Film Evaluation: DT Zane Durant
John Scott Jr. picked up a big win on the recruiting trail Sunday afternoon with the addition of Florida defensive tackle Zane Durant. A four-star prospect from Lake Nona outside Orlando, Durant has experience playing in the five-technique, but he'll be expected to move inside even further in Penn State's base 4-3 defense.
What sets Durant apart and makes him such an exciting prospect?
Thomas Frank Carr takes a look at his scouting profile.
Related: Zane Durant opens up about his commitment to Penn State
Strengths
Athleticism: I typically try to be more specific when I talk about athleticism, but when you have all of the types rolled into one player, why beat around the bush? Durant is freaky in the way he moves at 6-foot-1, 260 pounds. He runs like a receiver. He's explosive, strong and agile. According to an interview with his head coach Anthony Paradisio on Canesport.com, Durant tests like a linebacker.
“He is an athletic kid, a linebacker type kid who has grown into a defensive lineman’s body,” Paradiso said. “His broad jump – we just tested — he was about a 9’8. So he is just very explosive.”
Hand Usage: Durant is also a stellar football player in every sense of the word. He has long arms for his body and uses them with deadly effectiveness. He’s a penetrating nightmare of a defensive lineman who can quickly shed blocks and knows how to use multiple moves to disengage quickly. He can dip under blocks, swim, or bend the edge as a pass rusher. Whether it’s a run play or a pass play, Durant finds his way into the backfield with quickness and penetration.
Contact Balance: The cherry on top of Durant’s physical abilities is his contact balance. He does not lose his position on the field when engaging with a blocker. He can body his way into a gap and move through contact because he’s pound-for-pound stronger than everyone around him. That core strength allows him to play through contact and ignore blocks on his way to the football. This will allow him to play defensive tackle at a lighter weight than most other players.
Areas of Development:
Ceiling: How much bigger can he get? He’s so well proportioned and filled out enough that it's fair to wonder if he can add the 30 pounds necessary to play defensive tackle in college football. Even if he doesn’t get to an ideal body weight, he’ll most certainly get stronger
Reach: Without measurements, it’s hard to say exactly how long Durant’s reach is. He doesn't have a tall frame but his arms do seem proportionally long to his body. That may simply land him at average when it comes to reach and length. If that’s the case, the only question will be if he can continue to win the way he has in high school against superior size and length.
Projection
Three-technique: Durant is fun to watch. Penn State fans are going to enjoy watching him progress in the coming years. His freaky athleticism and well-rounded, mature game will translate to the college football level in a big way. Penn State has been lacking a quick-penetrating defensive tackle that can disrupt offenses since Kevin Givens. Durant can be that and more if he can add the necessary weight to play defensive tackle. If he does, he has the chance to be a game-changing player, a modern prototype at the position.
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