2024 NFL Draft: Top 25 Defensive End Strengths and Weaknesses
While this is a good draft class, there is no Will Anderson type of prospect sitting atop everyone's boards. The top four prospects each have very different playstyles from one another, and it would not be outlandish to have any of them as the top ranked edge. Chop Robinson has freakish explosiveness, but is raw in his technique. Laiatu Latu is as refined as they come, but medically retired two years ago. Jared Verse is your well-rounded, heavy-handed 4-3 defensive end, but did not show much real improvement from his previous season. Finally, Dallas Turner is as fluid of an athlete as anyone in the NFL at 3-4 OLB, but has not shown the consistent ability to win one-on-one reps against quality offensive tackles in the pass rush. All of these prospects should be surefire first rounders, but teams will certainly have different grades on them based on the skill sets that they covet most.
To provide some context for these top 25 rankings, I typically do not give players day one or day two grades if I do not think that they could contribute right away on an NFL field if asked to do so in some capacity. This leads to some grades being rather harsh. That said, all prospects graded through the end of the second round have the high-end potential of developing into certified studs. Some are just farther away than others. The day three prospects all have potential to fill roles or become eventual starters with some development, whether it is physical, technical, or both. Even if I think a player is talented, I do not always give edge players draftable grades if I think that the resources would be better allocated elsewhere due to positional importance and the demand of having top-end talent on a roster. This leads to some unexpected UDFA grades.
Now that some context is provided (and I have saved myself from retaliation of the blasphemy that is not having Dallas Turner as an early first round prospect), let's get into the rankings. I am sure that more names will come up throughout the scouting process that will supersede many of these prospects, but these are the 25 players who I have seen most talked about throughout my various circles. Below are three strengths and three weaknesses of each of these top 25 defensive ends of the 2024 NFL draft class.
Top 25 Defensive End Prospect Strengths and Weaknesses
1. Chop Robinson - Penn State
NFL Projected Position: 4-3 Base End / Outside Linebacker
Film Grade: Top 10
Film Grade: Top 10
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 250lbs
Strengths:
1. Twitch - He is easily the most twitched up defensive line prospect in this class. His burst at 250lbs shouldn't even be possible.
2. Foot Quickness - His rapid-fire feet allow him to perform a variety of pass rush moves suddenly without the opposing tackle knowing it is coming.
3. Speed to Power - Robinson has clearly gained significant strength since last season. His angles and ability to generate push from his initial steps will allow him to attack the inside shoulder and go through linemen more than he could with just twitch and finesse.
Weaknesses:
1. Edge Setting - When he sees a run play, he often stays locked up with the tackle entirely. This not only hurts B-gap runs, but completely exposes the edge.
2. Hand Placement - This has improved since last season. He is using his hands more effectively all-around, but could still afford more precision in his hand placement.
3. Balance - Again, there has been some improvement from last season, but he comes off of his feet too easily on angles where he should not, which also affects his bend.
2. Laiatu Latu - UCLA
NFL Projected Position: 4-3 Base End
Film Grade: Early-Mid First
Film Grade: Early-Mid First
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 265lbs
Strengths:
1. Deconstructing Blocks - Shedding blocks and keeping his hands active allows him to generate tons of pressure, which has led to a ridiculous sack total this season.
2. Speed Rush Technique - He is as refined as they come at the college level.
3. Navigating Traffic - Latu scoots around players with quick hand swipes and lateral movements like they aren't even there.
Weaknesses:
1. Length on Power - His power rushes usually do not hit home, and he lacks the length to consistently maintain inside leverage.
2. Inside Run Defense - His run defense is decent and vastly improved from 2022, but is still a comparatively a weaker part of his game.
3. Tackling - Must get stronger grip for securing tackles.
3. Jared Verse - Florida State
NFL Projected Position: 4-3 Base End
Film Grade: Mid-Late First
Film Grade: Mid-Late First
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 260lbs
Strengths:
1. Hand Strength - His hand strength is his biggest strength. He can just throw guys down with one hand.
2. Inside Run Defense - While still a bit inconsistent, his interior navigation and tackling are both typically very good. His outside run defense and holding gaps could still improve.
