Siaki Ika Doesn’t Show What it Takes To Go First-Round

Baylor’s Siaki Ika is a mountain of a man who adds value to a team in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft, but the question is what round should he go in?

Ika did not produce first-round game film in 2021 or 2022

If I was sitting in a pre-draft meeting room with an NFL team, and it came my turn to talk on Ika, the one word I would use to describe him is, “inconsistent.”

History is not on Ika’s side

Winston Churchill once paraphrased George Santayana in a 1948 speech when he said, “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.”

These past two drafts, we’ve seen two hyped up big men, and they have both underachieved since.

The talk of the town in 2021 was Alabama’s Christian Barmore (6-foot-5, 310 pounds). I had a documented fourth-round grade on Barmore, but Patriot’s Head Coach Bill Belichick disagreed with me and reached for him in the second-round.

Barmore has played in 27/34 games (starting only 5), while producing a total of 69 tackles (35 solo) and 4 sacks combined the past two seasons.

That’s an average of 34.5 tackles and 2.0 sacks per year.

Flash forward to 2022, the hype machine was high on Georgia’s Jordan Davis (6-foot-6, 336 pounds). He put on a dazzling workout warrior performance at the NFL Scouting Combine that likely influenced the Eagles into taking him first-round (No. 13). I had a documented pre-draft fifth-round grade on him for SI Jets.

How did Davis do?

This season he played in 13 games (5 starts), producing 18 tackles (8 solo) and 0 sacks.

Here’s where it gets interesting.

Ika outweighs Barmore by 48 pounds and he outweighs Davis by 22 pounds.

If Barmore and Davis can barely get to the quarterback in the NFL, how in the world will Ika?

Statistics tell us the same thing

Even more concerning than a general history lesson, is Ika’s own stat-line from this past season.

His sack production (even at the college level) fell from 4.0 sacks in 2021 to registering 0 sacks in 2022.

0 sacks?

That’s right, 0 sacks.

In fact, Ika has only registered a total of 5.0 sacks in four college seasons (two at LSU and two at Baylor in 37 games).

Why are we even thinking first round?

It’s because several major NFL Draft platforms are pushing for it.

Amongst others, the San Diego Tribune, Draftwire, Pro Football Network, CBS, Bleacher Report, and Sports Illustrated are the headliners who have tagged Baylor’s big man with a first-round grade.

Respectfully, I’m not seeing it.

Limited-area run stuffer

Ika is an inconsistent low production limited-area run stuffer who flashes and the rest of the time he looks as soft as tissue paper. I don’t know if it’s a stamina issue or pure laziness, but either way, Ika goes way less hard about half the time even as a rotational defensive tackle.

While his best redeeming value is as a limited-area run stuffer, there is no excuse for a man this size not to be able to hold his ground.

#62 Siaka Ika 6-foot-4, 358 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Final 2023 NFL Draft Grade: Fourth-Round (I would not select him)

First Round Mock Big Board: TBD

Bust Probability: High

Projected by 17.6% (up from 12.2% on October 6) of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of January 15, 2023 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2022 game film reviewed: Oklahoma, BYU, and Iowa State (click here to view games watched to form this evaluation)

Level of competition: High

2021 stats: 24 tackles (17 solo, 7 assists), 1 pass defended, 4.0 sacks (33 pressures pff.com)

2022 stats: 23 tackles (10 solo, 13 assists), 2 passes defended, 0 sacks, (18 pressures nfldraftbuzz.com)

2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Inconsistent limited area rotational defender with good natural strength but a frame that lacks definition. Vanilla pocket push that generates fair to heavy once in a blue moon penetration. Flashed swim move twice. Stalemated at least half the time. Ineffective redirecting on stunts. Inconsistent holding his ground against the run. Average goal-line stand. Plays too high at times. Average read and diagnosis. Inconsistent shed. Occasionally, came off a block and make a wrapping tackle in his immediate lanes, but he is not a sure tackler. Drew a good number of double teams, and that is his primary value just based on his size alone.

Final Words

Being big in a big man’s league doesn’t impress me.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He currently writes for Sports Illustrated New York Jets and he is the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.