NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Kamari Lassiter
Round/pick: Second, 42. Position: Cornerback. Height/weight: 5-foot-11½, 186 pounds.
College: Georgia.
High school: Played at American Christian Academy in Tuscaloosa, Ala. He was a fourstar recruit out of high school, ranked as the No. 8 player in Alabama.
College: Lassiter was a second-team All-SEC selection by the league’s coaches in 2023 after leading Georgia with eight pass breakups. He finished with 37 total tackles, including 3½ for loss. He played in 44 games during his college career.
Strengths: Improved instincts and play recognition this past season. … Utilized hand fighting to disrupt receivers’ rhythm. … Aggressive at the catch point. … Good in run support. … Mentality to handle the highs and lows of the position.
Weaknesses: Loses outside leverage too easily. … Average recovery burst in lateral transitions. … Has a tendency to lose ground from trail technique. … Hasn’t shown ability to create turnovers (had just one INT in college) … Struggles with quickly getting away from perimeter blockers. … Not great speed showing at pro day (4.5 in 40yard dash).
Blake Fisher
Round/pick: Second, 59. Position: Offensive tackle. Height/weight: 6-6, 310. College: Notre Dame.
High school: Fisher was ranked as a four-star recruit by 247Sports coming out of Avon High School in Indiana. He was the No. 12 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 1 overall player in the state. He was invited to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio before it was canceled due to COVID-19.
College: Fisher started 27 games at Notre Dame and was a member of a stout offensive line in 2023 alongside No. 5 overall pick Joe Alt, who was selected by the Chargers. He started all 12 games at right tackle last season and helped the Fighting Irish average 39.1 points per game, the second-highest mark in school history.
Strengths: Excels with his explosive hips and hands while executing kick-out blocks. … Good athleticism and agility, which helps him on combo blocks and lead pulls. … Has shown the ability to match dynamic pass rushers with his footwork.
Weaknesses: Often the last player on the offensive line to get out of his stance. … Has trouble with attack angles when trying to get to linebackers on cut-off blocks. … Needs more consistent control in pass protection. … Needs to become more technically sound.
Calen Bullock
Round/pick: Third, 78.
Position: Safety.
Height/weight: 6-2, 188.
College: USC.
High school: Bullock starred as a defensive back and receiver at John Muir High in Pasadena, Calif. He was ranked as a fourstar recruit by 247Sports and was the No. 12 overall player in the state of California. He enrolled at USC early in the spring of 2021.
College: Bullock was an AllPac 12 selection in each of the past two seasons. He played in 38 games during his career and corralled nine interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He finished his 2023 season with 61 total tackles, including 42 solo stops, two interceptions and nine pass breakups.
Strengths: Long and athletic, Bullock has the range to play single-high safety. … He has fluid hips that allow him to swivel quickly from his deep backpedal. … Can cover a lot of ground over the top with his quick burst and reaction. … Stays connected in man coverage.
Weaknesses: Often looks to jump routes, which helps him create turnovers but also leads to big plays when he misses. … Struggles with diagnosing runs plays and sometimes takes poor pursuit angles. … Tackling skills need improvement.
Cade Stover
Round/pick: Fourth, 123. Position: Tight end. Height/weight: 6-4, 247. College: Ohio State.
High school: Stover was recruited out of Lexington High School in Mansfield, Ohio, as a four-star linebacker. He was the No. 2 overall player in the state for the 2019 class. Stover was named Ohio’s Mr. Football and Gatorade Ohio Football Player of the Year after recording 178 tackles and 1,497 rushing yards as a senior.
College: Stover was a team captain for Ohio State the past two seasons. He was the Kwalick-Clark Big Ten Tight End of the Year and a finalist for the John Mackey Award, given to the best tight end in the country. Stover played in 49 games for the Buckeyes, collecting 82 catches for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns. His best season came in 2023, when he had 41 catches for 576 yards and five scores.
Strengths: Stover is a good route runner who is sharp on his breaks. … He’s got good hands and creates late separation. … Wins a lot of contested catches. … Excels after the catch, both with his elusiveness and power. … Good speed: ran 4.65 in the 40-yard dash.
Weaknesses: Aggressiveness during in-line blocking needs improvement. … Needs to maintain top speed when running seam routes. … Needs to get off the line faster.
Jamal Hill
Round/pick: Sixth, 188. Position: Linebacker. Height/weight: 6-0, 216. College: Oregon.
High school: Hill was a three-star recruit coming out of Morrow High School in Rex, Ga. He was the No. 38 safety in the country for the 2019 class. He was a three-year letterman and a first-team all-region selection as a junior and senior.
College: Hill moved from defensive back to linebacker last season and played in all 14 games for Oregon with seven starts. He finished with 31 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles. During his five years with the Ducks, Hill played in 60 games with 29 starts and collected 145 tackles, two interceptions, 15 pass breakups and four forced fumbles. He was an All-Pac 12 honorable mention pick as a sophomore.
