In a tough Pac-12 South, the Arizona State Sun Devils were surprisingly competitive, finishing with an 8-5 record. Unfortunately, their season ended with a loss to Wisconsin in the Las Vegas Bowl. Here are the scouting reports for the Arizona State prospects eligible for the 2022 NFL Draft.
Arizona State 2022 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
The Arizona State scouting reports include some late-round defensive prospects as well as a talented running back.
Chase Lucas, CB
Positives: Tough, hard-working cornerback who displays excellent awareness, mixes it up with opponents, and battles throughout the play. Possesses a burst of closing speed, displays good ball skills, and nicely times pass defenses. Explosive, stays with assignments, and gives effort defending the run. Crashes upfield to stop screen passes and drives his shoulders through opponents.
Negatives: Sits on his backpedal, which hurts his ability to transition. Does not play to his 40 time and struggled staying downfield with even moderately fast receivers. Does a lot of face-guarding in deep coverage and is slow getting his head back around. Coming off a disappointing season.
Analysis: Lucas showed ability throughout his college career and has the athletic testing numbers to play on Sundays. That being the case, Lucas must get his game back to where it was in 2020 and stop the many inconsistencies he displayed last year.
Curtis Hodges, TE
Positives: Lineman-sized tight end who does a solid job catching the ball in the short and intermediate field. Bends his knees, blocks with leverage, and squares into defenders to hold the point. Displays excellent awareness as a blocker, gives effort, and plays through the whistle. Consistently extends to make the reception away from his frame and looks passes into his hands. Gets vertical and contorts to come away with the reception. Lays out for the difficult catch.
Negatives: Not a strong blocker despite his size. Displays limited quickness and speed.
Analysis: Hodges has the size and the ability to line up as a third tight end, though he must do a better job finishing blocks.
Darien Butler, LB
Positives: Two-down linebacker who is best against the run. Terrific run defender who diagnoses plays and fires up the field. Squares into opponents and brings them down at the point of attack. Stout at the point, stacks well against the run despite his size, and works hard. Forceful up the field.
Negatives: Short, gets outmatched in coverage, and does not get depth on pass drops. Easily blocked from the action.
Analysis: Butler was a solid linebacker at Arizona State, but he’s small, slow, and only effective playing downhill or in the box. He comes with limitations, but he could make a roster if he plays well on coverage units.
DeAndre Pierce, S
Positives: Complete safety with an underrated game. Keeps the action in front of him, displays lateral speed to the flanks, and has a burst to the action. Picks up coverage assignments, tracks the pass in the air, and competes to break up throws. Gives a lot of effort defending the run, drives his shoulders through ball handlers, and wraps up tackling.
Negatives: Lacks elite long speed. Has a thin build. Better facing the action than in man coverage.
Analysis: Pierce is a defensive back who gets little mention in scouting circles. Yet, he has enough ability and range to make a roster as a backup free safety.
D.J. Davidson, DT
Positives: Smart, well-sized interior defensive lineman with playmaking ability. Fires off the snap with a terrific first step, plays with proper pad level, and immediately gets his hands up to protect himself. Keeps his feet moving, displays a variety of moves, and slides off blocks to make plays on the football. Moves relatively well laterally, displays the ability to pursue the action outside the box, and rarely gets knocked off his feet. Powerful, holds the point against double-team blocks, and bull rushes opponents upfield.
Negatives: Not a top athlete. Marginal pass rusher. Must add more moves to his repertoire.
Analysis: Davidson was a consistent, productive defensive lineman for Arizona State the past three seasons. He offers possibilities as a backup tackle in a four-man front and as a two-gap end in certain situations.
Dohnovan West, C
Positives: Hard-working center with average size and athleticism. Remains patient with assignments, keeps his head on a swivel, and works well with linemates. Fires into blocks, keeps his feet moving, and always looks for someone to hit. Stays square, correctly places his hands into defenders, and turns opponents from the action. Effective with the shotgun snap.
Negatives: Falls off blocks and ends up on the ground rather than finishing off opponents. Lacks a dominant base. Average skill blocking in motion.
Analysis: West made a very questionable decision entering the draft and will have to make it as a free agent.
