(Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’4 1/8″ (99th) Weight: 220 (92nd)
40-Yard Dash: 4.59 seconds (93rd)
10-Yard Split: 1.58 seconds (97th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 38 inches (81st)
Broad Jump: 131 inches (93nd)
3-Cone Drill: 6.9 seconds (70th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.32 seconds (24th)

Wingspan: 79 3/4 inches (94th)
Arm Length: 33inches (90th)
Hand Size: 9 1/8 inches (34th)

Bio: A four-star recruit out of the Marist School in Atlanta, Hamilton was born on the Greek Island of Crete and spent time in Russia when his father played basketball there before moving to Atlanta as a small child. He was a basketball and football player who played quarterback through middle school until an injury had him moving away from the position — and the formation. He was a star at safety and receiver in high school, and chose Notre Dame over just about every major program in the country because of its academics. A three-year player and two-year starter for the Fighting Irish, Hamilton played all over the place in Notre Dame’s defense, tallying 313 snaps in the box, 437 in the slot, 644 at free safety, 29 at the defensive line, and 15 at cornerback. He made First Team All-American in 2021 (his second straight season doing so) and led the defense in interceptions with three despite missing the last six games of the season with a knee injury.

Stat to Know: Over those three seasons with the Fighting Irish, Hamilton allowed 39 receptions on 82 targets for 388 yards, 149 yards after the catch, one touchdown, eight interceptions, 14 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 25.9.

Strengths: Hamilton can work the entire field as a match defender because his transition skills are top-notch. He’ll use his hands to establish the landmark, and run the route right with the receiver — no matter where it goes. This interception against Florida State is a master class.

Here’s his second interception against Florida State, and this is the first example of many where Hamilton’s insane ability to work from one side of the field to the other in a very short times shows up as a major asset. He starts the play on the defensive right seam, and somehow not only gets to the left boundary, but has the wherewithal to make the pick. There are not many safeties in the NFL who can pull this off; Devin McCourty at his best has plays like these — and Devin McCourty is 5-foot-10, 195 pounds. Guys this big and rangy are not supposed to have movement skills like these.

And when Hamilton closes down on a receiver, he arrives with violent intentions. Said receiver had best have his head on a swivel.

Hamilton didn’t blitz a lot for Notre Dame, but if I’m on his NFL coaching staff, I’m thinking about his size, aggression, and closing speed, and I want him on that wall. Wisconsin’s quarterback would probably agree.

You will hear that Hamilton has issues covering in the slot, and in man coverage underneath, but… I dunno, you guys — this rep against Cincinnati looks pretty good to me. When you can have a safety who trails motion and goes to the boundary downfield like this, I think it’s a plus.

This was a 31-yard run for Purdue’s King Doerue, but watch how Hamilton careens over to stop it from becoming a house call by outrunning everybody on the field. All that closing speed you see in coverage is just as evident when he’s playing the run.

Weaknesses: Hamilton’s height leads to iffy transition skills at times, and while he can play the deep third as a single defender, it’s not his optimal spot — unless he’s turning and running to react. He’s not the ideal defender against quicker, more angular receivers downfield. On this play against USC, Hamilton’s backpedal out of single-high is decent enough, but he doesn’t transition as quickly as he would if he was coming down to the receiver. Drake London gets a 29-yard catch as a result.

I think that Hamilton can develop into a better deep-third player, and it’s still crazy what he’s able to do back there at his size, but that’s one discussion to be had in front offices, and you can see why some analysts ding him for this. If you want him up high in two-deep looks, which is where the NFL is headed anyway, I think he’ll be just fine. He needs to be more sudden with his transitions, develop better timing to the ball, and trust what he sees in those open-field situations.

Conclusion: There are a lot of questions about Hamilton’s NFL future. I have two.

Is Hamilton the next evolution of the Isaiah Simmons “defensive weapon” template in that deep-half skills and ungodly open-field speed are now built in? What is that worth to a defense?

Why is Hamilton the best player in this draft class? He’s an unprecedented athlete at one of the NFL’s most important positions. We have simply never seen anybody like him before. That’s why he’s the best player in this draft class to me.

