| HEIGHT | 6' 3 1/2" | ||
| WEIGHT | 241 lbs | WINGSPAN | 80 1/4" |
| 40 TIME | -- | SHUTTLE | -- |
Allen has the desired frame of an edge pass rusher with good length and a lean, tapered build, and his 2020 tape showed flashes of pass rush ability with some technique and hand usage, but he has much to work on to develop into a consistent edge rusher who can effectively make the transition to the next level. Allen is not an explosive, sudden athlete with the flexibility and bend you would ideally like to see, so he must become proficient playing off and through contact, and that's an area he must improve. My sense is Allen will be seen as an OLB in a 3-4 base defense with his ability to play the run and set the edge, and then ideally as an edge pass rusher in sub fronts, but he has much work to do to reach that level in the NFL. I believed he would be an ascending player in 2021, but unfortunately Allen's 2021 season ended early in the first game, with a foot injury that required surgery. Is there a comparison to be made with Bud Dupree when he came out of Kentucky?
| HEIGHT | 6' 3" | ||
| WEIGHT | 248 lbs | WINGSPAN | 78 3/4" |
| 40 TIME | 4.54 | SHUTTLE | 4.23 |
Bonitto has the look and feel of an edge pass rusher as you project and transition him to the next level. He is a sudden, explosive athlete with desired length, natural bend and flexibility, and outstanding closing burst and speed to the QB. One trait that Bonitto has, and it is an important one for edge pass rushers, is the natural athleticism and body flexibility to turn on his inside foot at the top of the rush arc and then flatten his path to the QB without negatively impacting his balance and body control, and in fact being able to burst and close with speed off of it. Where Bonitto must improve as he transitions to the NFL is overall play strength, both a run defender and pass rusher, where he needs to develop and refine a speed-to-power dimension to his repertoire. Bonitto would likely begin his NFL career as a sub front edge rusher, but he has the traits to develop into an every-down player as an OLB in a 5-2 front, a SAM LB in a 4-3 front, or an edge in a multiple front defense. Bonitto has the length, sudden athleticism, explosive bend, flexibility, and overall pass rush chops to become an impact pass rusher at the next level, and his 2021 Oklahoma tape is as strong as any edge rush prospect in this draft class.
| HEIGHT | 6' 2 3/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 250 lbs | WINGSPAN | 81 3/4" |
| 40 TIME | -- | SHUTTLE | -- |
Ebiketie played only one year in the Big 10, but there is much to like as you project and transition him to the NFL. He looks and plays longer than his height of just over 6'2, with long arms and a sinewy, sleek frame that snakes and slips into gaps in the run game and wins as a pass rusher on the high side of the OT. Ebiketie possesses natural athleticism with flexibility and bend as a pass rusher to clear the arc and flatten with closing burst and speed to the QB. He also showed a sense of hand usage, with an effective one-arm stab and underneath rip move that allowed him to gain leverage and both drive the OT back into the pocket and get him turned to the sideline. Ebiketie showed both power and quickness as a run defender, although he must get stronger and better as a point-of-attack player in the run game. Overall, Ebiketie is a strong prospect, with my sense being that he would start his career as a sub-front edge pass rusher and then develop into a full-time player, likely on the outside in 5-2 front (which is becoming more and more prevalent in the NFL).
| HEIGHT | 6' 3 5/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 258 lbs | WINGSPAN | 83" |
| 40 TIME | 4.87 | SHUTTLE | -- |
Enagbare will be an interesting evaluation as teams project and transition him to the next level. In 2021 at South Carolina he almost always aligned to the boundary, predominantly in a two-point stance, so he predominantly aligned to the open side of the offense. Enagbare brings excellent length to the table as an edge player, but he is much more of a straight-line linear mover with some core tightness and stiffness than a fluid, flexible, change-of-direction athlete, and that limits his traits and ability to be effective as a pass rusher. The best part of Enagbare's game as a pass rusher is his hand usage, both in terms of strength and movement, with strong hands at times controlling and moving OTs, and a nice array of moves to win both to the high side and low side (swipe-club, club-arm over, inside spin). But what Enagbare could not do with his linear movement was flatten his rush path after clearing the arc on the high side and close with burst and speed to the QB. Enagbare did show some flashes of lateral quickness off the snap as a pass rusher, and that may be something to build upon as he enters the NFL and gets coached and developed.
