by Ryan Myers
Photo courtesy of FAMU Athletics.
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 - Florida A&M, Defensive Back, Kendall Bohler
Name - Kendall Bohler
Pos - DB
Team - Florida A&M
HT/WT - 6’0” 193 lbs.
Born - 01/18/2001
Home - Orlando, FL
Kendall Bohler played his high school football at Ocoee High School where he lettered three times. In his final season at Ocoee, he was named the team’s defensive MVP. Over his high school career, he earned a 2-star rating from 247Sports. He was not highly recruited and chose Mercer over offers from Florida A&M, Stetson, and Jacksonville.
In his freshman season in 2019, Bohler played in 2 games for Mercer and recorded just 1 tackle. He redshirted that season and maintained eligibility. He also maintained eligibility in 2020 as he missed the season due to COVID.
As a redshirt freshman in 2021, Bohler chose to transfer to Florida A&M. He played in 8 games off the bench and made 10 tackles. He also had 8 passes defended which was good for second on the team. His performance in his limited snaps earned him a starting role as a redshirt sophomore in 2022.
In his first season as a starter, Bohler played in 11 games. He had 23 tackles including 1 TFL. He also had 5 passes defended (third on team) and 2 interceptions. He continued this great play into this season as a redshirt junior. So far this year, he has played in 10 games. He has tallied 27 tackles including 1 TFL, and 12 passes defended which is currently first on the team. His play over the past two seasons has drawn the attention of NFL scouts.
Bohler plays very well in both man and zone coverages and has been used by Florida A&M as both a corner and safety at times. He is a lockdown DB with a versatile skill set which is very valuable in the NFL. He uses his length, athleticism and ball tracking skills to break up passes and create turnovers and is quick to react and read plays from the secondary, making it very difficult for receivers to create separation and surprise Bohler. He’s always playing downhill when stopping the run or defending screen passes towards the line of scrimmage. His speed and quickness are two of his strengths and help him in several ways in the secondary.
At times, Bohler can be beaten by more physical receivers as they tend to be able to overpower him and break away. He also struggles at tackling bigger bodied receivers and other ball carriers in the open field. He tends to attempt arm tackles and fails to wrap up the target. This leads to broken tackles and plenty of avoidable yards after contact, which can really pile up.
Strengths
Versatility
Coverage Ability
Athleticism
Ball Skills
Weaknesses
Physicality
Tackling
Open-Field
Final Analysis
Bohler’s speed, quickness, and ability to read plays makes him extremely difficult to escape. He also uses his instincts well when coming down towards the line of scrimmage to put a stop to run plays or screens. His overall coverage ability, however, is the reason that scouts value when watching him play.
Draft 412 Draft Prediction - 6th round or 7th round