3. Speed to Power - This is significantly worse than 2022, but still a strength. His long arm and bull rush continue to be deadly on initial contact.
Weaknesses:
1. Change of Direction - Verse's open field movement skills have suffered tremendously since last season.
2. Leg Drive - His legs stop churning when locked up with stronger offensive linemen at times.
3. Coverage - His fluidity dropping back is almost non-existent. Rather schematically limited in current state.
4. Dallas Turner - Alabama
NFL Projected Position: Outside Linebacker
Film Grade: Late First
Film Grade: Late First
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 241lbs
Strengths:
1. Fluidity - His hip levels, change of direction, and pass rush moves are all incredibly fluid. High-level athlete through and through.
2. Speed to Power - Leg drive and initial push upon making contact is great for a speed rusher. He typically takes great angles to maximize leverage.
3. Burst - Turner can accelerate quickly in any direction and reach full speed in as many paces as most wide receivers.
Weaknesses:
1. Inside Run Penetration - While his edge setting is slowly improving, his penetration on inside runs is non-existent.
2. Tackling - Poor tackler who does not appear to understand wrap-up technique.
3. Hand Fighting - He gets good initial position with his hands often, but they are knocked away rather easily. Once his hands are out of the play, he typically is as well.
5. Bralen Trice - Washington
NFL Projected Position: 4-3 Base End / Strongside Outside Linebacker
Film Grade: Early Second
Film Grade: Early Second
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 274lbs
Strengths:
1. Speed to Power Ceiling - His current speed to power on an every down basis is fine, but when he accelerates with a forward lean, gains hand positioning, and extends his arms, his bull rush and long arm are nigh unstoppable. He just rarely puts it all together.
2. Inside Shoulder - His pass rush moves through the B-gap are very effective, whereas taking the edge or lining up out wide is significantly less so.
3. Effort - High-effort player who never eases up on a rep. His leg drive through contact is excellent.
Weaknesses:
1. Playing his Man - Trice is often too concerned about the offensive tackle in his way, and does not fully focus on his objective.
2. Hand Placement - He simply does not use his hands effectively on most plays. His hand placement is detrimental to both his power and speed rush.
3. Lateral Fluidity - He tries to be a finesse player far too often despite lacking fluid change of direction and pass rush agility. His bend and single-step cuts have improved throughout the season though, which is promising for his outlook.
6. Brandon Dorlus - Oregon
NFL Projected Position: Strongside Base End / DPR 3-Tech
Film Grade: Mid Second
Film Grade: Mid Second
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 290lbs
Strengths:
1. Arm Extensions - He is excellent at maximizing length on his pass rush moves by fully extending after initiating contact.
2. Positional Versatility - He can play base end in any scheme on any down, and even be effective lining up in 3-tech in pass rush situations.
3. Three Point Stance Release - His timing, speed to power, and leg drive are all excellent from a three point stance. He is often first off of the line, and fights through double-teams. He can play out of a two point stance as well, but there is a noticeable difference.
Weaknesses:
1. Closing Burst - Decent pressure to sack conversion ratio, but it would be higher and he would have more TFLs if he had any closing burst. Overall a single speed type of player.
2. Hand placement - He appears to understand where to put his hands for various pass rush moves and keeps active hands, but needs some work in refining his hand placement.
3. Anchor - He can hold a gap while playing end and works inside well on runs through the A-gap, but cannot hold his ground from the interior. Likely an end at the next level.
7. Shemar Turner - Texas A&M
NFL Projected Position: 4-3 Base End / 4i to 5-Tech
Film Grade: Mid Second
Film Grade: Mid Second
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 290lbs
Strengths:
1. Aggression - Turner is a mean dude who lets his emotions be known on the field. If you fend him off one play, he is coming for you with all of his might on the next.
