At 6-5, 254 pounds, Kennard has a Madden create-a-player build that NFL teams look for in an edge rusher. But it’s Kennard’s football IQ, dedication to film study, and motor that led to his Nagurski Award-winning season.
Kennard’s success as a pass rusher isn’t only a result of his speed and power skills. It’s about knowing what’s coming before the ball is even snapped.
“Man, film study—a lot of film study,” Kennard said when asked how he’s able to anticipate plays. “At the top of the week, I’m preparing for how they run block. Then, toward the latter part of the week, I study how they are as pass protectors. By game time, I already know their tendencies.”
For Kennard, the ability to diagnose an offensive lineman’s habits allows him to be a step ahead of the competition.
“You start seeing little tips. How they line up, how they position their hands, even the way they look at you pre-snap,” he explained. “If you study enough, you can tell what’s coming before the ball is snapped.”
Kennard spent extra time watching LSU’s Will Campbell, one of the top linemen in the country.
“I watched a lot of tape on my guy Will Campbell,” Kennard said. “We’re good friends, so he knows that. I’m sure he’s studied me too.”
Kennard models his game after some of the NFL’s premier pass rushers.
“I’m a big fan of guys like Leonard Floyd, Trey Hendrickson, and obviously the big names like Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett, and Micah Parsons,” he said.
Obviously, this is an impressive group of pass rushers, but it’s telling that each is known for their own special ability to win: Crosby with his elite motor, Garrett with power, and Parsons with his speed-to-power skills. This speaks to Kennard’s willingness to improve in every facet of the game.
Kennard already has the frame and quick get-off, but he’s been focused on expanding his toolbox of pass-rush moves to complement his natural gifts.
“It’s all about counters,” he said. “You gotta set guys up. You can’t just win off the first move. The best guys in the league have a plan for when that first move gets stopped.”
Throughout Senior Bowl practices, Kennard has been working on improving his hand usage while developing more inside counter moves, both areas where he knows he can continue to improve even in the NFL.
One of the most exciting parts of Senior Bowl week has been the chance for Kennard to learn from NFL coaches and see how a pro defense operates.
“It’s actually been pretty cool to learn NFL terminology and the way they teach defense,” he said. “A lot of the concepts are the same, but the language is different. The way we called things at South Carolina isn’t the way they call it in the NFL, so adjusting to that has been fun.”
That mental adaptability will be crucial as he transitions to the league.
Kennard prides himself on being a complete edge defender, not just a sack artist.
“Sacks are obviously important,” he said. “But playing the run and disrupting the offense as a whole is just as big.”
One of the biggest plays he described during our conversation wasn’t a sack—it was a tackle for loss on a run play.
“That’s what makes a complete player,” Kennard said. “The best guys aren’t just sack-chasers. They disrupt everything.”
That ability to impact the game in multiple ways makes Kennard valuable in the NFL, where defenses need three-down pass rushers who can set the edge against the run and even occasionally drop into coverage.
While at Georgia Tech and South Carolina, Kennard played alongside Keion White, now with the New England Patriots.
“That’s my brother,” Kennard said of White. “He’s even-keeled, man. Same guy, whether he’s having a great game or a bad game. Definitely like a big brother to me.”
The two still keep in touch, and Kennard recently asked White about his Senior Bowl experience and what to expect in the pre-draft process.
“We talked the other day about the Senior Bowl, how he handled it, what he focused on,” Kennard said.
Kennard is open to any team and will bring the same mentality that’s gotten him this far to any team he joins.
Kennard has enjoyed facing off against some of the best linemen in the country at the Senior Bowl.
“It’s been a good week,” he said. “Today was better than yesterday, just because I got more reps. But I feel like I’ve been improving every day.”
That growth mindset is what will help him continue to develop into an NFL-caliber pass rusher.
Whether it’s learning from elite pros or studying offensive linemen to gain an edge, Kennard is ready for what’s next.