Evan Fields, S
Positives: Hard-working safety who plays tough, smart football. Quickly picks up assignments, displays range in center field, and has good speed to the flanks. Works well with cornerbacks to bracket receivers over the middle of the field, takes proper angles to plays, and tracks the ball in the air. Fires upfield to defend the run, squares into ball handlers, and wraps up tackling. Possesses a burst of closing speed and fires to the pass out of his plant. Tough and plays while injured.
Negatives: Slow pedaling in reverse. Does a lot of face guarding in coverage and must face the action. Gets overmatched by tight ends.
Analysis: Fields flashed ability the past two seasons and has enough skill to make a roster as a fourth safety if he plays well on special teams this summer.
Jack Jones, CB
Positives: Inconsistent cornerback who flashes tremendous ball skills. Quick transitioning off the line, stays step for step with receivers downfield, and stays on their hips out of breaks. Fluid pedaling in reverse and mixes it up with receivers throughout the route.
Gets his head back around to locate the ball in the air and correctly positions himself to defend passes. Competes to break up throws, gets vertical, and does not back down from a challenge. Possesses a closing burst to the action and works to defend the run.
Negatives: Falls asleep and has too many lapses. Overcommits and ends up whiffing on assignments. Not a stout tackler and drags down opposing ball handlers.
Analysis: After showing signs of brilliance early in his career at USC, Jones transferred to Arizona State and once again flashed next-level skill. Despite struggling during Shrine Bowl practices, Jones has enough ability to line up in nickel packages on Sundays if he consistently plays at a high level.
Kellen Diesch, OT
Positives: Tall, athletic tackle with a large upside. Quickly sets up in pass protection, blocks with a wide base, and stays patient. Keeps his feet moving, gets his hands into defenders, and stays square. Keeps opponents in front of him, easily anchors at the point, and plays through the whistle.
Fluid pulling across the line of scrimmage, moves well on his feet, and shows ability blocking in motion. Makes proper use of angles, can slide laterally, and keeps his feet moving. Always works to get a pad on defenders and can hit a moving target.
Negatives: Shows stiffness in his game. Doesn’t get much movement run blocking and must finish blocks. Arm length is just 32 1/4 inches.
Analysis: Diesch is a large, athletic tackle prospect with growth potential and a lot of upside. He’s fluid moving about the field, shows ability in pass protection, and has improved the past two seasons. The lack of arm length will turn a number of teams off, but once Diesch finishes his game, he has starting potential on Sundays.
Want more information on Diesch? Here’s our expanded scouting report and draft profile: Kellen Diesch, Arizona State OT | NFL Draft Scouting Report
Rachaad White, RB
Positives: Nice-sized ball carrier with a versatile game. Patient, displays outstanding vision, and effectively uses blocks everywhere on the field. Possesses short-area quickness, sidesteps defenders, and keeps plays in bounds. Has an outstanding stutter step, works runs hard, and shows a burst of speed. Outstanding pass catcher out of the backfield who adjusts to errant throws and makes receptions in stride. Plays heads-up football and comes back to the quarterback to make himself an available target.
Negatives: Doesn’t always play to his 40 time. Not a perimeter ball carrier. Had just one year of outstanding production on a big-time college level.
Analysis: White comes off a tremendous campaign where he was incredibly productive as a ball carrier and pass catcher and consistently found his way into the end zone. He possesses a tremendous amount of upside potential and will be a steal in the middle rounds.
Want more information on White? Here’s our expanded scouting report and draft profile: Rachaad White, Arizona State RB | NFL Draft Scouting Report
Tyler Johnson, DE
Positives: Underrated defensive lineman who plays athletic, forceful football. Quick as well as explosive, moves well in every direction, and fires upfield. Nimble, easily changes direction, and uses his hands to protect himself. Plays with consistent knee bend as well as pad level, rarely gets knocked off his feet, and moves well laterally.
Sudden player who slides to the inside or down the line of scrimmage to defend the run, works his hands throughout the action, and flashes on the scene out of nowhere. Rushes the edge with speed, keeps his feet moving, and gets a lot of momentum going.
Negatives: Lacks bulk and is easily turned from the action by a single blocker. Marginal pass-rushing production.
Analysis: Johnson is a high-revving defensive lineman with above-average athleticism. He plays with nastiness and gives effort in all aspects of the position, which could help him land a spot as an eighth defensive lineman.