PLAYER OVERVIEW:
Zeek Bigger-East Carolina- Unlike his namesake Bigger is a bit undersized but does not play like it. Goes by his self given nickname “the animal” and it shows on the field. Bigger will not hesitate to lower his pads and thump anyone who dares advance the ball past him. He and teammate Montese Overton made one of if not the best ILB duo’s in the college game in the 2015 season. He was also the unquestioned leader of his defense. Has a very high football IQ and is a very good communicator which is evident on pre-snaps as he barks out the calls and lines his teammates up for every play. He started out as a special teams ace, and it would appear he would be just hat for the Bears special teams unit should they daft him with a good chance of competing for one of the main ILB back up roles and perhaps eventually as a future starter for the Bears or somewhere else in the league. Bigger has very good intagibles to go along with his physical traits.
MEASUREABLES AND PRODUCTION:
Bigger was a combine snub which just fueled his fire and put a huge chip on his shoulder going into his pro day workout. Bigger’s who was listed under 220 most of his Pirate career put on over 15 pounds of muscle for his pro day robbing him very little of his athleticism. Being over 230 now gives him a good chance of getting drafted as an inside linebacker. You can see his measureables here. As for production he was a tackling machine. Racked up 140 tackles as a junior. Followed that up with 98 his senior year. Check out Bigger’s stats here.
Scouting report:
Positives: The number one asset you get from Bigger is his high football intellect and leadership skills in the locker room and on the field. He doesn’t do it a lot because his teammate Overton dubbed “the freak” for a reason usually is the blitzer, but when he does it’s almost always disruptive and successful. His main responsibility is to read the offense and either man the middle in coverage or fill his lanes in his run fits. Not as big as typical inside linebackers, but plays like he is. Will hit you in the mouth if you try to run him over in his lane. Scraps the line of scrimmage as well as any ILB in this class. One of the main reasons he’s got such a high amount of tackles. Great backside pursuit, and plays with high intensity and motor.
Negatives: Sometimes gets engulfed by bigger blockers. once a lineman gets inside his pads he’s pretty much a non factor on that play. Can get caught in mis-direction plays as a lot of aggressive linebackers do coming into the league. Needs to hone his instincts to avoid getting duped by mis-direction and ball fakes in play action. Could use a little more functional strength and he has the frame to do it. Needs to live in the weight room and on the practice field to develop his recognition and instincts.
Next: Inside Linebacker Sleeper #6