Anttaj Hawthorne

Hawthorne has an imposing frame that could add more bulk, but while he has natural strength, he needs to improve his midsection tone. He has an explosive initial step to get advantage coming off the snap. Anttaj is a good program player with quick hand reaction to shock and jolt and outstanding instincts working down the line. He anticipates the potential blockers' moves and reacts with strength and quickness to blocking schemes. He is the type of competitor who plays with good intensity and playing strength, but was a little inconsistent in that effort as a senior. Anttaj also shows good instincts, awareness and ball recognition ability. When working in one-on-one situations, he will consistently penetrate and disrupt the plays. Anttaj plays with very good leverage to anchor and hold ground and defeat blocks at the point of attack. He uses his hands effectively to stack and control. However, he can get isolated vs. the double-team and can struggle to hold the point, as he does not always protect his body. When blockers get their hands into his chest, Hawthorne will get locked up and stall out, but he will flash ability to stack at times. He is much better to neutralize and disrupt when in isolated situations, a he has the strength to work across blocks to the ball. Hawthorne can pull the center, recover and make plays up and down the line. He has good lateral agility and shows fluid moves when changing direction. He is very hard to block, but needs to show better hand usage to prevent guards from attacking his feet (poor knee lift to avoid). Anttaj shows excellent field instincts, as he is quick to locate the ball and pursue the play in the short area. He has a very good feel for pressure and reacts with power-oriented moves rather than finesse the blocker. His outstanding leverage is evident when he stacks and sheds vs. the run. He has good lateral agility and uses his hand jolt effectively to push the blocker back, redirect and shoot the gaps. When he moves down the line, he is quick to pick up schemes and plays with urgency to prevent the ball carrier from turning the corner. He will often face multiple blockers and would be more effective shedding them, if he can improve his hand usage. Against the pass, he shows a sudden burst off the ball, but is more comfortable as a power rusher than the type who will finesse or rely upon speed to make the play. He can move down the line, but lacks the lateral quickness and speed to slip off blocks and get pressure consistently. Hawthorne spends too much time on the ground when attempting to pass rush and isn't consistent in using his hands to generate effective rip, swim or club moves, even though he has the strength. His relies more on his leverage and strength to get penetration and pressure. Character-wise, this player is well liked by his team and seemingly everyone on campus. For all the press he has received, coach Barry Alvarez says that Hawthorne remains focused and acts like a "regular Joe." While some may look at his statistical drop-off in 2004 as cause for concern, the Badgers went to more of a containment posture with the defensive tackles than they did in previous seasons. With the return of defensive end Erasmus James in 2004, Anttaj's job was to basically handle the trash. He is very mature for a young player and shows a desire to improve. If a team uses him as an "under" tackle, much like Tampa Bay (Anthony McFarland) and the New York Jets (Dwayne Robertson) utilize, this athlete will be one that NFL offenses will have to always account for.

No injuries reported.

5.17 in the 40-yard dash.

400-pound bench press.

550-pound squat.

335-pound power clean.

29-inch vertical jump.

32 1/8-inch arm length.

9 5/8-inch hands.

19/30 Wonderlic score.

Attended Hamden (Ct.) High, playing football for coach Tony Martone.

Named to the USA Today and Reebok/ESPN first-team All-American squad.

Was also a member of Prep Star's "Dream Team" and Super Prep's first-team All-American unit.

Participated in the National High School All-Star game in Dallas. .. Rated the ninth-best player in the country by Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report (second-ranked defensive player). .. All-State choice in each of his last three years.

Registered 102 solo tackles, 17 sacks and seven forced fumbles as a senior.

Closed out his career with more than 250 tackles, 38 stops behind the line of scrimmage, 30 quarterback sacks and 14 recovered fumbles.