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Draftanomics
Prospect dossier

C.J. Fite

DT · Arizona State · 2027 NFL Draft class

Limited public coverage1 contributing source·Board as of August 31, 2026
Draftanomics scouting
Revised preseason edition · September 6, 20263 min readReport role: DT · Arizona State

Master scouting report

Fite projects as an early-down interior tackle whose low pads and compact build help him stay square against the run. He has the starting experience to handle a rotation, but must finish more consistently after controlling the block. His pass rush remains secondary to his ability to occupy space and close running lanes.

By Draftanomics · Sources & edition · Print report

01Experience and production

Arizona State lists Fite at 6-foot-2 and 310 pounds. He recorded 15 tackles in 2023, then started 14 games in 2024 and finished that season with 30 tackles and two sacks. His 2025 season added 29 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss, bringing the career tackle-for-loss total to 12. The participation and production support a player who has already contributed over multiple seasons. They do not require a large sack total to be relevant, because the first job in this projection is helping the defense control the interior.

02Leverage and gap control

Fite plays with low leverage and can stay square against a single blocker. That keeps him connected to the running lane without requiring an immediate penetration win. His single-block control is more established than the ability to absorb repeated combinations or handle every interior alignment.

03Separation and finishing

Fite stays balanced through contact tackles and finishes best when he preserves position within his gap. Closing burst is ordinary, leaving less room to recover after a lost angle. Timely separation is needed to keep the runner within his effective range.

04Pass rush

Fite's rush can stall after the initial action. His backfield production does not establish a dependable second move against a guard who meets the opening attack. More persistent pocket disruption requires faster separation and a counter linked to the blocker's commitment.

05Ball awareness

Against Mississippi State in September 2024, Fite recovered a fumble forced by Clayton Smith and returned it for a touchdown. He remained involved after the initial disruption and converted the loose-ball opportunity into points.

06Experience and development

Fite returned after considering the 2026 draft and joined Arizona State's Pat Tillman Leadership Council. He has an established role across multiple college seasons. A more dependable rush response would add passing-down value to his clearer early-down contribution.

The case for the player

Strengths

  • Low leverage, square positioning and balanced contact tackling support a defined early-down interior role.

  • Multiple seasons of contribution and a documented scoring recovery show useful participation beyond isolated pass-rush production.

The questions that remain

Concerns

  • Ordinary closing burst places a premium on preserving position and finishing within his assignment.

  • A rush that can stall after the first action limits the current passing-down projection.

Building the fit

NFL role and scheme fit

Fite fits an interior rotation that values early-down stability and gives him clear gap responsibilities. He can compete for a larger share by improving separation and maintaining useful pressure after initial contact. The role should be earned through reliable execution against the blocks he will actually face, rather than an unverified claim that he can line up anywhere across the front.

The Draftanomics view

Bottom line

Fite projects as an early-down interior rotation player. Low leverage, square positioning and balanced tackling provide a defined run-defense contribution. Ordinary closing burst makes preserving the gap important, and a stalled first rush limits passing-down value. Quicker separation and a connected counter would broaden the role.

Sources & edition

The Draftanomics assessment, synthesized from attributed reporting. Role and development language expresses scouting opinion.

Preseason assessment using college evidence through 2025 and subsequent roster, practice and scouting reporting. This edition does not evaluate 2026 regular-season games or claim a new Draftanomics film study.

Edition reviewed September 7, 2026. Replaces the abbreviated profile with an early-down role assessment grounded in verified production and qualitative technique; removes unsupported alignment and rush claims.

The original August edition remains preserved. This is a revised Draftanomics assessment, with supporting sources attached to each statement.

View the 4 referenced sources
Read statement references

Every passage remains linked to its supporting sources. Open a section to inspect the assessment and its evidence.

Sources for overview
  1. House assessment

    Fite projects as an early-down interior tackle whose low pads and compact build help him stay square against the run. He has the starting experience to handle a rotation, but must finish more consistently after controlling the block. His pass rush remains secondary to his ability to occupy space and close running lanes.

Sources for experience and production
  1. Reported fact

    Arizona State lists Fite at 6-foot-2 and 310 pounds.

  2. Reported fact

    He recorded 15 tackles in 2023, then started 14 games in 2024 and finished that season with 30 tackles and two sacks.

  3. Reported fact

    His 2025 season added 29 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss, bringing the career tackle-for-loss total to 12.

  4. House assessment

    The participation and production support a player who has already contributed over multiple seasons.

  5. House assessment

    They do not require a large sack total to be relevant, because the first job in this projection is helping the defense control the interior.

Sources for leverage and gap control
  1. House assessment

    Fite plays with low leverage and can stay square against a single blocker. That keeps him connected to the running lane without requiring an immediate penetration win. His single-block control is more established than the ability to absorb repeated combinations or handle every interior alignment.

