Overview Stubby, high-motor interior defender whose tape can fluctuate from play to play. Gaines is a short-arm defender with average hand usage but can time up the snap often enough to create early advantages from time to time. He plays with a strong anchor in general, but his proclivity for ending up on the ground will not endear him to defensive line coaches. His effort and strength make him a Day 3 rotational 4-3 nose.
Strengths
- Has ability to set a strong anchor against single blocks
- Willing and able to snack on double teams
- Good motor and effort guy
- Stands ground and constricts gap when feet are set
- Impressive ability to slide off of block and into tackle
- Quick punch and peek technique to find ball early on
- Shoots out of stance with good pad level
- Attacks the crease of double teams with force and looks to split it
- Creates pressures with bull-rush and secondary effort
Weaknesses
- Will lose his footing and end up on the ground way too often
- Stubby arms at just over 31 inches
- Unable to consistently separate from blocks due to lack of length
- Needs to win in early phase of the rep or he gets overtaken
- Lacks traits and toolbox as pass rusher
- Needs to develop a rush counter when bull-rush stalls
- Battle for hand placement could be a struggle in NFL
- Unable to punch and slide to maintain his fit against zone
- Below average change of direction
Sources Tell Us
"He's built like a bouncer but he gives you an honest day's work every time he steps out on the field." – NFC West coast scout
by Lance Zierlein (NFL.COM)