Washington DT Vita Vea mocked 2018 NFL Draft 1st round

The ability to change a game on one play

Vea has the ability to block a punt, and has faced and gotten the better of four offensive linemen in one play. That’s game changing stuff, and he can alter the course of any contest out of nowhere. And while he holds the line for the Washington Huskies, do not ignore his ability to rush the passer.  Washington’s scheme places the interior linemen in a role to contain the opposing quarterback. But even with two blockers on him, he has sacked the passer nearly ten times, 3.5 times in 2017 alone.

Man among boys

But the true value of Vea is his measurables,
so lets assess specific traits.  Vita Vea has tremendous push from the snap, and is
incredibly gifted at pushing his opponent towards the quarterback.  That works in his favor in two ways. First, it disrupts the play. But secondly, it clogs up the offensive backfield, minimizing their ability to make something from nothing.

Anchors the defensive line

Chris Trapasso goes on to say:

"“Vea is the defensive tackle who’ll anchor against a double team, throw an offensive lineman to the side and make an impact tackle near the line of scrimmage.”"

In short, he anchors the defensive line like no other in this 2018 NFL Draft class.  You can see it in virtually every game film of the Washington defense. The presence of Vea on the defensive line forces the offense to go elsewhere.