By J.T.
Photo Credit- The Tiger Rag
At Draft 412, the NFL draft talk never ends. We will keep you ready for the next set of gridiron stars—from today and all the way until draft night 2024. We will bring you mock drafts, player profiles, individual team needs, and everything else you may need related to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Today’s Spotlight - LSU, Defensive Tackle, Mekhi Wingo
Name- Mekhi Wingo
Pos- Defensive Tackle
Team- LSU
HT/WT- 6’1” 295 lbs
Born- 4/17/2003
Home – Saint Louis, MO
Mekhi Wingo was a standout defensive lineman for De Smet Jesuit High School in St. Louis, Missouri. He was named Missouri 6A Defensive Player of the Year as a senior, as well as the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year. He committed to play football at Missouri ealy in this senior season.
He appeared in 11 games, starting three times as a true freshman at Missouri. He earned Freshman All-SEC honors after collecting 27 tackles, 1 sack and had an interception he returned for a touchdown. After the season he entered the transfer portal and signed on to play with LSU.
In his first season at LSU he played in all 14 games, starting 13 of them. He was solid throughout the season and finished with 47 tackles and 3 sacks, on his way to being named a Third-Team All-American and a Second-Team All-SEC.
Mekhi Wingo enters 2023 as a preseason Second-Team All-American nominee by Draft 412.
Wingo plays with energy and a willingness to do whatever it takes to get to the ball. He has superb balance and rarely gets knocked to the ground by larger players. He can supply interior pressure consistently and has a compact build which is tough to control off the snap. He has the lower body strength to hold up blockers and keep them from reaching the second level and the speed to get in the backfield to cause commotion in the run game. He has the skills to be moved around on the defensive line and can play edge in a 3-4 at the next level.
On the downside, Wingo has below average length for an NFL defensive lineman and at times can get lost against larger attackers. He does not have a lot of pass rushing moves in his repertoire and will need to add some to be a consistent pass rusher at the next level. At times he has difficulty disengaging from blocks and making plays. Though he plays with high energy he tends to overrun plays and struggles with counter plays.
Mekhi Wingo reminds Draft 412 of Buffalo Bill’s DL Ed Oliver. Both are very athletic lineman who make things happen during the course of a game. Wingo has the potential to become a first round pick like Oliver did at the University of Houston.
Strengths
Lower body strength
Compact build
Versatility
High energy
Weaknesses
Length
Over aggressive
Lack of pass rush moves
Final Analysis
Mekhi Wingo has the potential to jump into round one of this draft with a big 2023 season. He is a playmaker and a defensive lineman that can play multiple positions in both the 4-3 and 3-4 defenses.
Draft 412 DRAFT PROJECTION - 1st or 2nd round