Chad Muma

Vs Run

Very good run-stuffing Linebacker. He processes at an elite level against the run and can diagnose all types of run quickly. He reads run/pass well and gets off his spot remarkably quickly. He also has good vertical explosion which helps him move quickly towards the ball carrier as well as good acceleration and good foot speed to cover ground quickly. At the point of attack, he can cheat around blockers too often losing gap discipline – he tries to use his processing and lateral movement ability to get around bigger blockers instead of taking them on. When meeting pulling Tight Ends or Full Backs in the hole, he stops his feet approaching contact – you’d like to see him run through these blocks more often. And when he’s the end man on the line of scrimmage he won’t set a dominant edge and constrict running lanes.

When he’s facing more marginal space blockers, he will stay low and demonstrate good hand usage with good timing and placement. He has limited play strength but his good technique can get him off these blocks to make a play on the ball carrier. In general though, none of these deficiencies in taking on blocks seem to matter when defending the point of attack because of his play speed. He moves so quickly due to his athleticism and processing, that it never seems like it’s an option for OL to get hands on him.

All types of block are deconstructed so quickly that he’s past the OL before they can react. He’s excellent as a backside defender from the Sam position. He reads at a high level against Zone or Gap runs, gets off his spot so quickly and around the backside edge before the ball-carrier has had a chance to cut and go. He’s an outstanding defender or the outside run, he has great range due to his play speed and takes good angles to the ball carrier through an accurate assessment of his and the defender’s relative capabilities. He filters through traffic well and lays hard hits on the ball carrier with good tackling technique. In space he can over-pursue a touch and give up an inside lane for better lateral movers at RB.

Coverage

As a Zone defender he reads the game at a high level, very good at reading the QB and periphs WRs. He could recognize route progressions at a higher level and therefore maintain better leverage on in-breaking routes behind him.His explosion allows him to drive on the ball effectively when moving forward or horizontally to WRS. But In Zone and Man coverage, he is a little tight in the hips and so his transition mechanics can slow him down when covering any routes that require him to turn at more than a 90 degree angle. In Man Coverage he can use his processing to read Wide Receivers, and his acceleration to keep him in phase when covering Running Backs out of the backfield and Tight Ends up the seam. Quicker Wide Receivers will challenge him in space as a cover LB.

SUMMARY
Explosive, high-processing Sam in a 4-3. He diagnoses runs quickly and has outstanding play speed. Can cover with athleticism but tight in the hips, lesser play strength limit his role

PRODUCTION
SR: 2 Sacks, 2 QB Hits, 148 Total Tackles, 3 INTs, 1 PBU
JR: 3 Sacks, 2 QB Hits, 1 Batted Ball, 65 Total Tackles, 1 FF, 2 PBU
INJURY: None

RAVENS FIT
Athleticism 4
Intelligence 5
Versatility 3
Grit 4
Scheme 3