Elliot Donald: Scouting Report
Recruiting is the life blood of a college football program. Every player added to the program is a new piece of the puzzle. It’s impossible to follow college football and ignore recruiting entirely. Throughout the year as players commit to their school of choice we will review their film and give you a breakdown of what we see. Recently, Elliot Donald committed to Pittsburgh, today we will dive in and breakdown the tape to give you a quick scouting report based on his film.
Elliot Donald has a shorter, stockier build for an interior defensive lineman. Although he does not have ideal size for the position, Donald should be able to play in the 280-290 pound range in college. An excellent athlete, Donald displays natural athleticism and change of direction skills for a lineman. He possesses an elite first step that is maximized by his frequently precise timing of the snap. His lack of height may hurt his length some, but Donald plays with excellent leverage and pad level, and is routinely the lower man in trench battles.
In addition to his athletic traits, Donald shows elite hand usage and technique for a high school player. His ability to set up linemen and use a litany moves – including a phenomenal swim and rip move – set him apart from other top defensive line prospects. Donald does an excellent job of converting his natural explosion into power, allowing him to bull rush blockers. Donald is a wrecking ball upfront that consistently creates disruption in the backfield. There are times where his aggression causes him to over pursue or over penetrate, effectively taking him out of the play, but the positives far outweigh the negatives. Although he lacks an ideal frame, Elliot Donald is an elite athlete that is very advanced for the position and will develop into an All-Conference level performer.
To see scouting reports for other Pittsburgh Panthers recruits visit the team page.
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