4-2-5 Man Recruiting Guide (CFB 27): Who to Recruit and Why

Designated pass rushers in the sub-package fronts. The pair aligns outside in Nickel and Dime spacing and wins with get-off, because a four-man rush has to create pressure while everyone else covers. Contain duty against scrambling quarterbacks comes with the job.

Physical 6'2 to 6'5, 245 to 270. Get-off outranks everything else.

Designated pass rushers in the sub-package fronts. The pair aligns outside in Nickel and Dime spacing and wins with get-off, because a four-man rush has to create pressure while everyone else covers. Contain duty against scrambling quarterbacks comes with the job.

Physical 6'2 to 6'5, 245 to 270. Get-off outranks everything else.

First job is winning the edge as a rusher. Aligned wide in 4-down spacing, he attacks upfield at the snap and turns speed into pressure. He sets the edge on the way to the quarterback, not instead of it.

Physical 6'3 to 6'5, 240 to 265. First step over mass.

First job is winning the edge as a rusher. Aligned wide in 4-down spacing, he attacks upfield at the snap and turns speed into pressure. He sets the edge on the way to the quarterback, not instead of it.

Physical 6'3 to 6'5, 240 to 265. First step over mass.

Covers the single-receiver side by himself. Boundary alignment means shorter grass and more isolation routes, so he wins with leverage and phase instead of waiting on help. Screens and quick game to his side are his tackles to make. More grass means more double moves and deeper stems, so long speed and cushion discipline carry the assignment.

Physical 6'0 plus preferred with length. Recovery speed outranks height if forced to choose.

CB1/CB2 are the outside pair; boundary vs field is alignment, the depth chart does not split them

Covers the single-receiver side by himself. Boundary alignment means shorter grass and more isolation routes, so he wins with leverage and phase instead of waiting on help. Screens and quick game to his side are his tackles to make. More grass means more double moves and deeper stems, so long speed and cushion discipline carry the assignment.

Physical 6'0 plus preferred with length. Recovery speed outranks height if forced to choose.

CB1/CB2 are the outside pair; boundary vs field is alignment, the depth chart does not split them

Covers the slot with no sideline to help. Inside alignment gives receivers a two-way release, so twitch and mirror skill decide these reps. He also triggers on inside runs as the closest small defender.

Physical 5'9 to 6'0, 180 to 195. Short-area quickness outranks length.

first slot body; CB_slot rows cover CB3 and CB4

Covers the slot with no sideline to help. Inside alignment gives receivers a two-way release, so twitch and mirror skill decide these reps. He also triggers on inside runs as the closest small defender.

Physical 5'9 to 6'0, 180 to 195. Short-area quickness outranks length.

second slot body, on the field in dime sets

Penetrates as the 3-technique. He lines up on the guard's outside shoulder and wins the B-gap with his first step, turning run downs into losses behind the line. On passing downs he supplies the interior rush that keeps quarterbacks off their spot. 18% of his snaps come from mugged formations. Protections point extra attention at the mugged threats, which leaves the nose and tackle in more one-on-one blocks they are expected to win.

Physical 6'2 to 6'5, 285 to 310. First-step quickness outranks bulk.

Anchors the front as the shade nose. He controls the A-gap against interior runs and holds his ground against double teams so the MIKE can flow. Pocket push on late downs is a bonus on top of the run-down anchor. 20% of his snaps come from mugged formations. Protections point extra attention at the mugged threats, which leaves the nose and tackle in more one-on-one blocks they are expected to win.

Physical 6'1 to 6'4, 300 to 330. Anchor strength outranks height.

Covers the guards in bear looks and multiplies in goal line fronts, where DT3 and RDT tokens add extra interior bodies. Every rep is a single block in a phone booth, so he has to win fast with power because there is no space to recover.

Physical 6'2 to 6'5, 300 to 330. Short-area power outranks any testing number.

Covers the guards in bear looks and multiplies in goal line fronts, where DT3 and RDT tokens add extra interior bodies. Every rep is a single block in a phone booth, so he has to win fast with power because there is no space to recover.

Physical 6'2 to 6'5, 300 to 330. Short-area power outranks any testing number.

