Calijah Kancey has drawn lofty comparisons in his first two years with the Pitt Panthers since taking the field – some people daring to mention NFL all-pro Aaron Donald. Maybe it’s just the uniform, but maybe it’s more. Kancey is a technical fighter with similar size to the all pro and overall a very similar skillset. 

There is some upside presented to Kancey’s game. He’s still got a little bit of work to build into his hand usage as a pass rusher. While he flashes great things, he’s not always consistent with it. 

Calijah Kancey’s 1.64 10-yard split shows up plenty on tape. Outstanding closing speed as a pass rusher. pic.twitter.com/uOoLOfpnzK

— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) March 2, 2023

Took an injury in the 2021 Bowl game. Missed the last two games of the 2022 season with a shoulder injury. Battled through the second half of the 2022 season with an injury. 

Calijah Kancey’s scouting report

Athletic Ability (45)

Athleticism: 15 

• Speed (6.5/7) – Great speed for his size. Very efficient athlete in space. 
• Lateral Quickness (7/8) – Excellent lateral quickness. Is a problem trying to deal with him at the line. Smaller than linemen and has no problem getting under their pads. 

Strength/Power: 20 

• Upper Body Strength (5.5/7) – Good upper body strength to get push and disrupt the mechanics of the blocker. 
• Lower Body Strength (6/7) – Strong lower body drive to push the blocker back, especially effective in 1v1 situations. 
• Brute Power (3/6) – Incredibly powerful and quick. Not as much of a brute because of the lack of size. 

Explosion/Burst: 10 

• First Step Burst (4.5/5) – Strong first step. Very disruptive. 
• Explosion (4/5) – Explosive defensive tackle. 

Lineman Mechanics (20)

Containment: 10 

• Double Team Consistency (3/5) – Didn’t draw many double teams throughout his reps. 
• Double Team Win (2.5/5) – Struggled with double teams mostly. 

Hand Technique: 10 

• Hand Placement (3.5/5) – Would like to see better hand placement. He has so much potential and flashes it with his hand fighting but can’t consistently get to the right places. Goes into every rep with a plan in place. 
• Hand Strength (3.5/5) – Has good strength at his hands, but his lack of length will prevent him from getting off of blocks consistently. 

Defender Ability (30)

Tackling/Pursuit: 15

• Tackling Ability (6/8) – Strong, intense wrap up. Great tackler. 
• Space Defending (2/3) – Capable in space but not great. Has range, tackling ability, but isn’t often in position. 
• Pursuit Angles (3.5/4) – Rangy defensive tackle who isn’t afraid to chase a play to the sideline. 

Instincts: 10 

• Recognition (2.5/5) – Slow recognition. Doesn’t stay on with the play well. 
• Natural Instincts (3/5) – Average instincts, will oftentimes move himself out of a play. 

Pass Rush Ability: 5

• Pass Rush Consistency (3.5/5) – Kancey has been a consistent pass rusher all of his career. Generated 64 pressures in his first two seasons, and jumped from 2 to 9 sacks from 2020 to 2021. 

Overall: (78) – 2nd/3rd Round