The ability to rush the passer from the interior is a need, not a want, for teams across the NFL. Interior defenders who can clog gaps in the run and get after the quarterback are simply a must-have in today's game.
For Pheldarius Payne, explosiveness is an understatement when flipping on the All-22 of his game in the ACC. While the Virginia Tech Hokies have failed to live up to expectations of a program that once ran through ACC competition years ago with Michael Vick or Tyrod Taylor under center, Payne’s skill set has drawn the attention of NFL evaluators in search of an interior push.
A native of nearby Suffolk, Virginia, competing for the Hokies was a vision Payne fantasized about in his years of prep ball at Nansemond High School. While Payne remained under-recruited by many of the region's top programs, the opportunity to compete in Blacksburg always remained at the forefront of Payne’s mind.
His journey was one of ups and downs in the years that followed. An impact player for Lackawanna College, one of the premier JUCOs in the country, Payne’s dominant two seasons for the Falcons earned him his first Power Five offer at Nebraska under head coach Scott Frost. While the 2021 campaign saw Payne appear in 10 games—including a two-sack effort in the season opener against Illinois—injury cut his first season as a Cornhusker short—and ultimately, his time in the Big Ten as he missed the entirety of the 2022 campaign.
Then came a call from Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry.
While Pry ultimately presented the opportunity for Payne to get his foot in the door in Blacksburg, now it was about blowing the hinges off the frame at a program he watched as a kid, a mere five-hour drive east.
Payne was excellent in 2023, finishing seventh in pressures among all defensive tackles in the ACC. In a conference littered with draftable talent along the defensive line, Payne accrued more pressures (23) than the likes of Tyler Davis (Clemson) and Leonard Taylor III (Miami), as well as more sacks than projected middle-round selections in Ruke Orhorhoro (Clemson) and DeWayne Carter (Duke).
Payne’s Pro Day was also an eye-opener for teams, as he flew in the 40-yard dash at 286 pounds, clocking in at 4.85—a time that would have ranked second among all NFL Combine participants in his positional group. His 1.65 10-yard split, a threshold that showcases a player's initial explosiveness off the line, also would have ranked second only to LSU’s Mekhi Wingo in Indianapolis.
Combining athleticism and the knack for making plays as a football player is something NFL evaluators drool over. While not all athletes are good football players, teams in need of a defensive presence with twitch coiled up in a nearly 300-pound frame could find Payne to their liking as the draft winds down and boards begin to thin.
