there will be teams who scout him as an over-sized rush OLB, like Baltimore did with Terrell Suggs. 

Curtis Popejoy

Scouting Director