Strengths: Hill is aggressive in stopping the run and is a sound tackler. … Brings some versatility having also played in the secondary in college. … He has a knack for route recognition in coverage. … He showed good speed by running 4.41 seconds in the 40-yard dash at his pro day.
Weaknesses: Hill can be inconsistent getting off blocks. … He tends to play conservatively in coverage and sometimes gives receivers too much cushion.
Jawhar Jordan
Round/pick: Sixth, 205. Position: Running back. Height/weight: 5-9½, 193. College: Louisville.
High school: Jordan was a three-star recruit coming out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz. He was ranked as the No. 13 all-purpose back in the country for the 2018 class. Jordan rushed for 3,501 yards and 48 touchdowns during his prep career.
College: Jordan started his college journey at Syracuse, but he later transferred to Louisville and had a breakout 2023 season. He rushed for 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Jordan finished his college career with 2,037 yards and 17 touchdowns in 30 games played.
Strengths: Jordan excels at using blocks, often hiding behind them until he finds a crease. … He has good shiftiness and makes sharp cuts. … He becomes harder for defenders to corral once he reaches the second level. … He’s a good receiver out of the backfield. … He gives good effort picking up blitzes in pass protection.
Weaknesses: Jordan is undersized for NFL running back standards. … He’s not likely to break a lot of tackles. … He lacks top-end speed; he ran 4.56 in the 40-yard dash.
Solomon Byrd
Round/pick: Seventh, 238. Position: Edge rusher. Height/weight: 6-3, 255. College: USC.
High school: Byrd was just a two-star recruit in the 2018 class, but he found a home at Wyoming. He was also recruited by Army, Boise State, Fresno and San Diego State, but according to his 247Sporst profile, Wyoming was the only one of those schools to offer. He attended William J.P. Knight High School in Palmdale, Calif.. He finished his prep career with 155 tackles and 16 sacks.
College: After showcasing his abilities at Wyoming, Byrd transferred to USC in 2022. He played 27 games with the Trojans and recorded 77 total tackles, 18½ tackles for loss, 10 sacks and five forced fumbles. He had 49 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss and six sacks and four forced fumbles during the 2023 campaign.
Strengths: Byrd has shown a variety of pass-rushing moves to break free from offensive linemen. … He has displayed a knack for creating strip sacks once he reaches the quarterback. … He possesses good lower-body strength and flexibility, which gives him another advantage against offensive tackles.
Weaknesses: Byrd lacks the speed to beat good offensive tackles off the line. … He also struggles against offensive tackles who have good length. … He tends to duck his head down and, therefore, can’t use his eyes in play recognition.
Marcus Harris
Round/pick: Seventh, 247. Position: Defensive tackle. Height/weight: 6-2, 286. College: Auburn.
High school: Harris was a three-star recruit coming out of Park Crossing High School in Montgomery, Ala. He wasn’t recruited by a lot of Power Five programs and ended up signing with Kansas. Also a basketball player in his prep days, Harris recorded 51 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks during his senior season.
College: After playing in 10 games for Kansas in 2019 and 2020, Harris transferred closer to home at Auburn. He played in 37 games for the Tigers over three seasons and finished his tenure with 97 tackles, 23½ tackles for loss and 11 sacks. His best season came in 2023 when he collected 40 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Strengths: Harris has good instincts and has shown a tendency to create disruption in the offensive backfield with his quick first step. … He utilizes his low center of gravity to his advantage. … He has active feet and has shown good range and tackling ability.
Weaknesses: Harris lacks great length, which sometimes hinders his ability to get off blocks. … He is undersized at defensive tackle for NFL standards. … Pass-rushing skills need sharpening.
LaDarius Henderson Round/pick: Seventh, 249. Position: Guard. Height/weight: 6-4, 309. College: Michigan.
High school: Henderson was a three-star recruit coming out of Waxahachie High School in the Dallas area. He was ranked as the No. 50 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 87 overall player in Texas for the 2019 class.
College: Henderson began his college career at Arizona State, where he played in 33 games with 29 starts — 19 at left guard and 10 at left tackle. He was a team captain during his final season with the Sun Devils in 2022. Henderson was a firstteam All-Big Ten selection by the league’s coaches in 2023, helping Michigan win the national championship. He appeared in 14 games and made 10 starts at left tackle.
Strengths: Henderson has a massive 7-foot-1 wingspan and has 105⁄8-inch hands that possess a lot of strength. … He has displayed good initial quickness and footwork off the line and uses sound technique when getting into run-blocking fits.
Weaknesses: Henderson struggled with pass protection duties against elite competition. … He has trouble with strong bull rushes and defensive stunts.