Mel Blount was 6'3", 205. KYLE HAMILTON IS BIGGER AND TALLER THAN MEL BLOUNT AND HE'S DOING THIS. https://t.co/lJyHM8f8uW

— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) April 14, 2022

Some teams will not know what to do with him. Some will see him as a big box safety — I’ve seen comparisons to Kam Chancellor, and with all due respect to Kam Chancellor, that erases the crucial range component of Hamilton’s play. Also, some teams simply don’t value the safety position enough to think of him as a top prospect. You can usually tell which teams think of safeties like that in the modern NFL, because their pass defenses stink.

I hope that Hamilton goes to a team with a head coach and a defensive coordinator who don’t try to limit his potential as one primary type of player or another. Kyle Hamilton is the rarest type of player — a jack-of-all-trades who is also a master at just about everything, and the iffy stuff is fixable. You can build an entire defense around a player like this.

NFL Comparison: Derwin James. When healthy, James has become one of the NFL’s most versatile and productive safeties, and he does it all over the place. Last season, he played 361 snaps in the box, 224 in the slot, 326 at free safety, nine at cornerback, and 41 along the defensive line. James has had some transitive issues as a pure deep-third safety, but as the Chargers run a ton of two-high under head coach Brandon Staley, that concern is minimized by scheme.

Now, take everything I just said about Derwin James, add three inches to his height, and 5-10 pounds to his weight. Now, you have Kyle Hamilton. Again, we’re talking about an unprecedented player.

(Okay — the ultimate upside comparison for Hamilton, and I do this with a lot of trepidation, is the late, great Sean Taylor. Taylor could do things at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds that just did not physically make sense. Hamilton would have to develop more smoothness in the deep third, but he has every other attribute to make that kind of an impact in the NFL over time).

(Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’3″ (98th) Weight: 190 (42nd)
40-Yard Dash: 4.41 seconds (77th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner was a wide receiver and cornerback for Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, Michigan. 247Sports graded him as a three-star recruit, and he was named one of the top-30 players in the state of Michigan in the 2019 recruiting class. He entertained offers from a number of Power 5 programs, including Kentucky and Indiana, but signed to play for the Cincinnati Bearcats.

He played right away for Cincinnati, appearing in all 11 games as a true freshman and snaring three interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Over his career with the Bearcats, Gardner grabbed three interceptions in each of his three seasons on campus, and never allowed a touchdown pass.

His nickname Sauce was given to him by a youth football coach, reportedly due to Gardner’s love of dipping sauces.

Stat to Know: If you want a cornerback in this class with press coverage experience, Gardner is your player. Pro Football Focus charted him with 397 press coverage snaps this past season, tops among cornerbacks.

Strengths: We can begin there. Gardner is, as PFF noted in their draft guide, a cornerback who was built in a laboratory to play press man coverage. His size, length and footwork make him ideal to play on an island, isolated against a team’s top receiver in press alignment.

But size is not his best trait as a cornerback, although his frame puts him in a position to step into an NFL defense and play in such a press-heavy scheme. What really stands out to me watching Gardner is his feel and technique for the position. Gardner uses his length extremely well, always keeping a hand on the receiver and maintaining ideal positioning.

In press, Gardner is patient and rarely panics. He can play physical off the line as well, as he does here on this snap against Notre Dame where he is aligned on the left side of the defense:

Perhaps my favorite snap of his from this past season was this play against Temple, where he covers the crossing route working left-to-right well initially, but his response to the sudden scramble-drill move from the receiver gets to his movement skills:

On this play you see how Gardner’s technique — keeping a hand on the receiver — puts him in position to immediately flip his hips and stay on the receiver as the offensive player makes the sudden turn upfield. It is one thing for a cornerback to mirror a conventional route, or even a double move, with change-of-direction skills. But when a receiver makes a more unexpected move, such as a vertical break in a scramble-drill situation, and you can mirror it the way Gardner does here? That truly stands out.

While the bulk of his experience is playing man from a press alignment, there are moments where Gardner showed schematic versatility, and the ability to play in zone coverage or from off alignments. On this play against East Carolina, that ability was on display as he sinks under the corner route from the tight end in a Cover 2 scheme:

Still, his strength is what he offers in man coverage, as well as how he plays in press alignment. Gardner offers “island cornerback” potential, something that many teams are probably hoping they have on the defensive side of the football.

Weaknesses: There are not a ton of weaknesses to his game, as you might expect when discussing some of the top players in the draft class. He has more experience in press-man than zone, which might have zone-heavy teams a bit wary. There were some snaps against Alabama where his aggression got to him, as receivers were able to get past him on double-moves. He does not have elite, track-level speed, so burners at the receiver position might be able to get open deep downfield, but the 4.41 40-yard dash at the Combine “checked the box” for him.