| HEIGHT | 6' 6 5/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 260 lbs | WINGSPAN | 78 1/8" |
| 40 TIME | 4.74 | SHUTTLE | 4.15 |
Hutchinson is a strong prospect as you project and transition him to the NFL. He possesses excellent body length (arm length may be shorter than desired, but he plays long) and consistently showed outstanding quickness off the ball and explosive short-area quickness within the 2-3 yard metric needed to win as a pass rusher. Hutchinson does not have ideal flexibility and bend off the edge, but his game is predicated much more on short-area explosiveness and power and highly refined/heavy hands with rapid=fire movements. What stood out was how well coordinated Hutchinson's feet and hands were as a pass rusher, allowing him to beat OTs with a lethal combination of explosive foot quickness and perfectly timed hand strength and arm moves. What consistently was evident was Hutchinson had a game plan for how he wanted to attack OTs and he approached it as a four-quarter exercise (never was that more apparent than versus Ohio State LT Nicholas Petit-Frere). Hutchinson also showed the ability to play the run effectively, using his hands and arm extension to keep his feet clean and maintain the balance, body control, and power to squeeze gaps and close down running lanes. Hutchinson would fit seamlessly into multiple front looks, whether they be even or odd fronts (there were snaps he lined up at 4i in a three-point stance and made plays in the run game) and he could also move inside as a pass rusher in sub fronts, even at times lining up as a stand-up Joker.
| HEIGHT | 6' 2 5/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 254 lbs | WINGSPAN | 82 5/8" |
| 40 TIME | -- | SHUTTLE | -- |
Jacksonfits the classic profile of the long, athletic, flexible, explosive edge pass rusher that is always in demand in the NFL as you project and transition him to the next level. His 2020 and 2021 tape showed outstanding flashes of pass-rush ability built on quickness, burst, flexibility, and explosion, and there is no question Jackson possesses the attributes (including desired arm length) needed to develop into a quality edge rusher at the next level. There were times watching Jackson's 2020 and 2021 tape that he reminded me of Leonard Floyd coming out of Georgia with his size/length/flexibility/explosiveness profile, but both somewhat raw and unrefined rushing the QB. There was definite improvement in Jackson's ability to play the run in his 2021 tape, and while he is not a dominant POA run defender, he did show more physicality and more effective hand usage and leverage to play off blocks and find the ball. Bottom line is that Jackson possess the athletic and explosive traits that give him a chance to develop into a quality NFL edge rusher with some coaching and refinement. If he can show that kind of development and continue to further improve as a POA run defender, he could become a 3-down player, lining up on the edge in a base 5-2 front and then being an edge pass rusher and/or a Joker in sub defenses.
| HEIGHT | 6' 4 5/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 254 lbs | WINGSPAN | 81 5/8" |
| 40 TIME | 4.58 | SHUTTLE | -- |
Johnson looks the part of an NFL edge defender and multi-positional sub player as you project and transition him to the next level. He is long, wiry, and athletic, with outstanding arm length, natural quickness, change of direction, and closing burst and speed. What consistently stood out was Johnson played stronger than his lean, wiry frame suggested, with a power element to his game both as a run defender and pass rusher. There is a natural quickness to Johnson's movement along with active and effective hand usage that allows him to break down the technique of OTs and win as a pass rusher despite the fact that he is not a natural bender off the edge. There is much to be unlocked in Johnson's game as a pass rusher when it comes to technique and counters, and I believe Johnson is only scratching the surface of his ability to rush the QB. It would not surprise me if Johnson, within 2-4 years, becomes a strong edge pass rusher with the versatility to line up inside and as a Joker depending on team and scheme.
