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 NC State DB Tanner Ingle.
#10 Tanner Ingle/DB NC State – 5086, 179 lbs. (Fifth Year Senior)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Tanner Ingle | 5086, 179 | 9 | 28 1/8 | 69 1/4 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
THE GOOD
— Aggressive and intense demeanor and playstyle
— Flies downhill with authority, throws body weight around
— Willing to stick his nose in the alley in the run game
— Impactful tackler capable of upending receivers over the middle
— Flashes good closing speed, quick trigger and can click and close
— Plays with energy and attitude
— Versatile and experience aligning all over the secondary
— Willing to play in box and take on pullers, plays fearless
— Shows ability to recover when beaten, works hard to get back in-phase
— Can play the ball in the air at the catch point
— Improved angles and strike zone as a tackler to avoid penalties/ejections
— Around the ball and good tackling numbers, impressive production in final season
The Bad
— Has thicker lower body but thin upper body and arms, small size overall
— Misses too many tackles in the hole, falls off too easily
— Can be overaggressive and isn’t always assignment-sound, can get baited and vacate zone
— Doesn’t have vertical speed and too easily beat downfield
— Lacks size to press and get hands on from nickel position, allowing clean releases vertically
— May lack true home and fit at the next level
— Limited number of impact/splash plays in the pass game
— Battled injuries throughout his career, slight frame will further those concerns
Bio
— Fifth-year senior for Wolfpack
— Began career as starting nickel, moved to FS in 2019 sophomore season
— Career: 311 tackles (23 TFL) 3 INTs, 2.5 sacks, 3 FFs, 13 PDs
— 2022: 83 tackles (eight TFL) 0.5 sacks, 2 INTs
— Named 2020 team captain, though wasn’t captain for 2021 or 2022 seasons
— Three-star recruit from Orlando, Florida, chose NC State over Boston College, Stanford, Tennessee, among many others
— Initially committed to Tennessee before switching to NC State, left after Butch Jones was fired by UT and personally told Ingle to go find another school
— Missed 2019 season finale with injury, had hamstring injury throughout 2020 year, left early in other games, tore meniscus in knee in 2017 ahead of senior season of high school
— Reportedly had toe surgery in January, rendering him unable to workout at Pro Day
— Ejected three times during 2020 season due to targeting
— “Begged his mom” as a kid to play football so he could go hit people
— Interned with NC State’s Academic Support Department in summer of 2022
— Also participated in track and field in high school, excelled in long jump
— Helped lead high school to first title in school history, excelled as kick and punt returner
Tape Breakdown
Tanner Ingle got on my radar when the Pittsburgh Steelers brought him in for a pre-draft visit. Not a household name or Top 100 pick, he’s a versatile player with experience at the nickel/slot and free safety, two areas the team could look to add to in the draft.
While he lacks size, Ingle has a classic Napoleon Complex. He hits and plays much bigger than his frame and his Wolfpack coaches praised him for his fearlessness and hit power. That certainly tracks on tape and he’s a high energy, hair-on-fire kind of guy. Some examples. In the first clip vs Pitt, watch him attack the WR away from the play at the bottom.
Ingle lacks great foot speed but shows the ability to finish at the catch point and rally when he’s beat. Great example here. Beat off the line at the bottom in the slot, it looks like he’s going to give up this touchdown. But he doesn’t look back for the ball, he knows it’s not being thrown to him, and he rallies, gets back in-phase at the catch point, and breaks this pass up. Really good teach tape to recover.
Alas, he wasn’t always so fortunate. I start this with the caveat these two clips are from way back in 2018, his freshman season (I was hunting for more nickel clips) but he was torched against Syracuse, giving up two long scores. While he hasn’t run his 40, his open field speed out of the slot isn’t great.
Despite being a heavy hitter relative to his frame, he also misses a lot. He simply doesn’t have the size, length, or wingspan to wrap up and he can miss in the hole with bad angles and overaggressive play.
Conclusion
Ingle is a hard-edged player who brings pop on contact. He’s experienced and versatile, too, and seems to be a hard worker and good locker room presence. But his tackling inconsistencies, lack of speed, and overaggression is a risky proposition at free safety. He’s better suited to play in the slot as a nickel corner and can help fly in off the edge against the run. Still, he doesn’t have high-end coverage ability and will struggle against vertical concepts, especially versus big slot receivers who won’t go down so easily. There’s some Arthur Maulet to his game but Maulet is bigger and probably more athletic overall.
Projection: Priority Free Agent
Depot Draft Grade: 5.6MED – Priority Free Agent (UDFA)
Games Watched: at Syracuse (2022), at Pitt (2022), at Clemson (2022), vs Texas Tech (2022)
