There are few interior linemen more highly sought after than Darrion Daniels, who sports a quite impressive offer sheet early on in the process.
Darrion Daniels scouting report: Defensive tackle in need of development
The Dallas Bishop Dunne product is one of the top defensive tackles in the state of Texas.
Daniels attends Dallas (Texas) Bishop Dunne Catholic School and is projected to play defensive tackle at the next level. He is listed at 6’3.5 and weighs in at 290 pounds.
Daniels is considered a four-star recruit by Rivals and Scout, but is thought of as a three-star recruit by 247Sports and ESPN. Rivals is highest on him, ranking him as the 10th-best defensive tackle in the nation. The 247Sports Composite, which aggregates the ratings of all four major recruiting services, rates him as a four-star recruit, ranking him as the 18th-best defensive tackle in the nation and the 30th-best player in the state of Texas.
Daniels claims offers from Arkansas, Baylor, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona State, Louisville, Iowa, Ohio State and Oklahoma State, among others.
Unfortunately, the only film available on Daniels is from his sophomore season, so it’s difficult to know how much he improved during his junior campaign.
Pad level was often an issue for Daniels, as he had a tenancy to stand up when coming off the ball as a sophomore, a typical problem for high school defensive tackles. There are also times when Daniels didn’t bring his hands with him at all when attacking an opposing offensive lineman. In the instances where he did, he demonstrated a powerful punch that suggests some upper body strength.
The probable reason for his three-star ranking by several of the services is likely his lack of first-step explosiveness. While the Bishop Dunne product is a solid athlete for his size and for his position, it’s hard to project him as a disruptive defensive tackle at the next level because the short-area quickness isn’t apparent from his film. Rather, Daniels looks like a player who will have to learn to plug gaps and hold up at the point of attack.
However, when he did bring his hands, had proper pad level, and drove his legs, his bull rush was effective, a suggestion of his upside when he refines the technical aspects of his game.
