From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, 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, a scouting report on Florida State DL Fabien Lovett.
#0 Fabien Lovett/DL Florida State – 6037, 314 lbs. (Redshirt Senior)
Senior Bowl
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Fabien Lovett | 6037/314 | 10 3/8″ | 35 1/2″ | 83 1/8″ |
| 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
– Looks the part, elite length with thick lower half
– Excellent strength, clogger in the middle
– Hard to move against the run, absorbs and takes on double-teams well, commands attention in run game
– Raw and natural upper body strength
– Able to collapse the pocket with bull rush
– Shows acceptable effort and chase to the ball in space
– Some versatility and experience on stunts
– Made handful of impact plays, capable of shooting gaps to avoid being cut off
– Gets hands up in throwing lanes
– Captain and leader
The Bad
– Plugger without much pass rush juice, limited sack production
– Doesn’t effectively use length well, often chest-to-chest and “wrestles” block, making it hard to key the ball and shed
– Needs to show better initial placement on his punch
– Tendency to pop up off the line, gets especially tall as a pass rusher
– Slow-footed and lumbers, will struggle to chase on the edges
– Average off the ball, can be slow to fire out of stance
– Slow burn bull rusher, takes time to walk back and collapse
– Doesn’t flash many finesse moves and takes too long to shed, often gets stuck as a rusher if his power can’t work and doesn’t show a long-arm
– Some balance issues staying on his feet and can get knocked around in run game
– Far from an every-down player, often rotated and wasn’t used on passing downs
– Hasn’t played a ton of snaps the last two years
– Older than most prospects
Bio
– 31 starts from 2019 to 2022 (unclear number of 2023 starts but regular contributor)
– Career: 93 tackles (14.5 TFL), six sacks, 4 PDs (across five seasons)
– 2023: 22 tackles (4 TFL), 1 sack, 3 PDs
– Turned 24 in December of 2023
– Played at Mississippi State in 2019, starting 13 games before transferring to Florida State for 2020 season
– Team captain
– Suffered lower leg (foot/ankle) injury in Week 1 of 2022 season, underwent surgery and missed next five games, also had “nagging” shoulder injury late in 2021 season
– Played 347 snaps in 2023, only two games logging more than 30 snaps, played 209 during injury-shortened 2022 year
– Three-star recruit from Olive Branch, Mississippi, chose Mississippi State over Ole Miss, Purdue, Memphis, and Southern Miss (initially de-committed when Dan Mullen left for Florida but recommitted later in recruiting process)
– Transferred from Mississippi State to Florida State after head coach Mike Leach tweeted a noose “meme” that Leach later apologized for
– Has a three-year-old son, Fabien Jr. who had medical issues after being born, organized GoFundMe to help pay medical bills
Tape Breakdown
Fabien Lovett is another of the “box checkers” along the defensive line, meeting height, weight, and definitely length requirements the team looks for upfront. Lovett’s best asset is his strength. Naturally strong, he’s tough to move, even against double-teams, and Lovett shows impressive anchor. A couple of clips.
He is No. 0 in all these clips. All-22 makes him easy to see. In the TV tape below against Duke, he’s on the center in the first clip and working on the left guard in the following two.
He didn’t make a ton of splash plays but freed up others around and behind him. Occasionally, he could shoot a gap or work off a block and get into the backfield. He’s working on left guard in both these clips.
He’s also a leader and well-regarded in that locker room. Passionate and a strong teammate, he should serve an NFL locker room well. The background I did suggested Lovett didn’t always play to his potential in his career, but the birth of his son seemed to focus him and provide motivation to maximize his football career.
On the downside, Lovett isn’t a defensive end who can play on the edges and out in space. He’s an interior guy, 1/3-tech, who runs after the ball but has slow feet and limited range. As a pass rusher, he doesn’t have many moves and his bull, while able to collapse the pocket, takes time to walk the lineman back.
Perhaps one of the most disappointing aspects of his game is Lovett not utilizing his length enough. Despite long vines for arms, he’s too often chest-to-chest and grappling with the blocker, making it hard for him to shed, especially in the run game. He needs to clean up his hand placement and pad level and not rely just on his size and pure strength.
Against the left guard in both clips below.
There’s limited upside in his game, and Lovett won’t work in many passing situations. Didn’t in college, won’t in the NFL. Lovett is a plugger and does that job relatively well, but there isn’t much in his game beyond that. And he’s a fifth-year senior, 24 years old, so it’s not like there’s a ton of untapped potential.
Conclusion
Overall, Lovett can play the run as an interior defender. Beyond that, he isn’t going to offer much. A little bit of pass rush, and if he cleans up his technique and hand use, his bull rush can be a factor. But for a Steelers team looking for Cam Heyward’s replacement, Lovett isn’t that guy. My NFL comp is Johnathan Hankins.
Projection: Mid-Late Day Three
Depot Draft Grade: 7.2 – Rotational Player (4th Round)
Games Watched: at Miami (FL – 2022), vs LSU (2023), vs Duke (2023), at Clemson (2023)