2. Speed to Power - His initial speed to power often can drive tackles back into the pocket. If his leg drive improved just slightly, he would accumulate many more pressures.
3. Release - His speed and timing on the release are consistently impressive. He is eager and loves being the first player off the line. Extremely high effort player all around.
Weaknesses:
1. Arm Speed - He understands how to shed tackles, but is often a bit slow in doing so. His pass rush moves involving power, extension, and static hands are much more effective than his clubs, swipes, and anything else that requires quick hands.
2. Staying on His Feet - His aggression gets the best of him sometimes and he will inadvertently take himself out of the play by trying to bend too acutely or diving prematurely.
3. Edge Setting - He is physically able to set the edge with a great tackle radius, good pursuit speed, and surprisingly swift change of direction for his size. His tendency of being over-aggressive and flying into the backfield often opens up large windows on outside run plays.
8. Jonah Elliss - Utah
NFL Projected Position: Outside Linebacker
Film Grade: Mid-Late Second
Film Grade: Mid-Late Second
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 246lbs
Strengths:
1. Spin Move - Easily the most effective spin move in class.
2. Arm Quickness - He may not punch, but his arms are lightning fast around the edge.
3. Two Point Stance - His burst off of the line from a two point stance is phenomenal.
Weaknesses:
1. Run Defense - Gets pushed off of gap far too easily.
2. Strength - He is not weak for the position per se, but gaining some muscle will help with his execution on power rushes as well as on his chops and rips.
3. Disengagement - His violent hands help to keep the offensive linemen off of him at the onset of the rep, but he struggles to disengage once a lineman gets hands on him in both the run and pass game.
9. Chris Braswell - Alabama
NFL Projected Position: 4-3 Base End
Film Grade: Late Second
Film Grade: Late Second
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 255lbs
Strengths:
1. Attacking Inside Shoulder - To be clear, he rarely power rushes the inside shoulder of tackles. When he does, he is very difficult to stop.
2. Raw Measurables - A 38.5" vertical while squatting 705lbs, bench pressing 405lbs, hang cleaning 405lbs, and hitting nearly 22mph on the GPS at 21-years-old is simply unreal.
3. Well-Roundedness - He can play edge or defensive end, and is decent both against the run and when rushing the passer.
Weaknesses:
1. Disengaging from Blocks - He gets hooked by tackles too frequently.
2. Aggression - All that strength, and it looks like he is approaching tackles tentatively at times. If he hits them in the mouth, he will be a much better pass rusher.
3. Hand Usage - His arm use and hand placement when pass rushing really inhibits a lot of production. Coaching will hopefully assist with this issue.
10. Ashton Gillotte - Louisville
NFL Projected Position: 4-3 Base End
Film Grade: Late 2nd
Film Grade: Late 2nd
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 270lbs
Strengths:
1. Leg Drive - If he gets the initial push with his speed to power, his legs will not stop driving. He is even able to fight through double teams with good angles and strong legs.
2. Active Hands - His arms never stop fighting. Whether he is performing a power move or speed rush around the edge, his hands stay violent and have very good placement. This also helps him shed blocks quickly in the run game.
3.Strength - His work in the weight room shows up on the field. Gillotte is clearly very strong for a true junior.
Weaknesses:
1. Grip - He attempts rips and push-pulls, but many are not as effective as they could be with his lack of grip. This can likely be coached into him.
2. Arm Extension on Bull Rush - His bull rush is very strong with good angles and absurd leg drive, but he doesn't typically extend his arms. This leads to his arms occasionally collapsing and losing momentum, allowing his opponent to more easily reset his anchor. He does, however, extend well on long-arms as well as spacing in the run game, so he has the capability of vastly improving his bull rush.
3. High-End Agility - Gillotte is not the kind of guy who will convert most of his pressures into sacks at the next level. His closing speed, bend, and change of direction are adequate, but he is not overly twitchy in this regard.