Sources for separation and finishing
  1. House assessment

    Fite stays balanced through contact tackles and finishes best when he preserves position within his gap. Closing burst is ordinary, leaving less room to recover after a lost angle. Timely separation is needed to keep the runner within his effective range.

Sources for pass rush
  1. House assessment

    Fite's rush can stall after the initial action. His backfield production does not establish a dependable second move against a guard who meets the opening attack. More persistent pocket disruption requires faster separation and a counter linked to the blocker's commitment.

Sources for ball awareness
  1. House assessment

    Against Mississippi State in September 2024, Fite recovered a fumble forced by Clayton Smith and returned it for a touchdown. He remained involved after the initial disruption and converted the loose-ball opportunity into points.

Sources for experience and development
  1. House assessment

    Fite returned after considering the 2026 draft and joined Arizona State's Pat Tillman Leadership Council. He has an established role across multiple college seasons. A more dependable rush response would add passing-down value to his clearer early-down contribution.

Sources for strength
  1. House assessment

    Low leverage, square positioning and balanced contact tackling support a defined early-down interior role.

Sources for strength
  1. House assessment

    Multiple seasons of contribution and a documented scoring recovery show useful participation beyond isolated pass-rush production.

Sources for concern
  1. House assessment

    Ordinary closing burst places a premium on preserving position and finishing within his assignment.

Sources for concern
  1. House assessment

    A rush that can stall after the first action limits the current passing-down projection.

Sources for nfl role and scheme fit
  1. House assessment

    Fite fits an interior rotation that values early-down stability and gives him clear gap responsibilities.

  2. House assessment

    He can compete for a larger share by improving separation and maintaining useful pressure after initial contact.

  3. House assessment

    The role should be earned through reliable execution against the blocks he will actually face, rather than an unverified claim that he can line up anywhere across the front.

Sources for bottom line
  1. House assessment

    Fite projects as an early-down interior rotation player. Low leverage, square positioning and balanced tackling provide a defined run-defense contribution. Ordinary closing burst makes preserving the gap important, and a stalled first rush limits passing-down value. Quicker separation and a connected counter would broaden the role.

College record & draft context

College production, measurables, experience, and the prospect's place on the sealed Public Draft Board.

Public Draft Board

Limited public coverage

Not enough sources for a consensus rank. 1 of the 3 contributing public sources required for a numbered rank.

No overall rank, position rank, or movement is assigned.

Sealed snapshot as of August 31, 2026 · equal-weight aggregation of public boards, minimum 3 sources for a rank · The Public Draft Board

College production

Defense
StatisticSeason 2024Season 2025
Total tackles2929
Solo tackles1716
Tackles for loss36.5
Sacks11
Passes defended02
QB hurries24
Defensive TD10

Seasons of evidence: 2. Games played, snap counts, and usage shares are not in the retained data. An em dash means the value is not in the dataset, not zero.

Evidence notes

  • The retained data contains 2 seasons of defense production (2024–2025).
  • Defense tackles by observed season: 29 → 29.
  • The newest college season in the retained data is 2025; the 2026 season is not yet included.
  • No verified athletic testing is included in the sealed dataset for this prospect.
  • Public-source coverage is limited to 1 contributing board, so no consensus rank is assigned.

Each note restates a displayed fact. None is a forecast of NFL performance.

Experience and measurements

Listed height
6'2"
Listed weight
305 lb
Class
Senior
Age
Not in dataset
Recorded school
Arizona State
Former school
Not in dataset
Hometown
Tatum, TX
Jersey
#99
Recruiting stars
3-star
Recruiting rank
#1347 nationally

"Not in dataset" means the value is absent from the sealed dossier dataset, not that it does not exist.

Athletic testing

Not included in the sealed dataset. No combine, pro-day, or RAS value is retained for the 2027 class; absence here does not mean no testing has taken place.

Listed roster height and weight (CollegeFootballData); no verified athletic testing is retained. Bio captured August 29, 2026.

Historical comparisons

Historical profile comparisons are being rebuilt.

Sources and methodology

  • Retained bio and measurements: Draftanomics prospect ingest (CollegeFootballData rosters and recruiting), retained seed data/seed/prospects_upcoming_full.parquet.
  • Retained college production: CollegeFootballData season statistics via the retained player cross-reference; position-relevant categories only; all-zero category rows dropped.
  • Age: unavailable — no birth date or age is retained for the 2027 class.
  • Transfer history: not retained — the page shows the current school and, where the frozen id names a different school, the former school.
  • Public Draft Board: sealed snapshot as of August 31, 2026; per-source ranks are not published under the aggregate-only source policy.

Board methodologyDossier methodologyResearch status

Board position reflects aggregated public opinion; the scouting report is a separate editorial assessment.