Kawann Short was a starter in all four of his years at Purdue. He put up big numbers in his time as a Boilermaker, and was named as a team captain for his final two season. In 2012, Short finished his senior season with 47 tackles (14.5 for a loss) and six sacks, all while battling a nagging ankle injury for most of the year. In the end, he still was able to win first-team All-Big 10 and second-team All-American honors. Short is the fifth or sixth best defensive tackle available in this year’s stacked draft class, and could see his name called as high as the first round.
With all of that in mind, let’s take a look at eDraft’s scouting report of this skilled defensive tackle.
| Ht | Wt | Class | Ranking | Projection |
| 6'3" | 299 | Senior | 39 | Late First-Mid Second |
Strengths
Strength: Short has tremendous strength, which he uses to his full advantage to shed blocks and when that fails; bullrush and shove his opponent into the backfield with ease. Because of this, Short takes on, and beats, double teams on a regular basis.
Athleticism/Coordination: For his size, Short has a great combination of athleticism and coordination. He has an explosive first step and good quickness, as well as top-notch footwork, incredibly active hands and decent pad height. Short also possesses multiple disengaging moves, including a nice swim and rip, as well as a deceptive spin move.
Instincts: Short has pretty good instincts from a defensive lineman. He seems to generally know if the play will be run or pass and adjusts accordingly. Even if he gets fooled occassionally by a misdirection, Short corrects very quickly.
Weaknesses
Motor/Consistency: The biggest knock I have on Short’s game is his lackluster motor. When he gets tired or frustrated it becomes obvious and he will not try as hard and/or make stupid mistakes. If a play is run way to the outside and he has no chance to help, Short will often just give up and take the rest of the play off, standing on the field with his hands on his hips, watching. If this is evident to me on tape, it’s going to drive NFL coaches insane and could make them wary.
Scheme Specific: Because of his strange frame (skinny legs, bigger middle) and lack of top-end speed, Short will likely only work as a tackle in a 4-3 system. Although, he can line up on either side of the center.
Bottom Line
Short showed a good improvement in his consistency between his Junior and Senior seasons, but he still has a long way to go. That said, his athleticism and playmaking ability will likely make him too hard to pass up for a lot of teams once the “top tier” of defensive tackles is off the board.