Erases mistakes from the deep middle. Man coverage across the board leaves him as the lone helper, so range from the post to either numbers is the whole job. Ball skills turn that range into takeaways.

Physical 6'0 to 6'2, 190 to 205. Range outranks hitting.

Takes the tight end or the back man to man. He lines up low more often than deep, matching routes from in-line and backfield alignments, and fills the box when run shows. Coverage chops against tight ends decide whether this defense holds up.

Physical 6'0 to 6'3, 200 to 215. Coverage movement outranks box thump.

Applies in formations with a third safety on the field. He takes the extra slot or tight end in man and plays the overhang against the run. About 17 percent of man-book snaps field this body, package level by the depth thresholds but a real matchup piece. 17% of his snaps come from three_high formations, where the deep-third variant applies. In these alignments SS2 plays a true deep third, so the ask shifts from overhang force to top-down coverage: stay over #2 and #3 verticals and arrive late against the run.

Physical 5'11 to 6'2, 195 to 215. Versatility outranks any single trait.

third safety; on the field in 4-2-5 3 High, 4-2-5 Even, 4-2-5 Over G, 4-2-5 Under

Holds the second level of the sub packages that carry most snaps. The job is coverage first, matching backs and tight ends underneath, with a late rush added when the assignment stays in to block. Sub fronts field both SUBLB tokens together, so this is a sign-two position. Coverage demand leads: backs and tight ends man to man, snap after snap. 21% of his snaps come from mugged formations. Walked into an A-gap before the snap, he either arrives with the rush or bails into coverage after showing it, and the bail is the hard part. Short-area burst plus coverage recovery is the trait pair that survives the assignment.

Physical 6'0 to 6'3, 220 to 240. Coverage movement outranks bulk.

No blitz attribute exists on the scouting panel. Blitz maps to Acceleration and Hit Power here.

Holds the second level of the sub packages that carry most snaps. The job is coverage first, matching backs and tight ends underneath, with a late rush added when the assignment stays in to block. Sub fronts field both SUBLB tokens together, so this is a sign-two position. Coverage demand leads: backs and tight ends man to man, snap after snap. 14% of his snaps come from mugged formations. Walked into an A-gap before the snap, he either arrives with the rush or bails into coverage after showing it, and the bail is the hard part. Short-area burst plus coverage recovery is the trait pair that survives the assignment.

Physical 6'0 to 6'3, 220 to 240. Coverage movement outranks bulk.

No blitz attribute exists on the scouting panel. Blitz maps to Acceleration and Hit Power here.

60% of snaps ask for the even_4down MIKE job, 40% ask for the bear_heavy MIKE job. Runs the middle of the base defense. He triggers downhill between the tackles against the run and drops to the hook zones on pass downs. 4-4 Split puts two MIKE tokens on the field at once, so depth behind the starter matters in books that use it. Hits lead blockers behind a loaded line. The front eats the linemen and he meets fullbacks and pullers in the hole, keeping his fits square in short yardage. Coverage asks are minimal here. About a third of man-book snaps stay in base personnel, and the backers take the leftover assignments, usually backs and in-line tight ends.

Physical 6'0 to 6'3, 230 to 250. Instincts outrank straight-line speed.

60% of snaps ask for the even_4down WILL job, 40% ask for the bear_heavy WILL job. Chases from the weak side. Protected from most direct blocks, he flows fast to the ball and cleans up what the front spills. In coverage he carries backs to the flat and closes on checkdowns. Fits downhill from the weak side of heavy fronts. He fills fast and takes on climb blocks without giving ground to finish runs at the line. Backside screens are the only pass work that finds him. About a third of man-book snaps stay in base personnel, and the backers take the leftover assignments, usually backs and in-line tight ends.

Physical 6'0 to 6'2, 225 to 240. Closing speed outranks size.

Plays the strong side over tight ends. He sets the edge against the run when the play comes at him and walls the tight end in coverage when it does not. Most of his snaps in this cluster come from the 4-3 family, so he lives near the line and in traffic. About a third of man-book snaps stay in base personnel, and the backers take the leftover assignments, usually backs and in-line tight ends.

Physical 6'2 to 6'4, 235 to 255. Play strength at the point outranks range.