11. Princely Umanmielen - Florida
NFL Projected Position: 4-3 Base End / Outside Linebacker
Film Grade: Late Second
Film Grade: Late Second
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 254lbs
Strengths:
1. Spin Move - His spin move is even more impressive than what would be considered textbook. Rivals Jonah Elliss for the best spin in class, but Elliss is slightly more efficient whereas Umanmielen's is more aesthetically appealing.
2. Edge Setting - He sets the edge well with a large tackle radius, long limbs, and good open field pursuit skills. His B-gap defense still needs work though.
3. Inside Run Defense - He is a good gap filler and has some great inside run stops as well. He instinctively works his way inside and impacts plays even when it is not his job.
Weaknesses:
1. Closing from the Edge - He has decent bend, but it must improve with his limb length in combination with most of the angles he takes around the edge.
2. Speed to Power - His leg drive is great, but he does not accelerate into contact. His power rush would be significantly better if he had more aggression off the snap. His initial step also is not as explosive at times because his legs are abnormally long.
3. Pass Rush Technique - His pass rush win rate is stellar despite having poor hand usage on most of his pass rush moves. His placement is typically poor, his grip is almost non-existent, and he enters most reps without a pass rush plan. His potential if he can get coached up and learn some hand technique is very high.
12. JT Tuimoloau - Ohio State
NFL Projected Position: 4-3 Base End
Film Grade: Early Third
Film Grade: Early Third
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 270lbs
Strengths:
1. Release - He is typically the first defensive lineman off the line game in and game out.
2. Long-Arm - His long-arm hand placement and leg drive are superb.
3. High Highs - He has some truly special top 10 type of reps in seemingly every game. They are just very few and far between.
Weaknesses:
1. Lateral Agility - When he gets locked up, he cannot use lateral suddenness to disengage, resulting in many reps where he is just taken out of the play. He has a nice spin move, but his side-to-side is subpar.
2. Edge Setting - Simply does not set the edge on most reps, even when it is his assignment.
3. Second Move - If his first move does not succeed, then he is out of the play. He will attempt a second move at times, but typically to no avail.
13. Gabriel Murphy - UCLA
NFL Projected Position: 4-3 Base End / Outside Linebacker
Film Grade: Early-Mid Third
Film Grade: Early-Mid Third
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 260lbs
Strengths:
1. Active Hands - His hands never stop fighting throughout the duration of every play.
2. Hand Placement - Not only are his hands active, but he is technically refined with great placement as well.
3. Block Deconstruction - He never allows himself to get locked up on a block.
Weaknesses:
1. Physical Upside - While a fluid mover at his size, he is not the kind of superstar athlete who can take over a game.
2. Power Rushes - Murphy does not have much of a power profile, although he does fight through double teams oddly well.
3. Inside Run Positioning - He allows too many clean runs through his gaps.
14. Patrick Payton - Florida State
NFL Projected Position: 4-3 Weakside End / Outside Linebacker
Film Grade: Fourth
Film Grade: Fourth
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 239lbs
Strengths:
1. Timing the Snap - Explosive release and excellent timing on the snap. He gets an immediate advantage on the edge.
2. Extension - Upon making contact, he assists his movements by gripping and locking his arms out against his opponents. Uses length really well overall.
3. Twitch - His twitch is highly promising as a young, underweight, developmental edge rusher. His innate abilities can be molded by coaching and in an NFL weight room. While he was given a fourth round grade for now, it would be unsurprising to see him become an every down impact player in a couple of years.
Weaknesses:
1. Strength - Clearly needs to gain strength, particularly in his lower body.
2. Sustained Power - His initial speed to power is decent, but it falls off hard with his leg drive and lack of mass. Fended off easily with a single well-timed punch.
3. Shedding Blocks - Arms are not violent to fight through the grasp of offensive linemen once they get their hands on him.
