2019 Draft - Edge Rushers
 

I don't do draft research like I used to. But fortunately a lot of dorks out there do A LOT of it. It is of questionable quality, like always, but that has never stopped Mel Kiper from making a living doing it, nor will it stop me from posting. FFS no one has posted in 2 days.

So here are some edge rusher draft prospects to watch out for in the 2019 draft. If this goes well I'll do interior DL next.

Nick Bosa | DE | Ohio State
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 265
2018 stats: 14 tackles, 6 TFLs, 4 Sacks, 1 FF (in ~2 games)

Probably a top 3 prospect, maybe #1 overall, Colts have no chance. Supposedly more athletic than his brother Joey, who is a top edge rusher for the Chargers. His stats are not jaw-dropping, as he was injured early in the 2018 season and decided to sit out the rest of it to train for the NFL (and not further injure himself). Complete edge defender, but special pass rusher with excellent combo of strength, power, and speed.

Josh Allen | 3-4OLB | Kentucky
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 250
2018 Stats: 88 tackles, 21.5 TFLs, 17 sacks, 5 FFs, 4 batted passes

Freak athlete, hard worker, very productive, great length. If Bosa's last name weren't Bosa then Allen would probably be the consensus #1 edge rush prospect. May need to put on a little weight to play DE in the NFL and might be a better stand-up defender. Colts have no chance to draft him.

Clelin Ferrell | DE | Clemson
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 265.
2018 Stats: 45 tackles, 17.5 TFLs, 10.5 sacks, 3.5 FFs

Good athlete, well-rounded defender, great first step to get up into blockers suddenly, fairly polished already with a variety of moves and ways to beat his blocker. Plays smart and with good technique and is not just an athlete. It would probably take a run on QBs and some other luck for him to fall to the Colts but he is my #1 realistic prospect for the 1st round. If we don't get a top pass rusher in FA I would not mind trading up for him.

Montez Sweat | DE/OLB | Mississippi State
Height: 6-6 | Weight: 250
2018 Stats: 53 tackles, 14.5 TFL, 12 sacks

Despite size he plays like a lineman, not as effective standing up. Not good in space, he's better at the line of scrimmage. Wants to fight through linemen, not around them. Great first step at the snap. Might need more NFL bulk, which could affect his quickness. Day 1 star at the Senior Bowl, where he showed a variety of pass rush moves and dominated his blockers. Has crazy length with 36" arms. One nfl.com analyst sees a lot of Danielle Hunter in him, which is a pretty excellent ceiling. Colts have a shot to get him, but there probably aren't 25 better prospects than him in this draft.

Rashan Gary | DE | Michigan
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 287
2018 Stats: 43 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks

More of a tools player that has great potential. His 2018 stats aren't that impressive. Freak athlete. In this defense he could play base end on some downs and kick inside on others, though he'd need to be coached up to learn the skills to do that. Maybe drafted before we pick, and despite his potential I don't really want him.

Jachai Polite | DE/OLB | Florida
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 242
2018 Stats: 45 tackles, 19.5 TFL, 11 sacks

Speed/finesse rusher that can still play the run pretty well as evidenced by his 19.5 tackles for a loss. Plays hard, fights through or around blocks. Has multiple pass rush moves and can chain them together, doesn't just rely on speed. Very productive against top competition. 6 strip sacks in 2018.
You would think Mathis would be the best kind of teacher for a player of his size and play style. He apparently dropped 20 lbs. for 2018 so you wonder how well he would do if he had to bulk up to play in the NFL.

Brian Burns | DE | FSU
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 231
2018 Stats: 52 tackles, 15.5 TFL, 10 sacks

Seems like a speedy edge rusher with zero power. Lots of moves, and he had some good numbers against good competition but give me a break with this 231 lbs nonsense. I don't trust FSU pass rushers. I hope someone else picks him in the first. Seems like a poor man's Leonard Floyd. I hate these types of prospects. They put on weight for the NFL, lose their speed, and suddenly they suck. No thanks.

Anthony Nelson | 3-4DE | Iowa
Height: 6-7 | Weight: 270
2018 Stats: 45 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 9.5 sacks

Great length, motor, play strength, and pass rush moves. Not a great athlete. Good production came from effort and technique. More of a mid-round prospect with some good traits but maybe not enough athleticism to be a starter. May need to play inside some, which he has little experience in.

Zach Allen | DE | Boston College
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 284
2018 Stats: 61 tackles, 15 TFL, 6.5 sacks

Similar to Nelson above but with maybe less refined pass rushing moves.

Some other names I saw mentioned but that seem limited enough that they won't sniff our top 3 picks:

Jaylon Ferguson | DE | Louisiana Tech
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 255

D'Andre Walker | 3-4OLB | Georgia
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 251

Carl Granderson | 3-4OLB | Wyoming
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 261

Chase Winovich | DE/OLB | Michigan
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 258

Oshane Ximines | DE | Old Dominion
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 252.

I think the top 5 on your list are gone by 26.


A couple interesting notes from Matt Miller:

He also mentioned that there are some character/immaturity concerns on Jachai Polite.

Jaylon Ferguson is a guy I want to hear more about this week at the Senior Bowl. Can he hold up against better competition?

Been following him as well :cool:

Good stuff DT, love to see more. Guys I think the Colts would like are Omenihu, Gary, Sweat and Ferrel. Maybe even Polite and Jackson from Miami.

Thanks for the great info. Please do other ones.

Surprisingly, it seems that we have played our way out of the elite Edge rushers, unless Ballard is willing to trade up. Hopefully we can have a shot at some of the better interior rushers.

I really don't care where the pass rush comes from, but it must come in waves, from an 8 deep DL.

Nice work FatDT :cool:

Good stuff. Mostly agree with you, especially re: Gary. The Iowa guy looks like he might be a good fit for the power DE position in this system, and Sweat was the guy I thought the Colts could get, but that's unlikely if he's getting top 10 buzz after 1 day of Senior Bowl practices.

This is the reason I keep bringing up WRs and SSs. A player at one of those positions could be clear BPA at 26. Colts could end up getting better value on pass rushers in Rd 2.