| HEIGHT | 6' 3 3/4" | ||
| WEIGHT | 266 lbs | WINGSPAN | 78 7/8" |
| 40 TIME | -- | SHUTTLE | 4.36 |
Karlaftis will be an interesting projection and transition to the NFL given that his game is based much more on effective hand usage and upper-body power and strength than higher-level athleticism, quickness, flexibility, and change of direction. Karlaftis was powerful and efficient with his hands, showing the ability to initiate and then play off contact with his calculated, active hands and strong upper body, in addition to having a nuanced feel for how to attack OTs with a pass-rush plan. The question with Karlaftis as you project and transition him to the next level as an edge pass rusher is this: what is the balance between his outstanding hand usage and upper-body strength and less-than-desirable length, athleticism, and natural quickness? Karlaftis is not a high-level athlete, as he lacks sudden explosive movement, and at times he looks a little segmented and stiff with limited flexibility and fluidity. Can Karlaftis develop into a quality edge rusher in the NFL with his game based almost solely on power, driving back OTs into the pocket and with a stiff lower half that showed a tendency to get stuck if his initial move stalled? Or is Karlaftis your classic old-school base DE who lines up to the strong side in a 4-3 front or at 3-technique or 4i in a 5-2 front, while lining up inside as a pass rusher in sub fronts? The more I watched Karlaftis the more I saw similarities to Emmanuel Ogbah, both coming out of Oklahoma State and in the way he is used by the Dolphins. Neither is a pure edge pass rusher, but both can deployed in multiple alignments and both play a power game that is most effective in confined space.
| HEIGHT | 6' 3 3/4" | ||
| WEIGHT | 261 lbs | WINGSPAN | 80 3/4" |
| 40 TIME | 4.53 | SHUTTLE | -- |
Mafe is one of the most intriguing edge prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft given his high-level measurables and the way in which he plays the game. Mafe is not a finesse edge player who only looks to rush the QB, but rather he is a more complete edge defender who plays the run with commitment and physicality, with an understanding of how to both set the edge and play off blocks to find the ball, especially dominating TEs. What consistently stood out with Mafe as an edge pass rusher was his explosive get-off that immediately challenged and stressed OTs on the high side, but despite that sudden athleticism, Mafe is a work in progress as a pass rusher with not much of a plan how to attack OTs and a limited array of moves and counters. He can be tantalizing at times, showing flashes where he puts it all together and it looks very good, but there were also too many frustrating pass rush reps where he got stopped just before the arc and had no answers. Despite his athletically explosive gifts, Mafe will need coaching and work to be deployed as an edge pass rusher early in his first season. Given his ability to play the run effectively with physicality and toughness, especially on the strong side, he might fit well with a team whose base front is a 5-2, and he could also transition as a strong side DE in a base 4-3.
| HEIGHT | 6' 3 1/4" | ||
| WEIGHT | 243 lbs | WINGSPAN | 79 3/8" |
| 40 TIME | -- | SHUTTLE | -- |
Malone was one of the more intriguing DL/edge prospects I watched in this draft cycle, and I came away believing he will project well to the next level as he develops his pass rush craft and gains more play strength to enhance his physical approach. He lined up in multiple positions, including 3-technique in Western Kentucky's multiple front looks, and what immediately was evident was his explosive lower body flexibility and twitch. Malone has excellent overall athleticism with natural quickness and suddenness to his movement, and that showed up most prominently as an edge pass rusher where there were many snaps in which his explosive burst off the ball immediately challenged and stressed the high side of OTs, resulting in their loss of technique and balance, and then with his outstanding lower body flexibility, Malone could flatten his rush path and close with burst and speed to the QB. Malone could bend and corner and flatten as an edge pass rusher, and those traits are essential when attacking 45 degree and vertical sets by OTs. Is there a Haason Reddick comparison to be made with Malone? Malone is at his best as a wide edge player where he has space and room to keep his legs clean and generate speed and velocity to maximize his natural quickness, fluidity of movement, and lower-body flexibility. There is no question he has alignment versatility in sub defenses as a Joker, especially on 3rd down.