15. Jack Sawyer - Ohio State
NFL Projected Position: 4-3 Base End
Film Grade: Fourth - Fifth
Film Grade: Fourth - Fifth
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 265lbs
Strengths:
1. Run Defense- Whether navigating inside or setting the edge, Sawyer is a stout run defender. He is not great at shedding blocks, but could be a superb run defender if he improves in this area.
2. Bull Rush - If he learns to lock out his arms to enhance his momentum derived from initial contact, then his already good bull rush could become great.
3. Hand Strength - He has heavy hands and firm grip. If he can embrace being a pocket-collapsing power end, then he could earn himself a lot more playtime at the next level.
Weaknesses:
1. Balance - His balance when bending or displacing too much ground laterally is subpar.
2. Release - His release is delayed too often for comfort, especially from a three point stance.
3. Change of Direction - Slower pivots and deceleration are concerns that severely limit his pass rush profile.
16. Darius Robinson - Missouri
NFL Projected Position: 4-3 Base End / DPR 3-4-5-Tech
Film Grade: Fourth - Fifth
Film Grade: Fourth - Fifth
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 296lbs
Strengths:
1. Hand Placement - Robinson is a technician whether he lines up on the interior or outside the tackles. He has strong, violent hands, and a plethora of pass rush moves.
2. Pass Rush Efficiency - He is quick off the line, and executes pass rush moves very efficiently. He has one of the quickest and most effective push pulls in this class. His experience pass rushing on the interior is really showing up on the end as well.
3. Inside/Outside Versatility - His pass rush profile can be effective anywhere across the defensive line. In true pass rush situations, he can line up anywhere from nose to out wide.
Weaknesses:
1. Functional Strength - For 296lbs and being light on his feet, his speed to power is not what it could be, even with favorable angles and hand placement.
2. Inside Run Defense - Redirected too easily from the point of attack on inside runs whether he lines up inside or out. Loses focus in the run game occasionally as well.
3. Foot Speed - His feet are not particularly quick, and occasionally are not in sync with his upper body.
17. Landon Jackson - Arkansas
NFL Projected Position: 4-3 Base End
Film Grade: Fifth
Film Grade: Fifth
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 281lbs
Strengths:
1. Tackle Radius - He has a massive effective tackle radius and is a relatively sure tackler.
2. Contact Angles - His contact angles are excellent for his height. He is actually able to gain leverage often, but must learn how to use that leverage to his advantage. He does not utilize this to his advantage on every play, but the reps are there.
3. Physical Potential - With a trainer and dietician, Jackson could become a physical unicorn. He is just really far away from his physical potential (slightly reminiscent of Andre Carter II in that regard, but definitely different players with different deficits).
Weaknesses:
1. Extension - Arms become soft on contact and often collapse. If he learned to reliably extend after initial contact, his proceeding pass rush moves would be much more effective. Much of this may stem from his clear lack of functional strength.
2. Lateral Movements - Has very little lateral quickness and change of direction ability.
3. Pass Rush Execution - Jackson has a very small pass rush arsenal. He gets locked up one on one on the majority of his pass rush reps. That said, he has been attempting chops, swipes, and rips, along with a few other less straightforward moves throughout his tape, so he is trying to improve in this area.
18. Jasheen Davis - Wake Forest
NFL Projected Position: 4-3 Base End
Film Grade: Fifth
Film Grade: Fifth
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 259lbs
Strengths:
1. Tackling - He is typically a sure tackler with a good tackle radius.
2. Movement Skills - He is a smooth mover for 6'7, and has the flexibility and innate movement skills needed to become a plus pass blocking left tackle for the NFL.
3. Angles - He uses angles to his advantage when pass blocking power rushers.
Weaknesses:
1. Hand Placement - His active hands often are not as effective as they could be. This appears to be a knowledge issue rather than a precision issue.
2. Pass Rush Plan - Early in the season, there was none. By the end, he had some legitimate pass rush moves, but execution was still poor. The improvement shows promise and does help his draft grade from earlier in the season.