Conclusion: What Gardner does in press alignment and/or man coverage checks a lot of NFL boxes. Gardner believes he is the best player in the entire draft class, and you need that confidence as a cornerback in the NFL. Plus, when Richard Sherman names you CB1, you have every right to be confident.

Comparison: For me, Sherman is the comparison. The length, movement skills and ability to align in press and stick on a receiver are the reasons why.

(AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Height: 6’4 1/2″ (45th) Weight: 307 (34th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.95 seconds (94th)
10-Yard Split: 1.73 seconds (83rd)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 26 inches (28th)
Broad Jump: 112 inches (91st)
3-Cone Drill: 7.88 seconds (40th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.61 seconds (75th)

Wingspan: 81 inches (56th)
Arm Length: 34 1/2 inches (80th)
Hand Size: 10 3/4 inches (92nd)

Bio: A top national recruit at Laurel High School in Laurel, Mississippi, Cross was a five-star offensive tackle per Rivals and 247Sports, and a four-star recruit per ESPN. Cross had just 22 overall reps and 11 pass-blocking reps in 2019, his first season on the field at Mississippi State, but his involvement in the Bulldogs’ offense took a serious uptick when Mike Leach became the head coach in 2020. Then, Cross had 720 snaps, struggling at times, but he cleaned things up in time for the 2021 season, when he became one of the NCAA’s best overall blockers, showing consistent good work against the best defenses the SEC had to offer.

Stat to Know: Cross allowed six sacks and 44 total pressures on 574 pass-blocking reps in his first collegiate starting season of 2020; he knocked that way down to two sacks and 16 pressures allowed on 719 pass-blocking reps in 2021. No tackle in this draft class had more pass-blocking snaps in 2021. Cross’ Mississippi State bookend Scott Lashley ranked second with 680, and Alabama’s Evan Neal ranked third with 650.

Strengths: While we’re going to talk a lot about Cross’ attributes for pass-blocking (which are the best in this class), we should not ignore his ability to run-block. Cross has a good nasty streak, he locks on well to defenders through the play, and his mirror abilities show up when he’s moving defenders around, too. And when he gets to the second level, where a lot of tackles get lost in space (we’re going to talk about this extensively when we get to Trevor Penning), Cross targets efficiently and effectively. He keeps his body under control, he doesn’t over-extend, and because of all that, he’s ready to start grappling right when it’s time. He’s timely and aggressive with his hands; Cross wants to beat you to the punch.

And when you need your left tackle to get on the hoof and seal the edge in space? He’s got that on lock. If Cross wasn’t a good pass-blocker at all, his ability to manage open space to the detriment of the defender would make him a second-round developmental prospect.

As a pass-blocker, Cross has what I call “match feet.” Which you want and expect from defensive backs, not necessarily 307-pound offensive tackles. But if you’re trying to cross his face, or beat him to either side, you’d better be on your game that day, because Cross can catch anything you throw at him very quickly. The footwork is just obnoxiously good.

Charles Cross: OT1 💥
@HailStateFB pic.twitter.com/2vSUUri9Zn

— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) March 14, 2022

Cross moves with quickness and control through the arc, and even if a faster edge-rusher beats him through to the pocket, Cross can recover quickly enough to at least mitigate the damage. Not every pass-pro rep is going to be letter-perfect, so you want a guy who can recover and make the ugly protections work. You need a left tackle who can keep his quarterback healthy even when it’s not going to look good on film day. His quickness also shows up when he needs to pinch inside in the run game or with an RPO. There just aren’t a lot of times where you see Cross getting overwhelmed from a physicality/agility sense. Everyone is going to give up pressures. What you don’t want is someone who can’t dance with who brung him, so to speak.

Weaknesses: This is not to question Cross’ toughness, intensity, or nastiness at all… but you’re an NFL offensive line coach who demands a glass-eating ass-kicker above all, he won’t be your guy. He’s more a “completer” than a finisher — he’s going to go through the reps efficiently over and over, but you’re not going to see a ton of cockroach blocks and other kills. That’s not his intention. If you’re a defensive opponent, Cross doesn’t want to embarrass you; he wants to make you invisible (which is even more embarrassing, in a way). He will get rocked back at times by more powerful defenders, but again, the recovery ability is generally elite.

