Bill Norton, IDL, Texas
Size:
Height: 6’6” | Weight: 335 lbs
Accomplishments:
Four-star recruit
“Bill Norton has the size and athleticism to carve out a role as a rotational IDL to provide a presence as a pass rusher while he continues to develop as a run-stopper.”
Strengths:
Good overall size and mass
Good athleticism and quickness
Alignment-versatile
Concerns:
Run defense
Plays with high pad level
Ability to finish plays
Film Analysis:
Bill Norton transferred to Texas after starting his career at Georgia and having a brief stint at Arizona. Norton is an interior defensive lineman with the ideal overall mass and length that NFL teams seek. He uses his athletic traits to assist him in the running game and as a pass rusher.
As a pass rusher, Norton is an alignment-versatile IDL who will align everywhere from a 0-technique to aligning on the outside shade of offensive tackles. In these alignments, Norton will use his quickness to get upfield and attempt to get pressure on the quarterback. For a defensive lineman who is more than 300 pounds, Norton does a good job of being nimble and a fluid mover to change direction with good overall range. When Norton was at Arizona, they also used him in positions and schemes to run twists and stunts, which Norton was effective at. Once in the backfield, Norton has the lateral agility to redirect and chase down quarterbacks. If Norton doesn’t actually get the sack, he still gets pressure on the quarterback, affecting their ability to throw the football accurately or even forcing them into a bad decision. Norton’s impact is not always seen in the box score, but if you watch the game, you can see that he will impact the game as a pass rusher by getting pressure and being disruptive.
As a run defender, Norton uses his athleticism to quickly get upfield and disrupt the structure of an offensive play. Norton is best when he can shoot a gap, get in between the offensive tackles, get upfield, and make a play on the ball-carrier. Norton also has enough athleticism that when the flow of the play is away from him, he can be a player to track down the ball-carrier to make a tackle for loss. When Norton is aligned as a defensive end with his overall mass and strength, he can easily set the edge and force outside runs to have to turn back inside to the help of the defense.
Norton’s needed improvements as a player have to do with him playing with a high pad level and how it affects his effectiveness at playing strong along the line of scrimmage in the run game. At the snap, Norton will pop up and expose his chest plate, allowing an offensive lineman to get good hand placement, drive him, and displace him off of the line of scrimmage. Norton also struggles to disengage from offensive linemen. Lowering Norton’s pad level can help him because he would be able to anchor better and break up double teams. Because Norton is a big defense tackle, he will be asked to take on the tasks of double teams, so this improvement is necessary so teams feel comfortable with him playing the IDL position.
Overall, Norton is a player with the ideal frame, overall mass, and quickness to be a serviceable defensive lineman for NFL teams. His impact early may be on passing downs while he develops his play against the run.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Role Specific Contributor
Written By: Keith Sanchez
Exposures: Mississippi State (2023), Washington (2023), Colorado (2023), Utah (2023)