3. Release Angles - He stands up straight on his release often, losing leverage early in the rep. He also often is delayed off the line, but this improved throughout the season.
19. Jaylen Harrell - Michigan
NFL Projected Position: Outside Linebacker / Off-Ball Linebacker
Film Grade: Fifth
Film Grade: Fifth
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 242lbs
Strengths:
1. Twitch - He is twitched up for 6'4 242lbs. He just flies off the line, and does so with control and lateral agility.
2. Movement Skills - Harrell is an outside linebacker, but may find that he has a better career as an off ball linebacker with significant pass rush upside. He is an athlete with excellent lateral movement skills who may thrive in the right scheme. He will likely not see the field full time solely as a 3-4 outside linebacker.
3. Speed Rush - His spin move is quite effective, and he has a variety of speed moves that win him the edge.
Weaknesses:
1. Run Defense - He may be a better run defender if he swaps to off ball linebacker, but is absent in the run game from outside linebacker and defensive end.
2. Power - He is a speed only pass rusher.
3. False Steps - False steps very often, slightly slowing down his release.
20. Nelson Ceaser - Houston
NFL Projected Position: Rotational 4-3 Edge Rusher
Film Grade: Fifth - Sixth
Film Grade: Fifth - Sixth
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 250lbs
Strengths:
1. Leg Drive - His legs keep churning through his power rushes, particularly when he gets good leverage and hand placement.
2. Arm Extension - He has good length, and uses it effectively on his bull rushes and long-arms.
3. Pocket Collapsing - Ceaser will likely be a rotational pocket-collapsing pass rusher in the NFL. When he does get halted, he always attempts proceeding pass rush moves.
Weaknesses:
1. Run Defense Positioning - His positioning in run defense is abysmal. He often lower his head and runs his pads into the closest offensive lineman, taking himself completely out of the play. Should not be asked to set the edge at the next level, or really even be on the field on run plays if possible to start his career.
2. Twitch - His burst is a bit lackluster for his position. He is a bit slower to execute speed rush moves, and lacks pop on his initial steps.
3. Winning the Edge - He often goes past the pocket, then tries to come back inside with a mediocre spin move. He lacks the technique and bend to consistently win the edge.
21. Steve Linton - Texas Tech
NFL Projected Position: Developmental Outside Linebacker
Film Grade: Sixth
Film Grade: Sixth
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 235lbs
Strengths:
1. Release Footwork - Linton is very efficient and explosive from a two point stance without needing much counter movement.
2. Lateral Quickness - He can pivot back and forth very quickly, which helps him tremendously on his speed rush.
3. Hand Placement - His hand placement on speed to power moves is consistently where it needs to be.
Weaknesses:
1. Strength - Visibly lacks muscle for the position. His lack of strength consistently shows up throughout his tape. He has the frame to easily add 10lbs, if not 20lbs, of mass, but the redshirt senior is a far ways away.
2. Holding Point of Attack - He is a poor run defender, particularly against B-gap runs. He can sit back and navigate to make an eventual tackle, but does not stand a chance when targeted. He does, however, work towards the inside well from the edge on inside runs.
3. Open Field Fluidity - For only weighing 235lbs at 6'5, his speed and fluidity in coverage are quite underwhelming. His closing burst also leaves a lot to be desired. His size may mislead people into thinking that he should play off-ball linebacker, but his skill set says otherwise.
22. Mohamed Kamara - Colorado State
NFL Projected Position: Backup 4-3 Base End
Film Grade: Sixth - Seventh
Film Grade: Sixth - Seventh
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 250lbs
Strengths:
1. Upper Body Finesse - He has effective dips and upper body movements to avoid the brunt of contact.
2. Release Efficiency - His release from a two point stance is quick and efficient.
3. Expected Dominance - Against lesser competition, his metrics have been highly impressive. His 19 sacks and 103 pressures over the last two seasons on 594 pass rush snaps is incredible. His stock will certainly rise if he can perform well against better competition at the Senior Bowl (assuming he gets an invite and elects to go).
