4-2-5 Zone 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.

Plays the short-side zone with his eyes on the quarterback. Deep third or squat flat by call, he reads route distribution instead of chasing one man. Cloud calls make him the force player on boundary runs, and screens to his side are his tackles to make. Tackling counts here as much as coverage. Field thirds stretch vertically and field flats stretch horizontally, so he needs range in both planes and patience against layered routes.

Physical 5'11 to 6'2, 185 to 200. Ball reaction outranks man twitch.

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

Plays the short-side zone with his eyes on the quarterback. Deep third or squat flat by call, he reads route distribution instead of chasing one man. Cloud calls make him the force player on boundary runs, and screens to his side are his tackles to make. Tackling counts here as much as coverage. Field thirds stretch vertically and field flats stretch horizontally, so he needs range in both planes and patience against layered routes.

Physical 5'11 to 6'2, 185 to 200. Ball reaction outranks man twitch.

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

Works the curl-flat and hook areas from the slot. He passes routes off and jumps the ones thrown in front of him, and run support falls to him as the closest extra defender. Vision beats man twitch at this spot in these books.

Physical 5'9 to 6'0, 185 to 200. Trigger outranks recovery speed.

first slot body; CB_slot rows cover CB3 and CB4

Works the curl-flat and hook areas from the slot. He passes routes off and jumps the ones thrown in front of him, and run support falls to him as the closest extra defender. Vision beats man twitch at this spot in these books.

Physical 5'9 to 6'0, 185 to 200. Trigger outranks recovery speed.

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. 26% 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. 29% 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.

57% of snaps ask for the bear_heavy DT job, 43% ask for the odd_tite DT job. 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. Plays the long end spots of the odd fronts, from a 4i on the tackle's inside shoulder in tite spacing to a head-up or outside 5-technique in base 3-4 looks. He two-gaps with length and keeps the B-gap closed so runs spill to the edge players. Rush production comes from push and hands rather than speed.

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.

Reads the quarterback from the deep middle or a deep half. Zone structure lets him break on the ball instead of trailing a man, which makes ball skills the separator at this spot. Interception production lives in this row.

Physical 6'0 to 6'2, 190 to 205. Instincts outrank timed speed.

Rotates between deep halves and underneath robber zones. He reads the release of #2 to find work, and against run he fits from depth with momentum. Missed tackles from that alignment turn into touchdowns, so tackling has a hard floor.

Physical 6'0 to 6'2, 195 to 210. Downhill control outranks top speed.

Applies when the third safety is on the field. He is the seam-flat defender in three-safety zone shells: he buzzes under #2 and squeezes the seam, and run force from width belongs to him. About 17 percent of zone-book snaps field this body. 18% 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. Two-plane movement outranks size.

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 is hook and curl drops with vision on the quarterback, walling #3 as routes distribute. 29% 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 is hook and curl drops with vision on the quarterback, walling #3 as routes distribute. 33% 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.

57% of snaps ask for the bear_heavy MIKE job, 43% ask for the odd_tite MIKE job. 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. Runs free behind the trio. The front's job is to keep him unblocked, and his job is to make that matter, flowing tackle to tackle and finishing in the open field. On pass downs he owns the middle hook and carries #3 up the seam when the call asks. Base backers drop to landmarks and break on throws.

Physical 6'0 to 6'3, 240 to 260. Thump outranks range.

57% of snaps ask for the bear_heavy WILL job, 43% ask for the odd_tite WILL job. 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. Scrapes behind a front built to keep him clean. He presses the line when the trio holds and falls back over the top when it slants, and his tackles come at full speed in pursuit. Flat and hook drops fill the pass downs. Base backers drop to landmarks and break on throws.

Physical 6'0 to 6'3, 235 to 255. Thump outranks range.