| HEIGHT | 6' 4" | ||
| WEIGHT | 250 lbs | WINGSPAN | 80 3/4" |
| 40 TIME | 4.55 | SHUTTLE | 4.45 |
Ojabo showed high-level athletic traits to rush the QB off the edge and that is always in demand in the NFL, making him a strong projection to the next level assuming he can make a complete recovery from his torn Achilles injury, suffered at his March Pro Day. What Ojabo consistently showed the ability to do was flatten at the top of the rush arc and then close with burst and speed to the QB. His burst off the snap from wide 9 alignments immediately challenged Os to the high side and often forced them to open up to the sideline too early in their vertical set, breaking down their technique and putting them in reactive recovery mode. Ojabo is an explosive, sudden mover who played fast with high velocity and he consistently showed the balance and body control to drive through half-man resistance by OTs. Given his limited experience, Ojabo is just scratching the surface of what he can become as an edge pass rusher and the hope is the Achilles injury will only delay that development. Ojabo would likely begin his NFL career as a sub front edge pass rusher with Joker ability, but in time he could certainly be a base defense edge player in a 5-2 front. There were times Ojabo reminded me of Robert Quinn when he came out of North Carolina as the 14th pick in the first round in 2011. They are the same height, with Quinn being a little heavier. Their arm length and vertical jump were very similar.
| HEIGHT | 6' 5 1/4" | ||
| WEIGHT | 228 lbs | WINGSPAN | 79 7/8" |
| 40 TIME | 4.67 | SHUTTLE | 4.37 |
Sanders is long and sleek, and if he is to transition effectively to the next level, it will have to be as an edge pass rusher likely playing in sub fronts. He has a thin frame and his overall lack of play strength is certainly a concern, as is his lack of twitch and suddenness, so he will need to be a refined and nuanced rusher working in space with wide alignments who has many tools in the tool box to become an effective NFL pass rusher. At this point Sanders does not have a full tool box and he does not possess the kind of flexibility and bend at the top of the pass rush arc to flatten and close to the QB. Given his lean frame, Sanders will not transition to the NFL as a base defense DE in a three-point stance; you need to get Sanders away from the big bodies, not closer to them. But it is possible with coaching and experience he could develop into an edge player in a 5-2 base front, much the way Leonard Floyd is for the Rams. Sanders would have to begin his NFL career as a sub-front player who could both line up as an edge pass rusher and as a Joker, but he will need to become a better pass rusher for that to be the case.
| HEIGHT | 6' 3 3/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 254 lbs | WINGSPAN | 80 1/2" |
| 40 TIME | 4.86 | SHUTTLE | -- |
Smith looks the part of an edge pass rusher with a frame that appears longer than his 6'3 height and his explosive, sudden athleticism, but he has been one of the most frustrating players to evaluate and project to the NFL. Smith has much to learn in terms of the details and nuances of becoming a quality pass rusher, but he is a dynamic athlete with explosive burst off the ball that allows him to challenge the technique of OTs, both in response to Smith's speed and quickness and the velocity of his speed-to-power rush. There is so much to work with athletically with Smith, but his lack of body control and play strength have been problems throughout his Ohio State career and if that cannot be improved upon at the next level, he will likely never develop into the edge pass rusher that his athletic and movement traits suggest he should be. Smith has the physical and athletic traits to project as a higher-level pass rush prospect, but the execution of those traits has been so inconsistent that his transition to the next level is a total unknown at this point. Will an NFL DL coach be able to unlock Smith's traits and develop him into a quality edge pass rusher? It could happen.
| HEIGHT | 6' 4" | ||
| WEIGHT | 254 lbs | WINGSPAN | 79 1/2" |
| 40 TIME | 4.58 | SHUTTLE | -- |
Thibodeaux's tape showed a DE whose game was built more on functional power, with the hand and upper body strength to control and displace OT, than explosive and sudden athleticism with bend and flexibility. As an edge pass rusher, he relied almost exclusively on speed-to-power and hand strength with few moves and counters, showing little refinement in his plan of attack, in addition to at times playing too upright. Thibodeaux has strength and power, but he needs to develop a much more refined and polished pass rush game that attacks and breaks down OT before he can become a higher level rusher at the next level. At this point, Thibodeaux showed more as a run defender with his strong, heavy hands than he did as a pass rusher, where his lack of desired bend and flexibility resulted in consistent struggles to flatten his rush path when he was able to clear the arc. There were times watching his tape that Thibodeaux reminded me of Jadeveon Clowney, given he is also powerfully built, playing with power and hand strength, but some stiffness throughout his body. Howevery, Clowney a bigger man with better pre-draft measurables in almost every area, and Clowney has never developed into a high-level edge rusher in the NFL. You could see Thibodeaux move inside in sub fronts just as Clowney has done successfully in the NFL.
