Vigil's older brother, Zach, went undrafted last year but earned a roster spot with the Miami Dolphins and started two games late in the season.
STRENGTHS: A sudden and slippery defender with an NFL-blend of vision, awareness and athleticism. Instinctive defender who locates the ball quickly. Trusts what he sees and attacks, showing little hesitation to his game. Exhibits impressive body control to elude would-be blockers in tight quarters, demonstrating agility, balance and closing speed to throw off the timing of opponents. Alert and athletic in pass protection, showing good quickness to gain depth in his initial drop as well as the fluidity to change direction and cover downfield.
Takes aggressive routes to the ball, showing vision and athleticism in avoiding the trash. Generally reliable open-field tackler, flashing textbook hit-lift-drive form. Willing to sell out and trip up ballcarriers with excellent hand-eye coordination. Isn't afraid of physicality, showing the willingness to take on lead-blockers in the hole.
Effective rusher, altering his gait to leave pass-blockers guessing before zipping free or using a smooth spin back to the inside. Saw action at running back for Utah State, rushing for 171 yards and four touchdowns on 47 attempts, for a 3.63-yards average per carry.
WEAKNESSES: More athletic than powerful at this point and can struggle with physicality. Possesses a relatively slim frame for inside linebacker and may lack ideal arm length, failing to anchor effectively, at times.
An effective open-field tackler with balance and closing speed but lacks ideal strength to knock ballcarriers down with his collisions, generating just average stopping power. Good overall athleticism but has a high backpedal and loses a step in his transition when flipping his hips.
IN OUR VIEW: The younger brother of former Aggie Zach Vigil, who made the Miami Dolphins roster as an undrafted free agent last year, Nick elected to give up his final year of eligibility and enter the 2016 NFL Draft. Vigil's instincts and agility are NFL-caliber, but he'll need to be protected his defensive line at the next level, making him best-suited to middle or weak-side linebacker in a traditional 4-3 alignment.
