For the past two years, Coach Mike Elko and his staff have placed a premium on speed on both sides of the ball. Four-star EDGE Frederick Ards III Adds another fast defensive lineman to a growing stable of impressive players.

In his highlights, that you can see here, you can see his combination of speed, power and tenacity on full display. It’s easy to see the speed, as he shows it off in virtually every highlight. He comes off the edge extremely quickly, and he can track down a running back in the backfield even if they’re heading the other way. Quarterbacks can roll away from him and he can track them down.

One other thing Ards has is, for lack of a better term, bend. He is able to turn the corner on offensive tackles by going low and dipping, making it tougher for them to solidly block him. He needs to develop secondary moves, for sure, but the natural ability to dip and get around the corner is next level stuff.

Ards is currently 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, but he has surprising strength. There are several instances where he simply pushes bigger tackles back into the backfield, then deftly disengages to get after the quarterback or running back. It’s going to be tougher to do that in the SEC, but he’s also going to get bigger and stronger. He’s got good burst and lower body strength, so he’s able to set the tone when he engages linemen.

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The thing that I loved most about his film is his motor. He never quits on a play, tracking down opponents that are on the other side of the field, have already broken into the second level or just keep moving away from him. That kind of tenacity will play very well with the 12th Man.

Ards needs to add some size and develop the finer points of pass rushing, but he’s got a good frame, good speed and clearly has plenty of drive. He’s on his way to being a key part of what is becoming a remarkable group of defensive ends.

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