"Whirlwind off the edge with elite lateral quickness, flexibility and surprising pop. Unfortunately he's done nothing but sabotage his draft stock since his season ended."
Strengths:
Explosive edge mover with elite lateral quickness and flexibility. Especially fluid and can accelerate inside his arc and while he's changing directions.
Has some pop in his hands and plays with leverage at the point. Generally keeps himself free with quick hands and lateral mobility. Technique sound. Solid motor.
Weaknesses:
Lacks lower body strength and often struggles to finish through contact. Light and needs proper leverage to avoid getting rooted away. One year wonder. Didn't show well at the combine in drills and reportedly in meetings and claimed injury there and at his pro day.
Overall:
Polite can be a whirlwind off the edge. He's sneaky strong in his upper body and has too much mobility and bend for all but elite pass blockers. He's fairly technique sound despite his inexperience and plays with generally good leverage and hand work.
The chief thing keeping Polite from being a superstar prospect is that, at this point, he's lacking superior finishing strength and balance. Polite also squarely bombed his pre draft evals regarding athletic testing and reportedly his face to face interviews. Might not mean much in the long term but it's a disturbing lack of preparation nonetheless.
NFL Comp: Jerry Hughes