Weaknesses:
1. Physically Underwhelming - He is only 6'1, which is short for the position. He has a sturdy build, but his lack of length and physical potential will limit him in the NFL as a base end. He is physically imposing enough against Mountain West competition, but his game may not translate well into the NFL.
2. Lateral Agility - He is much more of a linear player. He can still win the edge at times, but his lateral movement skills are rather poor.
3. Speed to Power - He is strong, but his initial speed to power is not very impressive. He often slows into initial contact, putting himself at an immediate disadvantage. His hand usage also does not help in this regard.
23. Tyler Baron - Tennessee
NFL Projected Position: Developmental 4-3 Base End
Film Grade: Seventh
Film Grade: Seventh
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 260lbs
Strengths:
1. Linear Speed - Baron's linear speed at his size is rather impressive.
2. Inside Cuts - His inside counter is one of his more effective pass rush moves.
3. Tools - He has an excellent build with great length and room to add mass.
Weaknesses:
1. Finished Power Rushes - His bull rush gets halted rather easily after an anchor reset.
2. Hand Usage - Hands become rather stagnant when he is stood up. He has occasional rips and moves to shed blocks, but is too content being locked up.
3. Run Defense - He is simply redirected away from the play too easily, and does not understand spacing or how to pull off of blocks.
24. Zion Tupuola-Fetui - Washington
NFL Projected Position: Backup Outside Linebacker
Film Grade: Seventh
Film Grade: Seventh
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 254lbs
Strengths:
1. Edge Setting - He is light on his feet and a much improved tackler from last season. He can hold the edge and match speed to the perimeter.
2. Stunts - Footwork and ramping speed to power are both impressive on inside stunts.
3. Hustle - He can fill any role for outside linebacker, whether it is setting the edge, rushing the passer, or dropping into coverage, and will give each and every rep his all. His all just is not impressive enough to stand out in any particular area, but he is certainly no liability when filling any of those roles.
Weaknesses:
1. Pass Rush Plan - He often flails his arms, if he even uses them, to try and gain an advantage. No pass rush plan for a sixth year player is highly concerning.
2. Hand Placement - His hand placement is typically abysmal.
3. Play Strength - He simply is not physically imposing despite having decent height and weight for the position. He plays with great effort, but is often stopped in his tracks by lower-caliber offensive linemen.
25. Adisa Isaac - Penn State
NFL Projected Position: Outside Linebacker
Film Grade: Priority UDFA
Film Grade: Priority UDFA
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 254lbs
Strengths:
1. Stunts - His inside footwork on stunts is effective and allows him to take optimal angles and get to the quarterback more quickly than many other much better prospects would.
2. Wide Alignments - He accelerates into contact once he already is three or so steps into the rep. This generates better speed to power from wide alignments.
3. Tackling Improvement - His tackling was awful in 2022, but has improved significantly in 2023. This shows his ability to learn, practice, and improve at the position.
Weaknesses:
1. Release Efficiency - His footwork off of the line is rather abysmal. It is inconsistent, and he has dropsteps throughout his tape that are rather egregious regarding how much they slow down his release.
2. Bend - For a speed rusher, Isaac has very poor bend. He is often pushed past the pocket, and stumbles if he tries to bend around the edge.
3. Run Defense - He is directed away from the run very easily, and does not show great inside navigation.
Summary
Player Grade Distribution
Below is the distribution of these prospects with each color representing a tier:
Final Expectations
The top-end talent may not be what it has been the last few years, but there is still a lot of potential. There are some great athletes in this class who could become studs at the next level, but have a long ways to go with their technique. There are many different styles throughout this class at every tier, so many teams will likely have more diverse grades on these prospects than in many prior classes that had more definitive tiers. If a team needs a certain type of edge rusher, they should be able to find a player who fits their scheme at any stage of the draft.
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