NFL Draft
3/27/25
5 min read
Tyreem Powell 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Rutgers Scarlet Knights LB
Height: 6044 (verified)
Weight: 239lbs (verified)
Year: Redshirt Senior
Pro Comparison: Joshua Perry
Scouting Overview
Rutgers Scarlet Knights linebacker Tyreem Powell projects as a developmental stack linebacker and plug defender against the run. He’s a supersized player with rare length and physicality as an off-ball player, but these traits come with concessions that must be weighed out to find the right role and opportunity.
Powell is a former high school quarterback who made the full-time transition to defense upon landing with the program. His big presence as a run defender in the box should be considered the centerpiece of any pro projection.
2025 NFL Combine Results
TBD
Positives
- Elite length boosts his tackle radius and ability to find the hip pocket of ball carriers in the run game
- Has the punch power and frame to stack and negotiate blocks at the point of attack
- Has more than 400 snaps of special teams experience to boost his projection in the early years of his rookie contract
Negatives
- Lacks transitional fluidity and burst to play as an impactful coverage player in zone
- Is missing the extra gear and juice to close when running underneath blocks
- Showcases some tightness with coming to balance to make tackle challenges
Background
Powell is from Vineland, NJ, and played high school football for Vineland South HS. There, he was a two-way talent who played quarterback and linebacker. He was ranked as a 3-star athlete (247 Sports) who eventually committed to Rutgers as a member of their 2020 recruiting class.
Powell redshirted in 2020 while making the full-time commitment to the defensive side of the ball. He played in 13 games with three starts at linebacker during the 2021 season and then assumed a full-time starting role with the program in 2022. He started all 12 games that season and posted seven starts in eight games as a redshirt junior in 2023. He missed a month with a season-ending wrist injury.
Powell then suffered a torn Achilles in February of 2024, his second major injury in six months. He miraculously returned from the injury to play nearly 600 snaps on defense in 2024 to culminate his college career.
Tale Of The Tape
Powell is a lengthy, physical linebacker who is a bit of a throwback with his supersized build. There is some hope for an upside play, given his quick recovery to play in 2024 from an Achilles tear and a late commitment to playing exclusively linebacker after being recruited as an athlete out of high school.
As a run defender, Powell has a significant gravitational pull with his frame and length, which bakes in some added margin for error in his short-space play. He’s a reliable and physical wrap-up tackler who boasts a career missed tackle rate of approximately nine percent.
Although his range is a bit of a projection in how much ability he has to run overtop of outside runs and fit accordingly, he was limited in 2024 with how much juice he played with. The lingering recovery from his Achilles injury muddies the upside of how much pop he truly has at his disposal.
When he played in 2024, he offered sufficient range as an inside linebacker, but he was much more effective in close quarters.
As a coverage defender, Powell projects as a zone dropper underneath. His peripheral vision and feel for crossers and routes developing behind him must be polished. His wingspan offers a notable area of influence, but his transitional quickness and fluidity in space are modest.
This lack of burst allows timing throws to be laced around his area of responsibility in zone coverage. His upside is limited in man-to-man coverage ability due to his foot speed and stride length, plus his open-field athleticism.
Powell must prioritize his play recognition ability. He’s not going to gain much favor as a space player without being the first one to feel the play declare itself on the field. His instincts aren’t there yet, but this is a player worth investing in to see how close to his ceiling he can get.
In the meantime, he’s a polished and accomplished special teams contributor whose length, punch, and wrap-up tackling abilities all put him in a position to succeed in this phase. Powell can be a core special teams contributor while further polishing his eye and feel for the game.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Powell should be considered a developmental thumper as an inside linebacker. How much more added juice he can find as he recovers from a February 2024 torn Achilles could be a major subplot in if he can become a diamond in the rough.
Powell projects best in an early down and short yardage role who rotates out in favor of a more dangerous coverage weapon in the middle of the field.
Grade: 69.00/100.00, Sixth Round Value
Big Board Rank: 239
Position Rank: LB22
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