Cross won’t always keep his hands on his defender through the entire rep; he’ll back off near the end at times, and that could be because he’s looking elsewhere for work or he doesn’t want to be penalized. But that’s something to monitor at the NFL level.

Conclusion: Deciding on your OT1 in this draft class is going to be a matter of preference, and I could make arguments for three guys here. If you want a tackle who can flip to any position on the line and become elite in a short time, Alabama’s Evan Neal might be the one. If you want a tackle who defined his offense with a killer instinct, you might be all over North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu.

But the reason I choose Cross is pretty simple — the NFL is a passing league with very few team exceptions, and Cross has the best and most complete attributes to pass-block at the NFL level in everything from quick game to seven-step drops. While most first-year NFL tackles struggle when they have to face the league’s best professional edge defenders for the first time, I think Cross has enough on the ball to make NFL pass-blocking look… well, if not “easy,” certainly less complicated than other tackles in this class. For that alone, he’s my OT1, and by a pretty decent distance. He’s also yoked up enough to get things done in the run game, which completes the picture.

NFL Comparison: David Bakhtiari. Like Bakhtiari, the Packers’ three-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro, Cross tends to make everything look easier than it really is with an NFL-ready quiver of skills. If your offense is pass-heavy with concepts from RPO to all-go, and you need a tackle to get freaky in space when it’s time to run the ball as an ancillary idea, there’s no better option in this draft class.

Also, if current ESPN analyst and former Patriots, Lions, and Jets lineman Damien Woody agrees with a D’Brickashaw Ferguson comp, who am I to argue?

I like it honestly

— Damien Woody (@damienwoody) April 1, 2022

(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’7 1/2″ (95th) Weight: 337 (94th)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Wingspan: 83 inches (83rd)
Arm Length: 34 inches (65th)
Hand Size: 10 1/8 inches (61st)

Bio: Rated as the No. 1 offensive tackle and the No. 8 player in the nation in the Rivals 100, Neal chose Alabama over Florida State, Georgia, Miami and Oklahoma. He started his collegiate career at left guard in 2019, allowing one sack and 12 total pressures on 723 overall reps. Neal switched to right tackle in 2020, allowing two sacks and nine total pressures on 789 snaps. Moving to left tackle in 2021 was no problem for Neal, who gave up two sacks and 15 total pressures. Basically, wherever he lined up, Neal was a plus starter against the NCAA’s toughest defenses.

Neal chose to work out at his pro day, foregoing the scouting combine, but he looked abnormally lean and athletic at his height and weight, and that showed up when he did do the drills.

Boy his movement skills looks GOODT! https://t.co/1UYPvr1vCA

— Damien Woody (@damienwoody) March 30, 2022

Stat to Know: In his first 11 games as the Crimson Tide’s left tackle in 2021, Neal allowed no sacks, one quarterback hit, and nine quarterback hurries.

Strengths: As a pass-blocker, Neal has a quick and easy set and slide through the arc. Once he’s in his stance and comfortable, it’s tough to get around him unless you have epic speed to turn and bend the corner. Neal doesn’t have Charles Cross’ mirror ability, but it’s more than good enough.

When Neal gets his hands out quickly and decisively, you’re just about done. He showed this against Georgia’s Travon Walker in the College Football Championship — this is where he gets his root strength and power going. You are not going to enjoy this if you are Mr. Neal’s target.

And for a player his size, Neal can easily get to the second level in the run game when that’s required. He’ll bring his power with him when he gets there. Neal isn’t the most naturally agile tackle in this class, but given the power he plays with, it’s a more than acceptable balance.

Weaknesses: This rep against Travon Walker in the College Football Championship shows one thing that could be cleaned up — Neal isn’t always aggressive enough with his hands, which allows the defender to set the tone and pace. If he stabbed and latched more quickly and decisively, he’d be just about illegal. Because when he does, he is.

Neal can get over-involved in the first part of a stunt technique, which leaves him vulnerable on the outside.

Conclusion: Playing three different line positions as a starter for the NCAA’s most intimidating program over three straight years, and presenting a plus profile in each case? It’s all in a day’s work for Neal, who has an expert’s touch in making everything look much easier than it actually is. There are a few small things Neal could improve in his game, but the NFL team selecting him will have a professional offensive lineman from Day 1. That’s not a projection; Neal has essentially been a professional offensive lineman for a while now.

