Washington DT Vita Vea mocked 2018 NFL Draft 1st round

Strengths

Listing the strengths of Vita Vea can take up quite a bit of time. Of course, there are basic “gotta haves” with a defensive tackle, and Vea scores highly in all areas. But  first and foremost, we need to assess his ability to impact the course of a game.

He can. Dramatically. After all, he has the range and speed of a good linebacker. And as FanSided’s With The First Pick Jon Dove points out, Vea has the stamina and impact to remain on the field on all downs.

Sideline to sideline

As NFL.com’s Chad Reuter noted in discussing Vea while listing him as 17th best NFL prospect for 2018:

"“Vea can chase to the sideline at 340 pounds, and I’ve seen him make plays on the punt coverage team,” Reuter continued. “He’s willing to eat two blockers inside, as well. His play can run hot and cold, but he has the potential to be a force at the next level.”"

For a big man, he dashes all over the field. His size at 6-foot-5 and 340 pounds gives him enough versatility to play either nose tackle or defensive tackle. While he could even slide out to defensive end, his ability to collapse a pocket makes him a very intriguing player to fill a nose tackle role in the NFL.  CBSSPorts.com Chris Trepasso Trapasso calls him the strongest prospect in the entire draft class and a “man among boys”.