| HEIGHT | 6' 5" | ||
| WEIGHT | 272 lbs | WINGSPAN | 84 1/4" |
| 40 TIME | 4.51 | SHUTTLE | 4.32 |
Walker is one of those prospects who could well develop into a better NFL player than he was a college player given his NFL-ready frame and his physical and athletic traits. Walker is long and athletic with a sturdy frame, and he has extensive experience playing both outside at DE and inside at DT coming from Georgia's multiple-front defense. There was a powerful feel to his game, both with his hand usage and his short-area movement. That power was reflected both in his run defense and as a pass rusher, where he used his hands effectively. Walker can be a multi-positional player at the next level depending on defensive personnel and down-and-distance situation, with the traits to play wide 9/5-technique/4i/3-technique both in three-point and two-point stances/Joker. Walker is just scratching the surface of what he can become as a pass rusher and the more I watched his tape the more I saw similarities to Za'Darius Smith coming out of Kentucky as a 4th-round pick in 2015.
| HEIGHT | 6' 3 5/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 261 lbs | WINGSPAN | 80 1/4" |
| 40 TIME | 4.46 | SHUTTLE | -- |
Williams was an interesting evaluation as you project and transition him to the NFL given that he lined up a high percentage of his snaps in a four-point stance and a good percentage of his snaps at 4i or 5-technique, with neither one of those things likely to happen in the NFL. The comparison that immediately came to my mind was Josh Sweat and the way in which he was used at Florida State, and how that was essentially the same as the way Williams was used at Ole Miss in 2021. My sense is Williams will be seen more as a DE in a base 4-3 front as teams project and transition him to the next level, showing the traits needed to play the run effectively with strong, heavy, violent hands to keep OL away from his frame and the strength to both stalemate and control/displace OT. Given his experience, Williams could also transition as a 4i or 5-technique or even a reduced 3-technique in a base 5-2 front (Ole Miss played some 5-2 fronts), and teams may well see him as an inside pass rusher in sub fronts with his strong hands and lack of ideal flexibility and explosiveness on the edge. Based on his 2021 tape, Williams is more of a strength-and-power pass rusher than a quickness, bend-the-edge, flatten-his-rush-path rusher, but he presents an intriguing combination of size, length, power, and subtle, deceptive lateral quickness. One trait he showed that projects well to the NFL was his ability to play off contact as a pass rusher.
| HEIGHT | 6' 5 1/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 271 lbs | WINGSPAN | 82 7/8" |
| 40 TIME | -- | SHUTTLE | -- |
Wright is one of the most intriguing DL/edge prospects in the 2022 Draft with his desirable combination of length and athleticism. Wright has outstanding length (including arm length) to play on the edge and develop into a quality pass rusher with coaching and much more experience, given that he played only 31 games at Alabama-Birmingham in Conference USA against lesser competition than he would have faced at a Power 5 school. Wright showed strong flashes at times of higher-level pass traits both off the edge and inside at 3-technique, with explosive get off and sudden lateral movement (saw that inside) along with effective hand usage. What also showed up enough to believe it can be further harnessed was the lower-body flexibility and ankle flexion to bend the arc on the high side and flatten his rush path to the QB. Wright lined up in multiple positions across UAB's fronts, including 4i and 5-technique, and his run defense was inconsistent, at times controlling and displacing OT and TE and other times being physically handled at the point. While Wright has clear pass rush traits to work with and develop, he is not naturally twitchy and sudden, and he will need more refinement with his pass rush approach and hand usage to become a quality NFL pass rusher but there is no question his length is a strong trait.
