Top 10 linebackers in the 2019 NFL Draft

#6 Terrill Hanks, New Mexico State

After going from a big high school program in Miami to a rather small school in New Mexico State, Hanks earned playing time right away and was a productive four-year starter for the Aggies. He recorded almost 400 tackles, with 43.5 of them for loss, 11 sacks, eight INTs, 14 pass breakups and seven forced fumbles. He has gotten a lot bigger every year during his collegiate career and is now up to 235 pounds to fill his 6’3” frame.

Hanks is a strong run defender, who has the short-area burst to beat blockers to the spot and put himself into position to make plays. He flows with zone run and sweep plays while having his pads parallel to the line of scrimmage. However, he plays with a tenacious attitude and is not afraid to fill the gap and meet the ball-carrier head on either. Opposing teams tried to take him out of the play by holding him with bubble screens and other looks when he was split out, but he often times still did redirect and shoot upfield to make the tackle for loss.

Hanks stays very balanced when breaking down on players in space and when he has a clear shot he is an explosive hitter. Once the opposing running back does break through the line and goes the distance, you can see that Hanks is making up ground on most of them as he chases from behind.

The four-year starter is comfortable playing in space, as he primarily played SAM backer and moved out to the slot receiver on the wide side of the field, especially in passing situations. He gets physical with opponents off the line and has the speed to run with receivers down the seams or backs on wheel routes, plus when he gets caught off balance for a second, he can still catch up.

In zone coverage, he swivels his head back and forth between the quarterback and the routes that are being run. Hanks trusts himself athletically to stay with plays, which enables him to find crossers and run underneath areas where the ball might go. He also displays active hands when trying to get around somebody on bubble and slip screens. Hanks rushed off the edge quite a bit as well and was even included in twists with defensive linemen, where he drew the tackle upfield and then looped back inside pretty much untouched to put some licks on the quarterback. You see some of the athleticism he has when he all of a sudden runs the arc like a defensive end.

With all that being said, Hanks lacks some feel for route patterns and missed out on an interception versus Utah State because he wanted to take one last glimpse at the wideout. In that game, he also kind of overshot a screen pass, but still reached behind with one hand to knock the ball down.

At times Hanks tries to get around blockers when he should simply go through them and allows running lanes behind that. He is just not really equipped to take on offensive linemen on every run play and would be best suited to play WILL where he can run around free. Hanks tends to overrun some plays where he should trust the contain players and just focus on his assignment.

Hanks showed a ton of speed, athleticism, and instincts at Senior Bowl week, flying around sideline to sideline and showing up around the ball constantly. He is somebody who can be a TFL-specialist if he has a D-line that keeps him clean and he can take on some in-space responsibilities in the passing game the way he did in college. To me, Hanks could have a Darius Leonard-like ascent in this process and while it is an incredibly tall task he could have a somewhat comparable rookie season if put into the right situation.