Explosiveness: Butler is wildly explosive out of his stance and wins a ton of reps just based off his first step alone. He frequently shoots gaps and gets half-man relationships with interior offensive linemen thanks to his quickness in short spaces.
Pad Level/ Leverage: Plays with good leverage at all times. He’s able to squat into his stance, and he does a good job holding the POA with leverage alone at times.
Pass Rush Plan: Butler displays a good and repeatable pass rush plan. He’s able to win with speed and power moves, while also using a cross-chop and club move as counters. He’s active and athletic allowing him to win on hustle sacks and twists and stunts.
Run Defense: Butler is a gap penetration style run defender. He’s able to get into gaps and get into the backfield to make plays. He’s a little inconsistent at holding the point of attack with his anchor. He’s a little light in the pants so when he can’t establish good hand placement, he gets washed out.
Versatility: Butler played everywhere from 3-tech to 5-tech for the Vols. I think he’ll do his best work as a penetrating three tech, but teams should make use of his experience.
Strength/Power: Butler is solid in this area. He’s a little limited with weight and length, but he did bench press some linemen off his chest when defending the run. He’s also capable of creating push to collapse the pocket with a bull rush.
Block Shedding: Butler is a technically sound block shedder. He does a good job with hand placement, recruiting his length, and timing. He’s a little limited in his anchor though, and I think he’s got short arms, which can be a problem in this area.
Hand Usage: I like a lot of what Butler brings to the table here. He’s consistently active with his hands in both run and pass defense. He does a good job with initial placement, and he’s shown the ability to land counters when rushing the passer.
Flexibility: Butler shows good flexibility for the position. He came around the EDGE a couple of times on a twists and was able to squeeze his hips and reduce surface area well enough to get around the offensive tackle.
Gap Shooting/ Lateral Ability: This is where Butler should thrive in the NFL. His first step and lateral agility consistently allow him to shoot gaps and get into the backfield for impact plays.
Summary: The lack of hype for Butler in this class is interesting to me. He’s a technically sound and experienced gap penetration style player with legitimate athletic upside. He’s a disruptive pass rusher and run defender who checks the box from a functional strength standpoint despite it not being his best trait.
Butler lacks length and some weight, but he’s so good everywhere else I won’t be surprised if he starts at some point in 2022.
Filed By: Dante Collinelli, Director of Scouting
Twitter: @DanteCollinelli
