Cyrus Kouandjio has added a wrinkle to his game as Alabama's star left tackle and potential early draft pick.
And, apparently, Kouandjio has deemed it nickname-worthy. But is it NFL-worthy? You be the judge.
Known as "The Slap", Kouandjio uses his right arm in pass protection to hurl edge pass rushers as far behind the pocket as possible. Kentucky's Za'Darius Smith, one of the most productive first-year JuCo transfers in the Southeastern Conference, has become the unfortunate poster victim, as seen in the GIF image below.
Said Kouandjio, per al.com:
"I've just been messing around with it. I finally got the hang of it."
Smith's taste of The Slap sent him flying to the ground. Kouandjio (6-foot-5, 310 pounds) is among the top juniors in the nation. He began the season with a pair of holding penalties and some struggles in pass protection but has played at a much higher level of late. Kouandjio looks for pass rushers who try to beat him to the top of the pocket with pure speed, and, with a powerful suddenness, send them beyond the quarterback with their own momentum.
"I like the move because it works well with higher rushers," Kouandjio said. "I fake the pass rush and then they just get up a couple of seconds later. It works well with high pass rushers. That's why I like it."
Kouandjio discusses the move in further detail in the video below.
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