NFL Comparison: Andrew Whitworth. The recently retired future Hall-of-Famer, selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 2006 (!) draft, spent his career doing all the right things whether he was aligned at guard (early in his career) or left tackle. Whitworth wasn’t the most athletic NFL tackle at any point in his career, but he used power and an understanding of angles and opponents to limit any potential defensive damage in both the run and the passing game. Neal has a similar profile as a player who doesn’t blow you away with rep-to-rep splash plays, but just gets things done wherever he is in the line.

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’4 5/8″ (69th) Weight: 254 (20th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.58 seconds (93rd)
10-Yard Split: 1.55 seconds (97th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 32 inches (36th)
Broad Jump: 125 inches (92nd)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Wingspan: 81 5/8 inches (69th)
Arm Length: 34 inches (66th)
Hand Size: 9 7/8 inches (48th)

Bio: A high-school defensive lineman and receiver in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Johnson received major college offers as a three-star recruit, but academics got in the way, and he spent two years at Independence Community College in Kansas, and was featured on the Netflix series, “Last Chance U.” Then, he committed to Georgia over Texas, USC, and Oregon. Johnson struggled to find the reps he needed in the Bulldogs’ stacked defenses (403 total snaps in the 2019 and 2020 seasons), so he used the transfer portal to finish his collegiate career at Florida State. It was a wise decision, as his snap count shot up to 736, and he amassed 46 total pressures on 416 pass-rushing snaps.

Stat to Know: In 2021, Johnson tied with Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie and San Diego State’s Cameron Thomas for the NCAA’s highest tackle for loss rate per game among edge defenders at 1.5.

Strengths: In today’s front-versatile NFL, you want an edge defender who has some game inside the tackles, and Johnson qualifies. Here, Johnson faces off with Boston College left guard Zion Johnson, the No. 1 interior offensive lineman on our list, and takes him to the ground on a snatch-and-go. Johnson doesn’t get to the quarterback, but here’s where you can see how he uses his hands as an inside rusher.

Speaking of top blockers, watch how Johnson moves to Ickey Ekwonu’s inside shoulder, and then rips him to the outside to stop the run. Hitting a Top-10 draft prospect with the okey-doke like this makes me think that Johnson will bedevil NFL tackles with the same ridiculously quick inside-to-outside moves.

This rep on the outside shows how Johnson has many different plans to get to the quarterback. He looks to have a hitch like Charles Barkley’s golf swing, but it’s as if he’s waiting for the right tackle to declare, and he just blasts off from there.

Enough of the secrecy in this case — here, Johnson goes with the straight bull-rush for the sack.

And this do-it-all play is pretty ridiculous.

#11 Jermaine Johnson with the strip sack + scoop & score combo pic.twitter.com/QxKHmhQryX

— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) April 12, 2022

Weaknesses: Johnson isn’t always centered as a tackler when he needs to be — as on this play against Florida, where he’s so into his moves to get to the backfield, he kinda forgets to take it home. There are too many tackling whiffs on his tape.

This is fairly common among collegiate edge defenders, but you’d like to see fewer stints where Johnson isn’t using his hands as aggressively as he can. When he’s coasting as opposed to setting the tone with his hands and technique, he becomes ordinary.

Conclusion: There are some analysts who will tell you that Johnson is scratching the surface of his potential, and he might be the best edge player in this class over the next few seasons. Based on the tape and attributes, I’d say he’s there already. There was enough on the Georgia tape to give an indication that Johnson would turn into a dominant player once he got more opportunities, and that’s exactly what happened in 2021. Johnson already has a high floor, and the ceiling is vaulted.

NFL Comparison: Aldon Smith. Selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2011 draft out of Missouri by the 49ers, Smith was an immediate force with 14 sacks in a rookie season in which he didn’t start a single game. A first-team All-Pro in 2012 with 19.5 sacks in 2012, Smith looked like one of the NFL’s most promising players until off-field things got in the way. This is not to say that Johnson has off-field issue — it’s to say that he brings the same combination of power, speed, technique, and potential I saw in Smith at his very best.

