Will Heldt Summer Report
This Purdue Transfer Is Super Tall, How Will He Fit in Clemson’s Defensive Front?
What’s crackin’, folks?
We have Week 2 of the NFL preseason kicking off later tonight, and likely the final opportunity that many starters will get to play before the regular season kicks off. I spoke about James Cook earlier, but since that story has finally wrapped up, I have to touch on it.
In my Kaytron Allen report, I said I would have paid Cook anywhere from $8 to $10 million annually when we all assumed he wanted $15 million based on a tweet from earlier this year. Buffalo ended up giving him $12 million per year over four years, with $30 million guaranteed.
A lot of Buffalo reaction was based on Cook only playing less than 50% of offensive snaps last season, but he’s now the 7th-highest-paid running back in the league. Is the average number high? In my mind, yes. However, the Bills needed to get a deal done during training camp, so Cook, Josh Allen, and the offense could be at full speed for Week 1. Time will tell if Cook is worth the number he got, but getting a deal done was worth it for the team.
Back to the Clemson defense. Today, we’ll talk about Will Heldt, a Purdue transfer who joins the high-powered Clemson defensive line. This position group is littered with true juniors, and Heldt is a rare defensive transfer under Dabo Swinney.
Heldt played in 24 games over his two seasons at Purdue, posting 68 total tackles (56 last year), 11 for loss (10 last year), and 5.0 sacks (all last year). This dude is super tall at 6’6”, but played outside linebacker in Purdue’s 3-4 defense. He’s expected to be a starting DE in Clemson’s new four-man front, and I’m confident this will be a better fit for the big man.
I’d also like to apologize for not adding the position specifics for defensive ends in the T.J. Parker report.
Instincts
Get-Off
Range
Run Game
Pass Rush
Tackling
Instincts apply to the player’s awareness against both the run and pass. It’s easy for guys to be much better in one area than the other (as I’ll talk about with Heldt).
Get-off is the player’s initial burst off the line of scrimmage. This is incredibly important for defensive linemen.
Range doesn’t mean how much ground the player can cover on a given play. Think of it as his effective range, so can he make tackles going sideline-to-sideline, or is he only effective between the A-gaps?
Let’s get into it.
Will Heldt, Clemson via Purdue
Report:
Heldt’s combination of size and athleticism is a defensive coach’s dream. At 6'6 “and 260 pounds, he’s very fluid, but was a fish out of water in Purdue’s 3-4 scheme. He brings a unique body type to Clemson’s defensive front.
