2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Indiana DT CJ West

All my scouting notes on the strengths, concerns, usage/role, skill set summary, NFL comparison and grade/projection for Indiana DT CJ West

Indiana DT CJ West

Height: 6-1
Weight: 316
Arm Length: 31 1/2 inches
Birthdate: N/A (23 year-old rookie)
Production: (transferred from Kent State after 4 seasons) 52 games, 9 sacks, 27 TFL, 2 FFs
Injuries: None
Games Watched: Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Washington

Summary

Despite short arms, West is exceptional at keeping blockers out of his frame and dominating the point of attack. In the games I studied, he was moved off the ball maybe twice, and never by one blocker. He might be the best double team deconstructor in the class, consistently attacking one blocker and dropping his pads to split the second. West is excellent at reading blocks and winning first contact despite not being an overly explosive player. His pass rush juice is limited, but his power, pad level and motor still allow him to at least dent the pocket.

West is the rare nose tackle who can hold the point exceptionally well, slip through gaps with quickness and move laterally without being reached by zone blocks. His low center of gravity works to his advantage, as blockers really struggle to uproot him off the ball. What’s more impressive is how often West gets off blocks to pursue the ball, not just content to eat up space. I think West can play a versatile role on the interior defensive line, but the question of how high his ceiling is will be answered by what he becomes as a pass rusher.

There is rush talent here, but his lack of elite twitch and any flexibility to turn tight corners will likely limit any high-end outcome. His hands are powerful and problematic when they land, but West can be a little frantic with his rush moves, sometimes missing the blow on his opponent. The other big weakness of West’s game is his finishing/tackling, sometimes due to his short arms. He consistently re-routes running backs, makes quarterbacks uncomfortable with his pocket push and drives linemen into the backfield, but he can’t always finish the play himself.

That’s not exactly uncommon however, especially in this defensive line class. It is remarkably clear on tape that West was the most important part of a great Indiana run defense, which improved from 82nd in 2023 to 2nd in rushing yards allowed per game, and 68th to 3rd in rushing yards allowed per carry. West’s ability to consistently do his job at a high level, anticipate where blocks are coming from and dominate the point of attack was a massive asset to the Hoosiers.

West can really help a unit from day one with his physicality, smarts, technique, power, hand usage, quickness and effort level, while also being a great locker room presence and a little upside to improve as a rusher. I think he’s one of the safer picks in the draft, with his worst NFL outcome still being a player who can give you 15-20 snaps a game as an important part of a DL rotation.

Ideal Role/Usage

West’s primary usage will likely come as an A-gap defender on early downs, but I would not rule out more of a workload for him as his pass rush game develops. He didn’t get a ton of 1v1 opportunities to rush straight-up at Indiana, but his numbers are actually consistently positive over his college career, and the tape shows enough rush acumen and physicality to not rule out an ascension to a regular starting role in the NFL. If that happens, look for West to get even more opportunities outside of the A-gap on long/late downs as his career progresses.

Grade/Projection

It seems like the common projection for West is the day three defensive tackle that everyone wants, even after his impressive Combine. I’ll likely be higher than the consensus on him, grading West in a similar range of Tyleik Williams and Alfred Collins in the third round.