Jordan Wright is Kentucky's most recent commitment and the three-star defensive lineman from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard is also the subject of the latest installment in Cats Illustrated's series of scouting reports on UK's commitments.
MORE IN CATS ILLUSTRATED'S "SCOUTING THE COMMITS" SERIES
Garden City C.C. (Kan.) defensive back Lonnie Johnson
Miramar (Fla.) offensive lineman Sebastien Dolcine
Lauderdale Lakes (Fla.) Boyd Anderson cornerback Michael Nesbitt
Olney (Md.) Good Counsel offensive tackle Naasir Watkins
Cordova (Tenn.) defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna
Holland (Ohio) Springfield running back Bryant Koback
Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna defensive end Chris Whittaker
SENIOR YEAR: Dillard finished the 2016 season 6-4 (2-1 district) and was eliminated by Carol City (the school UK target Kevaughn Dingle attends) by a 47-8 score in the first round of the state playoffs. While Wright's full stats are not available, the Sun-Sentinel reported that Wright accumulated 25 sacks during his senior season.
STRENGTHS: Wright is a coveted recruit because he's the prototypical long, athletic defensive end who can get upfield and camp out in the backfield. Kentucky hasn't had enough of those players over the years and they're difference-makers who can put consistent pressure on the quarterback. Of course, that's if Wright hits his stride in college, but you can't teach 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds to a high school senior.
Most schools, Kentucky included, have recruited Wright as something of a hybrid between a defensive end and a stand up edge rusher. That doesn't necessarily mean Wright would be a 'Jack' for Kentucky, but his exact role has probably not yet been determined, and may depend on future growth.
One of the most important things for a player like Wright is to have the kind of explosiveness and acceleration off the snap to beat tackles upfield. Wright generally does a good job of getting his shoulder beyond the tackle's and that's important. He's coming off the ball with enough quickness, or at least he can.
Wright changes direction and even changes speeds when he's working one-on-one against a tackle. That will eventually pose a deadly combination that will help him develop an array of pass rushing moves. He's also got pretty good hips and has, overall, excellent flexibility for a 6-foot-6 high school defensive lineman. That's one quality that's important in projecting his long-term potential.
Wright's natural athleticism for such a big guy is obvious. This is a player Dillard occasionally lined up at wide receiver to present impossible matchups.
He has been a two-sport star at Dillard, which also speaks to his athletic skill level. Virginia Tech offered Wright a basketball scholarship.
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: There seem to be two main areas of Wright's game that could use the most work: Strength and becoming more technically sound. Both are (in part) byproducts of time and maturation in a football program.
Wright has demonstrated requisite strength as a high school blocker and defensive lineman, but he doesn't have elite power right now as a defensive end. If he doesn't beat the tackle upfield then he has a harder time getting to the quarterback.
As for the technical aspect of the game, Wright hasn't yet demonstrated much in the way of using his hands
Sometimes when Wright attacks the edge he does so too vertically, not low enough to the ground, and that's something he can improve because he definitely can bend.
Overall Wright projects as a potentially elite pass rusher because of his range, his quickness, acceleration and bend, but he's a bit of a project (two-plus years) in terms of his fundamentals and strength.
