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Positives: Has good upper- and lower-body muscle definition with adequate size and a frame that continues to mature … Possesses great athletic agility, loose hips and good suddenness closing on plays in front of him … Plays with quickness and balance to stay on his feet, showing good flexibility and range to make plays along the sidelines … Smooth open-field runner who plays at a good pad level for leverage … Explosive hitter when he keeps his pads down and has the balance to work through trash … High-energy type who makes plays all over the field based on his instincts … Still learning techniques and getting a more comfortable feel for recognizing the plays quicker, but will not hesitate to step up and take on a lead block … Plays on sheer instincts, but slowly developed a better feel for the game as his junior season progressed … Attacks the ball with a sudden burst, but must learn to play with better control … When he does get his hands on an opponent, he has the strength to leverage, shed and go for the ball … Won't play smash-mouth football with an offensive lineman, preferring to slip and avoid blocks rather than take them on, but has that burst that lets him close on the ball or pressure the pocket when charging off the edge … Has the change-of-direction agility to turn and run after the ball with no wasted steps, showing balance and agility to thread through traffic … When he stays low in his pads, he does a much better job of keeping leverage on the ball … Has the functional strength to re-route tight ends and backs on short-area routes, and when he keeps his hands in front of him he can control and get off blocks … More of a collision-type tackler, but takes good angles to close … His burst to the ball generally gets him into position to make the play … Better when given a free lane to make the play in the backfield or when coming off the edge than when working in-line … More productive vs. the outside run, where he shows great balance and the ability to run and get to the ball in a hurry … Quick to cut off runners turning the corner and has the range to excel playing outside the box … Shows ability to drop back in pass coverage, possessing good hip rotation and flexibility, as he has that explosive burst to close on the quarterback … Shows the timing and quick feet to get a good jump on the blitz and comes off the edge with the urgency and second gear to close and push the pocket … Quick coming off the edge with his hand on the ground and, if given a small gap between the tackles, he has the suddenness to surprise and race past a lethargic offensive lineman … Outstanding gunner on special teams with the timing and reach to be an effective kick blocker.
Negatives: Needs to add more bulk to withstand the rigors of playing in the trenches at the next level, but has room to add at least another 10 pounds with no drop-off in quickness … Learns and retains plays with normal reps, but is still prone to biting on play-action or peeking into the backfield too long, counting on his burst to help him recover when caught out of position … Will close on the ball with good urgency when he locates it, but is still learning the game and has yet to develop that comfortable feel for situations … Needs to be more selective reading keys … His power is sometimes negated when he fails to get good hand placement … Good tackler who hits with a thud, but will get absorbed by the bigger blockers, especially when he fails to use his hands to protect his body … Still learning how to drop into the zone and keeping his head on a swivel, as he struggles some to locate the deep pass … Fast closer who stays square and takes good angles, but will get a little reckless in his play and over-pursue … When he short-arms through trash, offensive linemen are quick to get into his jersey to wall him off … Doesn't possess the feel to look the ball in outside his frame, and while he is good at deflecting passes, he lacks the natural hands to make the interception … Needs to finish better, as he tries to collide rather than secure at times, especially when making arm tackles (slippery runners can avoid those hits) … Steps up to fill quickly on inside runs, but needs to protect his body better, as he doesn't shed well … His lack of ideal bulk and brute strength will see him get pushed back when trying to fill rush lanes between the tackles … Just seems to be guessing at the receiver's routes and must be quicker in looking up the opponent.
Compares To: Thomas Howard, Oakland Raiders … Like Howard, Timmons has the closing burst and range to make plays all over the field … He operates more on instincts than technique, as he has only started for one season and is prone to over-pursuing plays … Still, he is a cat-quick edge rusher with the range to play from sideline-to-sideline … He might be better served on the weakside, as he lacks the brute strength to match up one-on-one with the offensive tackle on the edge, but will beat the lineman with quickness rather than strength … He will need time to develop, but will bring instant value in obvious pass rush situations.
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