by J.T Toth
Photo courtesy of Black Shoe Diaries.
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 - Penn State, Linebacker, Curtis Jacobs
Name- Curtis Jacobs
Pos- Linebacker
Team- Penn State
HT/WT- 6’1” 238 lbs.
Born- N/A
Home – Glen Burnie, MD
Jacobs was a four-year letterman at McDonogh High School, and was chosen as a three-time all-district honoree (2 on offense, 1 on defense), and was a consensus 4-star rating by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals. He committed to Penn State as a linebacker.
As a freshman, Jacobs appeared in 9 games and collected 9 tackles and a pass breakup. In 2021 Jacobs played in 12 games, making 11 starts and racked up 61 tackles, 3 sacks and an interception. He also had an 18 yard reception off of a fake punt. He was named an honorable mention All-Big Ten.
Jacobs had another solid season in 2022, collecting 52 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and an interception. Once again he was an honorable mention All-Big Ten. He announced in December that he would not enter the NFL Draft and would return for another season at Penn State.
Jacobs has the instincts and explosiveness to disrupt running plays in the backfield. He is a high effort player who plays well in pursuit. He can make the open field tackle in space and his mechanics in breaking down to tackle are excellent.
He has a quickness when blitzing around the edge. Jacobs does a good job of changing up his rushing moves, and can rush through the gaps as well.
Jacobs is more of an athlete playing linebacker and in college, can get away with misreads by using his speed. He has problems overrunning plays during misdirections and counter draws. To be successful at the next level, he will need to gain weight to be a run stopper. He is raw at pass coverage and looks out of place in zone coverage. He plays better in space and struggles to navigate in traffic against larger opponents.
Bobby Okereke of the New York Giants might make an interesting comparison for Jacobs. Both are undersized linebackers who can tackle but for Jacobs to succeed, he will need to improve in pass coverage.
Strengths
Burst
Pursuit
Athleticism
Instincts
Weaknesses
Too upright
Size
Problems in traffic
Pass coverage
Final Analysis
Curtis Jacobs is a solid college linebacker who needs to get bigger and prove that he will be able to handle the rigors of the NFL.
Draft 412 DRAFT PROJECTION - 4th or 5th Round