Film Evaluation: Tyreese Fearbry

Penn State continues to add to its defensive line in the Class for 2022 with four-star edge defender Tyreese Fearbry from Pittsburgh. Fearbry adds potential and pass rushing upside to an already deep group of linemen.

So, where does he fit along the line and how will his skills translate?

Thomas Frank Carr looks at where his game is headed to find out.

Related: Tyreese Fearbry opens up about his commitment to Penn State

Frame: Fearbry towers over his opponents in an almost comical way. At 6-foot-5, he’s long and broad, with a great frame to add weight. He seems to especially have broad shoulders and can add a lot of power in his upper half. He’s listed at 205, but looks like he’s already added weight and plays closer to 215-220 pounds. He’s also likely added more this offseason, further enhancing his profile and potential.

Pass Rush: Despite his lanky frame, Fearbry does a very good job of lowering his profile and dipping under a lot of blocks. He can get low enough to get leverage on offensive tackles and bend the edge to the quarterback, making him a dangerous threat as a rusher. He’s a very slippery pass rusher who has more than one move that he exhibits on tape.

Explosive Closing Speed: Fearbry is a unique athlete who played both edge defender and receiver last season. He’s got a long stride but a quick burst off of the line and explosive closing speed. The most encouraging part of his game is that despite all of that speed, he’s a violent finisher who isn’t afraid of contact.

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Point of Attack Defense: It’s tough to find a lot of examples of Fearbry actually trying to hold the point of attack because he simply slips blocks instead of stacking and shedding. But when he can’t get away, he has a bad habit of giving up ground and trying to work around blocks instead of using his length to stack and shed linemen. Added strength and mass will help, but the mentality in how he defeats blocks will determine more of his play in this area.

Lower Body Thickness: This may seem contradictory but not all big-framed individuals are built the same. Fearbry is a high-cut athlete with a narrower waist than you’d like. While his overall size may allow him to get to an ideal weight around 250 pounds, the distribution of that weight may not be ideal. Time and development will tell.

Edge Defender: There’s not much mystery with where Fearbry fits going forward. His ability to chase the ball down along with a lack of lower-body mass make him a logical fit as a weak-side edge defender. He has a lot of very good positional skills and tendencies that will help him translate to the next level, but how soon he sees the field will largely come down to how quickly he can add muscle to his frame. He may never be a complete edge defender, but his pass rushing potential means that he can be effective, even if there are deficiencies in his game.

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