Nate Irving Scouting Report
Nate Irving
Nate Irving - North Carolina St. (HT: 6-1¼ - WT: 242)
Combine 40: N/A - Pro Day 40: N/A - Position Rank: 3 of 30


Positives: Good sideline-to-sideline defender, scrapes well and has the speed to get across field with ease... Pretty good with play recognition, reads the natural flow of the play and finds ways to get to the ball... An extremely intense player, plays with a chip on his shoulder and sets the tone for the NC State defense... Decent speed for his size... All-around producer (214 tackles, nine sacks, six forced fumbles and four interceptions in three years)... Shoots gaps with speed and control, keeps eyes in the backfield and diagnoses plays on the move... Very good agility, can change directions almost at full speed, which makes him deadly defending underneath routes... Above-average zone defender and serviceable in man-to-man coverage, an overall solid pass defender... Prototypical leader at the position, is a dedicated and hard-working player on and off the field.

Negatives: Plays a little high at times, which allows blockers access to his lower body, susceptible to cut blocks outside the box... Not the surest tackler, comes in too high at times and does not always drive feet at contact... Not an explosive hitter, can pop ball carriers if he takes the right angle, but is mostly a wrap-up tackler... Is not a pass rusher, needs to develop a larger arsenal of moves, generally relies on straight-line speed to get into the backfield... Major injury concerns, was sidelined in 2008 and was involved in a car accident in 2009 that left him with several injuries... Can get engulfed at the line of scrimmage if taking a bad angle to the ball carrier or if gap closes quickly.

    Defense
Season Team   TOT SOL AST TFL SK FF INT BK TD
Totals   214 116 98 40 9 6 4 0 1
2007 N.C. State   42 28 14 1 2 0 0 0
2008 N.C. State   80 42 38 11 1 1 4 0 1
2010 N.C. State   92 46 46 21½ 7 3 0 0 0





(January 28) -- The week of Senior Bowl practices are over, but more coverage is on the way. We have posted notes and observations from both the North and South Thursday practices as well as transcripts from the Thursday press conferences. Also posted is a Week in Review from the week's practices. Refer to the tabs above for full coverage. We'll have all the action coming to you from Saturday's game as well.


*A.J. Green
WR, Georgia
*Patrick Peterson
CB, LSU
*Nick Fairley
DT, Auburn
*Da'Quan Bowers
DE, Clemson
*Blaine Gabbert
QB, Missouri
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