(Syndication: The Register Guard)

Height: 6’4″ (56th) Weight: 254 (20th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.58 seconds (93rd)
10-Yard Split: 1.59 seconds (87th)
Bench Press: 27 reps (78th)
Vertical Jump:  N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Wingspan: 79 1/2 inches (35th)
Arm Length: 33 1/8 inches (34th)
Hand Size: 9 3/4 inches (39nd)

Bio: “I don’t think I need to convince teams of it, but that’s the media narrative. There always has to be some narrative that’s drawn. For me, I’m an L.A. kid, and if you know the adversity I went through to get here, and the things that I had to sacrifice, and the things my mother had to sacrifice for me to be here, you’d really understand how I feel in my heart. When you talk about fire, when you talk about passion, I think you can’t really explain it. I get emotional thinking about it, because all the sacrifices it took for me to get here, I wouldn’t have made those sacrifices if I didn’t love the game. I’m blessed to be here, and I’m just happy that these teams want to talk to me, and they want to get to know me.”

That’s what Kayvon Thibodeaux said at the scouting combine when asked how he was going to convince NFL teams that he actually loves the game of football. A weird thing for a guy with as much great tape as he has, but Thibodeaux has been bucking a landslide media narrative that he doesn’t, and when that train leaves, it generally doesn’t stop until after the draft is over.

As to the facts: Thibodeaux grew up in South Central Los Angeles with his mother, and attended three different high schools. His final stop was Oaks Christian in Westlake Village, where he played under head coach and former NFL assistant coach Charles Collins, and former NFL defensive lineman Greg Townsend, the team’s defensive line coach. The five-star recruit could have chosen any major college, but chose Oregon in part because the school understood that he had “interests outside of football.” (Gasp!)

He was the Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, won the Morris Trophy as the conference’s top defensive lineman in 2020, and made Unanimous All-American and First-Team All-Pac 12 in 2021. Thibodeaux led the Ducks in sacks and tackles for loss in each of his three seasons.

Stat to Know: Over those three seasons, Thibodeaux had 115 total pressures… on just 812 pass-rushing snaps. He also allowed 10 receptions on 13 targets for 76 yards, 56 yards after the catch, two pass deflections, and an opponent passer rating of 90.5.

Strengths: So, let’s talk about Thibodeaux’s alleged effort issues. This sack against Washington State has him starting off inside the left tackle, and riding all the way to the other side of the formation before closing to the quarterback. I’m reminded of Yannick Ngakoue, one of the better effort pressure ends of his era.

If this is goldbricking, sign me up.

Thibodeaux’s positional versatility extends beyond his ability to move to either shoulder of a tackle — here, he’s off-ball until late in the pre-snap phase, then he lurks up to blitz, demolishes the right guard, and this play is over.

This play against Oregon State… I mean, where does this effort crap come from? This shows Thibodeaux mugging the play-side tight end to eliminate the quarterback’s quick read, which forces the quarterback to extend the play outside the pocket, a process that Thibodeaux then shuts down by moving off the tight end to the quarterback himself.

Weaknesses: Thibodeaux is not yet evolved enough with his hand technique to disengage from blockers in that way, which shows up when he’s engaging but not really getting anywhere. With his athletic attributes, he should be able to rip away from his opponent and go pure aggro in the backfield. He’s also not a natural bender around the edge, so if you’re really into that, he might not be your guy.

Conclusion: When evaluating players, you have to understand the difference between effort and impact. There are players who make things look easier than they should be, and there are players who aren’t always utilized in all the ways that could make them special. It’s my belief that Thibodeaux suffers from both issues. He’s such an amazing raw athlete, we wind up expecting more of him at times than he may be capable of, given his current techniques and limitations. Is Thibodeaux’s impact muted at times when it shouldn’t be? Yes, but I do not see a consistent effort problem that would drop him down my rankings. I see a player who is not a traditional edge defender, and may be capable of much more in a different structure.

NFL Comparison: Julian Peterson. This is a bit of a stretch, but I don’t get the frequent comparisons between Thibodeaux and Jadeveon Clowney. Perhaps those were amplified when Thibodeaux called himself “Jadeveon 2.0” at the combine. Instead, I’d like to see Thibodeaux’s NFL team try him a role like Julian Peterson’s. Peterson was ahead of his time with his positional versatility — selected with the 16th pick in the 2000 draft by the 49ers, Peterson could line up everywhere from end to box to slot to safety at 6-foot-3 at 245 pounds. Thibodeaux’s movement skills in space and overall athleticism had me thinking that he could excel in a Peterson-style role, which the NFL is far more adept with than it was in Peterson’s era.

