From now until the 2023 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, I’ll be profiling Carroll College DL Garrett Kocab.
#94 Garrett Kocab/DL Carroll College – 6020, 287 lbs. (Senior)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Garrett Kocab | 6020, 287 | 9 1/2 | N/A | 79 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 5.22 | N/A | 4.80 | 7.76 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 9’1″ | 30.5 | 23 |
THE GOOD
— Strong and stout at the point of attack, holds the line of scrimmage well and isn’t washed against double-teams
— Run defense causes running backs to bounce and change paths, able to get off blocks when he keys the ball
— Chases the ball hard and plays with hot motor, attacks the runner and wants to be around the ball/play
— Plays with the “Montana edge” and embraces the dirty work
— Successful bull rusher who collapses the pocket and forces QB to escape
— Shows good first step off the line
— Generated lots of attention from opposing offensive lines and blocking schemes
— Played in multiple and creative defense, 3-4 front but Carroll College was creative in obvious passing situations and moved him around, even 5-7 yards off the ball
— Experience on run stunts and able to contain as crasher/contain in pass game
— Played high volume of snaps and wasn’t rotated out except for occasional series (e.g. play whole first quarter, sit out first drive of second quarter), remained on the field on passing downs
— Good communicator and traffic cop in the middle to get teammates aligned
— Active eyes in pass game and bats down passes
— Overall good production
— Special teams asset who can block kicks, FGs and PATs
— Regarded as team leader and mentor
The Bad
— Lacks ideal frame, tested decently but a little short and stubby
— Gets head in the block too easily in run game, needs to use length to create space and can lose sight of the play because of it
— Doesn’t have good counters off bull rush, needs to add second finesse move
— Needs to show more coordination and balance, staying on his feet as a pass rusher and keeping his head/eyes up in the run game, sometimes focuses too much on wrestling the block than making the play
— Shows lower-half tightness when he tries to corner the edge
— Has to keep pad level down against the run
— Obvious small school concerns, played among football’s lowest level (NAIA) and NFL will be serious jump in competition
— Older prospect who spent six years in school
Bio
— Career stats: 162 tackles (31.5 TFL) 14 sacks, 5 PDs, 8 blocked kicks in 38 career games across five seasons
— 2022: 58 tackles (9 TFL), 3.5 sacks, 3 PDs
— Named 2022 Frontier Conference Defensive Player of the Year, four-time All-Conference selection
— In college since 2017 (redshirt) year, likely 24-ish years old
— Attended Montana’s Pro Day
— 4.29 Relative Athletic Score (RAS)
— Part of Carroll’s track and field team, successful discus and shot put athlete, held high school records in both events
Tape Breakdown
We’re nothing if not thorough around here. One day, a profile on potential #1 pick C.J. Stroud, sifting through Carroll College tape the next. Kocab came on our radar after a report that the Steelers specifically wanted to see him work out at Montana’s Pro Day earlier this month, proving the scouting world looks far and wide.
So we turned on some Carroll tape – there’s more out there than you’d think – and I can get the Steelers’ interest. First, the system Kocab played in. Nose tackle in a 3-4 that used over fronts like Pittsburgh and did some Dick LeBeau-inspired stuff on third down. Wild amoeba fronts.
To the tape, Kocab was strong at the point of attack and hard to move. He can also get off blocks in the run game too and was productive at Carroll, a must for a small NAIA school player like Kocab. If you’re not productive there, you sure won’t be in the NFL either.
He is #94 and over center in these clips. The camera is zoomed out but just look for the center and you’ll find Kocab over him.
As a pass rusher, he’s a no-nonsense bull rusher capable of collapsing the pocket and forcing quarterbacks to flush out and roll.
Besides the obvious concerns — the small school, the lack of ideal size or testing (though the testing was better than I expected) — Kocab doesn’t have great length and plays a little too close to his blocks in the run game. Can make it hard for him to find the ball. He also can play a bit tall.
As a pass rusher, he’s a one-note guy as a bull rusher who doesn’t show very active hands to be able to shed. He goes through, not around, you. And clearly, it’s a big projection of how he can compete in the NFL against guys who will be bigger and longer and have faced far better competition. Not many guys from College of Idaho or Rocky Mountain College will be in the NFL this year.
Conclusion
Kocab’s tape was better than I thought. He shows endurance, leadership, production, strength, and toughness/intensity. Making the jump to the NFL will be a monumental task but he’s a guy I’d offer a tryout to in a rookie camp and let him be like a hungry junkyard dog and fight for his contract. An NFL comp is difficult to make but to keep it local, he’s sorta like Breiden Fehoko. But my official comp will be Kyle Peko.
Projection: Undrafted Free Agent/Tryout
Depot Draft Grade: 5.5 – Tryout (Rookie Camp Invite)
Games Watched: vs Eastern Oregon (2022), vs College of Idaho (2022), vs Rocky Mountain College (2022)
