Sam Acho Scouting Report

Like most players at Texas, Sam Acho had to bide his time. As a freshman he tallied just ten tackles, but three of those went for a loss and he added 1.5 sacks. Acho was not on the field very often, but he certainly made the most of his opportunities. The story was pretty much the same in 2008 during Acho's sophomore campaign. He tallied 16 tackles that season with 3.0 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks.

As an upperclassman Acho finally got the starting nod and continued to produce. He ended the season with 63 tackles, 14.0 tackles-for-loss and 10.0 sacks. Acho always seems to be around the ball and his four fumble recoveries during the 2009 season alone can attest to that. Through six games during his senior campaign, Acho has already tallied 26 tackles, 8.0 tackles-for-loss and 4.0 sacks. He has even forced a couple more fumbles and recovered one to add to his ever growing tally.

Texas has certainly had their highs and lows this year, but Acho is a pretty steady force on the line. At 6-3 and 260 pounds he can out-muscle most of the competition in college. That will not be so easy in the NFL. Acho could shed a few pounds and be a good blitzing linebacker in a 3-4 defense or continue to polish his rush moves and play the end in a 4-3 scheme. That versatility will make him an attractive player to every team out there and every team in the NFL could always use more pass rushers. Acho is not the best out there, but he is not far behind the bigger name ends and he should be a second round selection right now.

1/17 Update: As Texas' season got worse and worse, Acho's draft stock was slowly dropping. He ended the 2010 season with 59 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks, 17 quarterback hurries, five forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. Even on the most disappointing team in the nation, those are some impressive numbers. NFL scouts will soon forget about Texas and get a good look at Acho as an individual and that should move him back into the second round.

3/25 Update: Acho's performance at the NFL combine did not really help him too much, but it did not hurt either. He was not as strong as some had hoped and he will almost certainly be a pass rushing linebacker in a 3-4 scheme in the NFL, not an end in a 4-3 defense. That will give Acho fewer suitors come draft day. However, he is still a solid prospect who should be off the board by the end of the second round or early in the third round.