By: Michael Higgins

School: Baylor (Junior)

Position: DT

HT: 6’4

WT: 358 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #51

Siaki Ika was a 4-star defensive tackle out of Salt Lake City, Utah. After spending his freshman year at LSU, Ika transferred over to Baylor where he found his groove and became an instant impact starter.

Ika has incredible size but moves effortlessly with that size. He is light on his feet and has a sizable bag of pass rushing moves for a run stuffing 1-tech. His balance while on the move is impressive as it is hard to knock him off his rush once he has his eyes locked on the ball carrier. There are cases of lighter interior linemen being able to move quicker due to their lack of size, but that is not the case with Ika. Siaki Ika has a perfect blend of size, athleticism, and speed. Ika does a great job of absorbing contact from the interior offensive linemen and preventing them from working into the second level of the defense. This lets Ika’s linebackers focus on the ball carrier without having to shed open field blocks. Even when Ika is fully engaged with a blocker, no ball carrier is safe running by. Ika has the strength to stick an arm out at the ball carrier, while engaged at the point of attack, and can bring the ball carrier down. Siaki Ika will not be bullied by any lineman and he can run laps around anyone along the line. He is a quick twitch athlete in the heart of the trenches who also has noticeable change of direction ability that allows him to perform stunts and twists with ease.

Siaki Ika does have room to improve though. The main thing that catches the eye in terms of weaknesses is his over aggressiveness. While it is impressive how often he sheds blocks to get into the backfield, he tends to work himself too far upfield and subsequently puts himself behind the ball carrier and out of the play. He needs to improve on just being patient, absorbing blocks, and controlling gaps. Ika also lacks the length to be able to consistently get his hands up into the chest of bigger linemen and can struggle with leverage.

Siaki Ika can prove to be a valuable piece to any defense, games are won in the trenches. He has a high motor and eye popping athleticism for his size. However, length and positional value may cause him to fall.

Scheme Fit: Gap Control

Ideal Role: Even Front 1-tech

Best Team Fits: DEN, PIT, KC

Player Comparison: Vita Vea

Player Grade: 79.2