Ivan Pace Jr. went undrafted despite playing like one of the best linebackers in college football last year. Size was likely Pace’s downfall in the draft, but his aggressive nature was a clear match for defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ defense. Early camp reports on Pace were very positive. He was running primarily with the second team, sometimes garnering first-team snaps, which is very rare for a UDFA.
Pace’s rise up the depth chart was confirmed in Minnesota’s first preseason game. With presumed starters Brian Asamoah and Jordan Hicks sitting the game out, Pace (No. 40) was in on the very first snap and had the green dot, meaning he received the play calls and was responsible for communicating them to the rest of the defense. Wearing the green dot is a big responsibility for a rookie, and it shows Flores’ trust in Pace’s understanding of the defense, which is another great sign.
His strong camp performance is intriguing, but given Pace’s size questions and that he played in a Group Of Five conference in college that did not have top-tier OL talent, it was important to see him in a live game where he would have to take on NFL linemen. Pace regularly blew up opponents in college, but would that translate?
Run Defense
The answer was a resounding “yes.” On Pace’s first tackle, he showed the ability to take on offensive linemen directly. The Vikings are lined up in a 4-2-5, and Pace being to nose tackle Khyiris Tonga‘s side means that right guard Anthony Bradford has basically a free path to block Pace. Pace’s gap responsibility is the B gap between the RG and RT, and he approaches Bradford on the outside shoulder. At the point of contact, Pace lowers his shoulder directly into Bradford’s chest, knocking him back into the lane running back Zach Charbonnet is trying to run into. Charbonnet cuts directly into Bradford’s legs and falls to the ground:
In college, Pace regularly showed the quickness to get around opposing linemen, who had trouble getting their hands on him. He showed that quickness in another run defense rep, below, where he slides past RT Jake Curhan. Curhan has to reach outside of his frame to try to grab Pace, which gets called as a holding penalty. Pace is able to break off the hold and chase Charbonnet down to finish with a tackle.
Pace showed the ability to read run plays in a couple of examples. On the play below, he fits the run well against a pulling guard, showing the ability to attack his outside shoulder. Edge rusher Andre Carter got too far upfield, creating a wide gap for the RB to run through, but Pace showed good hustle to disengage and once again make the tackle a couple of yards down the field:
Finally, Pace showed the ability to avoid manipulation by the RB and good tackling form on the play below. The Seattle Seahawks are running outside zone to the weak side of the formation, hoping to press the Vikings to that side and create a cutback lane. However, Pace understands where he falls in Minnesota’s run fit. Wilson Huber, Esezi Otomewo, and T.J. Smith are responsible for the C, B, and A gaps to the weak side, respectively, in this run fit. That means Pace is responsible for the strong A gap.
RB Bryant Koback starts his path hard to the left in hopes of influencing Pace to overrun the play, but he stays sound, anticipating the cutback. Pace is able to meet Koback in the hole, and gets better pad level than the RB. This allows Pace to stop Koback’s momentum and tackle him for a gain of just two yards.
Communication
Being trusted with the green dot meant that Pace had to communicate the defense to his teammates. Several times he proved he could handle the responsibility, including on the first run play above. Watch how he signals before the snap, and he and fellow LB Troy Dye work together to get Otomewo lined up in the correct spot:
The communication above is encouraging, but it’s likely that Pace isn’t 100% ready to do this on an every-down basis. On the play below, he is responsible for following the RB to the outside in man coverage. Pace is late to react, and Lewis Cine and Troy Reeder signal to Pace to get in his spot:
While Pace still has things to learn on the defensive side of the ball, his early grasp of the defense and ability to communicate were impressive from a rookie.
Blitzing
Pace’s hallmark at Cincinnati was his ability to get to the quarterback on the blitz. He was not asked to rush the passer often in Seattle, but had one notable rep that also showed his understanding of the defense.
Pace played fast at Cincinnati, and the Flores defense will also ask him to do just that. On the play below, he reacts hard to the run against 21-personnel. In this coverage, he is primarily responsible for covering the running back man-to-man. However, there is an exception when the RB leaks out to the weak side of the offense. In that case, the Will, Troy Reeder, is supposed to play a “Train” technique where he takes the RB in man coverage. With his coverage responsibility passed off, Pace is asked to go after the QB.
Pace showed his burst and almost gets to Drew Lock, who is falling away as he releases the pass. As you can see in the way the play develops, Reeder plays the block for a little too long before peeling off into coverage, and this leads to the RB being open for the checkdown. However, this play is not the result of Pace abandoning his man-coverage responsibility, but rather an adjustment to the play design that is meant to help create pressure (and it does):
Coverage
Pace lacked experience covering opponents in college, and that lack of experience showed in the preseason game. Pace’s tendency to bite on the play action is the first part that he needs to shore up.
When defending play action, LBs are required to take a step or two forward in case it’s a run play. However, they need to quickly transition to pass coverage after the play fake is revealed. There are a couple of keys that can help them determine run/pass. A great contrast can be seen between Cine and Pace on the play below.
Cine comes down into the box to play the run, and prepares to take on contact from the tight end. However, the TE leans to avoid Cine. Therefore, he immediately transitions into covering the flat, where the pass goes to rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who he tackles for no gain.
Pace also has a potential block, with the WR, Jake Bobo, coming in to fake a crack block. Pace can see this, and prepares to take on the block by putting his hands on Bobo. However, he needs to recognize that Bobo has reduced his shoulder and is actually preparing to run past Pace on an over route. Pace recognizes this late, and the over route may have come open if the throw wasn’t quick to JSN in the flat. Reading opposing body language is key to recognizing plays for defenders, and there’s clearly some work Pace needs to do in the play action game.
One key technique for LBs against play action is the “robot” technique, which stands for “roll-over-and-back.” When a hole player recognizes play action, his job is to turn and run to try to find crossing routes in the middle of the field to cover. The two steps Pace takes forward against the run are fine on the play below, but he is lethargic turning around and getting back to find the crosser. Ultimately, Cine is responsible for nailing the crosser on this play, but Pace could have made Cine’s job easier by gaining depth more quickly and limiting the space available on the over route:
Fortunately, Pace improved on the two moments above later in the game. On the play below, he reads a rollout well. His reading of the fullback helped him, as the FB quickly released towards the flat, but he did a good job turning his head to find the crossing route and gaining depth to undercut a potential throw there:
Pace also showed a much better robot technique in the third quarter. Note how he still takes two steps towards the line of scrimmage but immediately turns when he hits his second step and climbs quickly to the player crossing the field.
It’s extremely encouraging that Pace improved his play in these similar situations after shaky plays earlier in the game. That shows the ability to learn quickly and adjust to correct mistakes.
Conclusion
Pace showed that he has the capacity to be an NFL player in his preseason debut. He matched his impressive college tape by being able to take on blockers despite his lack of size. He read opposing run plays well and found himself in the correct position to utilize his quickness to beat opposing O-linemen. He made tackles with strong form. He even wore the green dot, a nod to his understanding of the defense and his prowess communicating. In pass coverage, he’s still a work in progress, but he is indeed progressing.
At this point, Pace looks like a lock to make the Vikings’ 53-man roster. That’s no easy feat for a rookie UDFA, and at the rate he’s going, Pace may be making an impact playing on Sundays sooner rather than later.
