"He's a long, powerful DT with impressive initial quickness that gradually went from underachiever to a real presence for the Irish...but the former label still sticks."
Strengths:
Explosive interior lineman with length and a strong motor. Impressive initial quickness for a big, tall DT and is regularly the first off the snap. Flashes power in his hands to ragdoll offensive lineman.
Flashes the ability to play with leverage and anchor. Can stack and shed and find the ball. Good range for a DT and a nice motor. Mature and eclectic.
Weaknesses:
Often plays high and off balance. Can play on skates and be rooted away from the ball. Can struggle to finish with poor balance. On the ground too often.
Tillery easily projects as a DT or 5 DE. Notre Dame commonly stunted him around and liked to keep him on the move upfront..as in this rough clip. While that showcased his athleticism it didn't allow him to show the ability to sit in and anchor.
At his best here in these short clips..Tillery can explode off the ball and disrupt the interior.
Overall:
Tillery is an inconsistent interior defender that can look like a dominant force one game and ineffectual in others. At his best he's a long, powerful DT that ragdolls with his upper strength and has the short area explosion to crash into the backfield routinely. His balance isn't the greatest, however, and when he plays high he can be pushed around despite his motor.
Labeled as an underachiever much of his time at Notre Dame, Tillery began noticeably showing out the last two seasons.
NFL Comp: Chris Canty