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Positives: Has very good weight room strength, but it does not always translate to the football field … Has a wide frame with good bone structure, broad shoulders and thighs, but also has a soft midsection and needs to firm up his overall physique … Plays with an inconsistent effort, but has shown flashes of being a productive bull rusher, when he keeps his focus … Hard worker in the weight room, but needs to translate that strength to the football field … When he keeps his base wide and pad level down, he has the leg strength to anchor firmly (too inconsistent, though) … Has become better at using his long reach to keep blockers at bay, but must be more active with his hands and keep them inside the frame to defeat chest blocks … When operating in a cap control system, he is efficient at tying up and shedding blockers better than when playing in space … Can anchor and squeeze better when he sinks his weight, as he has the initial burst to slant and penetrate playing over the head of an offensive guard … Plays too high vs. double teams, but can stack and shed when he gets his hands on a blocker … Needs to show better urgency getting to the ball moving down the line, but when the action is directed right at him he can swallow up a ballcarrier with his strength as a striker … Inconsistent, but shows good wrap-up tackling form … demonstrated better stunt ability as a senior, and if he keeps his head in the game he has the ability to push the pocket (lacks pass rush moves, but can rip through holds better to free himself up and get to the quarterback as a senior than he did in the past) … Gets stuck on blocks at times, but has worked on his hand placement in attempts to push, pull and create movement … Can collapse the pocket when he gets a clear lane to the passer.
Negatives: Has a firm chest, but could use better upper body muscle definition … Plays with a narrow base, allowing opponents to attack his feet to get him to the ground … Has limited change of direction agility and shows inconsistent balance on the move (due to his narrow base) … Adequate student of the game, but lacks ideal read and react skills and needs more than a few reps to retain plays … Quirky character who lacks leadership skills, and while a hard worker in the weight room he does not take well to hard coaching … Has had several position coaches, resulting in him being forced to learn different techniques (slow to digest the playbook) … Lacks good instincts, effort and consistency, and needs to play with more emotion (seems to go through the motions) … Has missed opportunities to make plays, as he is not always in the flow of the game (his concentration lapses are the problem) … Flashes initial quickness and the ability to get up field, but does not do it consistently … Has a decent feel for blocking schemes, but his reactions to them are inconsistent (tends to run right into blockers rather than attempting to slip under) … Shows adequate anchor vs. down blocks and will play strong at times in run force, but other times he will get run down the line by double teams due to a marginal anchor … Has the ability to neutralize drive blocks, but plays too high, with little leverage, as he will get his hands too wide, leaving his chest exposed to body shots … Shows adequate ability to stack, but is slow to shed and doesn't fight one-on-one down blocks with a lot of aggression … Can pursue down the line, but gives inconsistent effort and will throttle down on plays away from him … Will work through trash, but needs to do a better job of protecting his feet (on the ground a lot) … Gets an adequate push off the snap on the bull rush, but when he plays too high he loses leverage and this negates his playing strength … Can rush from the A and B gaps, but must show better pass-rush moves (has a marginal spin move, relying more on club action) … Grabs and controls opponents with his hands, but is not a pop-and-jolt type of player who can impact on contact … Needs to move his hands more inside to gain better control of his opponent, as they get too wide, allowing blockers to consistently get a piece of his body … Shows adequate closing speed, but isn't productive in the sack department due to inconsistent effort and limited pass-rush technique.
Compares To: JASON JEFFERSON-Buffalo … Except for being a few inches taller, Hayden is a clone of the player he replaced in the Wisconsin lineup. Both have very good power, but it is sometimes negated by a high stance, narrow base and poor anchor. Hayden rebounded as a senior from a poor junior campaign, but needs to show that brute strength more in his play in the trenches. He lacks pass rush technique and his inconsistency is what will see him struggle for a roster position. He has to show more fire in his belly to avoid the unemployment line.
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