Siaki Ika, IDL (Baylor)
The human boulder
Siaki Ika was one of my more anticipated watches for this draft class, as I am a sucker for big, space-eating nose tackles. With the hype Ika was getting from individuals I highly respect, namely Brett Kollmann referring to him as “Vita Vea in green”, I was sure that he would blow me away as a near-perfect IDL prospect worthy of an early day two selection to fortify any team’s run defense, but that was simply not the case. However, I can confidently say I am a fan of Ika’s game and can appreciate him for what he is: a certified space eater.
COLLEGE CAREER OVERVIEW
Siaki Ika was given a 4-star rating by ESPN and 247 Sports before joining LSU as a heavily recruited defender. During his freshman year with the Tigers in 2019, Ika played in 13 games, logging 246 snaps, 14 tackles, 3 assists, and 10 stops. While he managed to produce 3 pressures and 3 QB hits as a pass rusher, he failed to register any QB hurries or sacks.
As a sophomore for the Tigers in 2020, Ika was featured very little, playing in only three games. After the season, Ika transferred to Baylor to increase his playing time. During his junior year in 2021, he played in 13 games and logged 505 snaps, producing 16 tackles, 4 assists, and 18 stops. As a pass rusher, he excelled, recording 33 total pressures, including 24 QB hurries, 3 QB hits, and an impressive 6 sacks throughout the year. This was by far his most productive season as a pass rusher.
During his senior year in 2022, Ika played in 12 games and logged 416 snaps for the Bears. He contributed 20 tackles, 4 assists, and 13 stops, but struggled to achieve any sacks as a pass rusher, with 15 QB hurries and 3 QB hits out of a total of 18 pressures.
STRENGTHS
As a large nose tackle, Ika is more than capable of clogging lanes and eating up space on the defensive line, and few prospects (if any) out of this class possess the sheer size and mass Ika does. Ika has a knack for drawing double teams due to his size, which frees up other defensive linemen to get to the quarterback or ball carrier with less resistance. In addition to his size, Ika possesses the raw play strength you would ideally want in a nose tackle, as well as a lot of pop in his hands that make him a physical menace to deal with in one-on-one situations, further illustrating the need to double-team him. Ika also possesses strength and drive in his lower half that allows him to effectively bull rush and push the pocket.
While not the most athletic player in the world, Ika is surprisingly explosive and mobile for a 335-pound defensive lineman. Ika is able to fire out of his stance and engage rather quickly, showing off the ability to find himself in the backfield and/or engaged with blockers quicker than some of his traditionally faster teammates. Additionally, Ika possesses good lateral agility and quick feet relative to his size and has even flashed the ability to chase down ball carriers in the open field from time to time.
As a run defender, Ika is patient and flashes high-level vision to locate and attack the ball carrier. This is paired with a very patient approach to run defense, aided by Ika’s ability to engage and quickly shed blocks. He displays a rather effective anchor in run defense as well. As a pass rusher, while not quite refined, Ika has shown signs of potential. He often deploys a rather effective swim move that allows him to get past blockers quickly, as well as a few other moves that provide him with the basis for a solid toolbelt.
WEAKNESSES
While Ika’s athleticism is certainly impressive for someone his size, it is still far from ideal. As a larger individual myself, I hate the concept of saying a player could “stand to lose a few pounds”. That being said, I do believe Ika would benefit from slimming down a tad, as he seems to hold “bad weight” that was gained between 2021 and 2022 (which could explain his drop-off in effectiveness as a pass rusher during his final season at Baylor), so shedding some of it would allow Ika to fully maximize his quickness and agility. Additionally, Ika’s lack of true straight-line speed really holds him back as both a run defender and a pass rusher, as it prevents him from finishing plays in different situations. Ika also has a tendency to leave his feet when tackling, which is certainly not ideal. His stamina is also very low, resulting in a lot of low-effort plays where Ika simply cannot exert himself any more than he already has, potentially limiting his role at the NFL level.
Balance is another major issue for Ika, especially when working off blocks. There are far too many examples on film of Ika laying on the ground or getting completely uprooted by a double team or a moving blocker, which should not be occurring often given his size and stature. In fact, Ika really struggles against double teams as a whole, primarily due to these issues with his balance. He has a tendency to play too far over his feet, which opens him up to being easily moved, manipulated, and even straight-up overpowered. Ika is able to be completely taken out of games with double teams, which is far from ideal for a nose tackle.
Despite his overbearing strength, Ika is unable to get the most out of it due to his shorter arms. This becomes a major issue for Ika, as he struggles with wrapping up ball carriers, hurting his ability to finish plays. Additionally, his ability to contain as both a pass rusher and a run defender left me wanting more and are also hindered by his arm length. Ika’s smaller arms mixed with leverage issues and hand deployment inconsistencies really hurt him, as he ends up leaving his chest open against longer defenders with no real way to counter. This results in Ika being unable to deconstruct blocks with his technique, instead relying on brute strength and force. Ika has a tendency to dip his head when attacking blockers as well.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Despite his tenure as a 3-technique at Baylor, Ika most certainly projects as a 1-technique/nose tackle at the next level. His ability to explode out of his stance and attack the A gap with power, as well as his potential upside as a pass rusher, should give him the opportunity to start as a nose tackle rather quickly. However, while he does possess the pass rushing upside, I am worried about his potential as more than a rotational defensive lineman given the issues with his stamina, balance, and short arms. However, I do see the vision with Ika as a space-eating nose tackle in an odd front that can create for others. Ika will draw double teams based on his size alone at the next level, and while those double teams may take him out of the play more often than not, it will benefit his teammates and allow them to cook. At the end of the day, football is a numbers game, so having a guy who takes one blocker away from one of your better pass rushers can be a net positive if utilized correctly. Additionally, if left on an island, Ika possesses the traits necessary to fire off the ball and overpower offensive linemen, so it’s not like he cannot be productive as well. I do believe the “Vita Vea in green” claims are a bit rich for my taste, but Ika will carve himself a role on an NFL defense somewhere as a more traditional nose tackle at the very least.
Grade/Position Rank: Third Round, IDL7
Comparison: Golem from “Pokémon”