(Syndication Detroit Free Press)

Height: 6’6 5/8″ (96th) Weight: 260 (31st)
40-Yard Dash: 4.74 seconds (70th)
10-Yard Split: 1.62 seconds (70th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 36 inches (80th)
Broad Jump: 112 inches (70th)
3-Cone Drill: 6.73 seconds (99th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.16 seconds (94th)

Wingspan: 78 1/8 inches (11th)
Arm Length: 32 1/8 inches (7th)
Hand Size: 10 1/4 inches (78th)

Bio: Hutchinson’s father Chris, who is now an emergency room physician in Royal Oak, Michigan, played defensive line for the Wolverines from 1989-1992, so Aidan Hutchinson’s decision to follow in his father’s footsteps was a natural one, despite the fact that the four-star recruit from Divine Child High School in Dearborn, Michigan could have his pick of major programs. He made Third Team All-Big Ten in 2019, was limited by an ankle injury in 2020, and blew up in 2021, winning Consensus All-American, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award, and First Team All-Big Ten. He was also named a team captain, and was a Heisman runner-up. Hutchinson’s 14 sacks in 2021 is the school’s single-season record.

Stat to Know: Only San Diego State’s Cameron Thomas had more total pressures (77) than Hutchinson’s 74 among draft-eligible edge-rushers in 2021.

Strengths: Hutchinson’s counter moves should be the envy of this class of edge defenders, and they show up a lot. The counter is his primary attribute, and it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that he tested off the charts in the three-cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle. This run stop against Wisconsin may have you wondering if we sped it up. We didn’t.

Hutchinson accentuates his speed at times by using the tackle as leverage to get a push, and additional momentum to the quarterback. It’s a savvy thing he can take right to the NFL.

He didn’t play inside a lot (24 snaps in 2021), but you can see how he could really mess with NFL protections as a multi-gap rusher with his lateral speed.

Hutchinson can also jump gaps from the outside, as he showed against Western Michigan. His lateral quickness is rare, and quite productive.

This lateral agility extrapolates to his ability to close in the open field — Hutchinson is fast linebacker-fast in this regard.

Weaknesses: Hutchinson is not a power player outside of a speed bull-rush at times, and his 100-MPH play demeanor can get him in trouble. Such as when he’s going for a speed rush against Ohio State, and he gets nuked by a tight end in motion.

Here’s another example against Maryland. Hutchinson doesn’t have a true power aspect to his game if you reduce the effects of his speed and quickness. If we can pick these plays out, you can bet that Hutchinson’s more enterprising NFL opponents are going to counter him with moving blockers until he figures that out.

Conclusion: I’m not surprised that Hutchinson is frequently mocked to the first overall pick; given his on-field effect and leadership attributes, he looks to be a franchise-definer wherever he goes. And if your team needs a speed rusher who can shoot his way to the pocket with everything from raw speed moves to counters that will have offensive tackles wondering what just happened, you can’t do any better in this class. However, I do wonder if NFL teams in need of more powerful men with more gap versatility might look elsewhere. That’s not to denigrate Hutchinson; he’s very defined in what he does, and he’s amazing with it. It’s a matter of scheme and taste.

NFL Comparison: T.J. Watt. I’m not comparing Hutchinson to the T.J. Watt that is now playing at a Defensive Player of the Year level for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But there are a lot of similarities to the Watt that came out of Wisconsin and was selected by Pittsburgh with the 30th overall pick in the 2017 draft. Back then, the word on Watt was that he had so many of the attributes you want as a speed-rusher, but things were lacking on the power side. Watt was able to solve those issues, and I’d like to think that Hutchinson can as well — perhaps to the point where he becomes just about as scheme-transcendent as Watt is now. Until then, Hutchinson’s status as EDGE1 is a bit of a projection — at least in this space.

(Scott Clause/The Advertiser via USA TODAY NETWORK)

Height: 6’0″ (70th) Weight: 190 (42nd)
40-Yard Dash: 4.37 seconds*
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 38.5 inches*
Broad Jump: 10’2″*
3-Cone Drill: 6.98 seconds*
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.19 seconds*

*Denotes Pro Day testing numbers (unofficial)

Bio: Derek Stingley Jr. comes from a family of athletes. His grandfather Darryl Stingley was a wide receiver in the NFL whose career was cut short after a hit from Jack Tatum in a preseason game caused a spinal cord injury. Stingley’s father, Derek, played both baseball and football professionally. He played nine seasons in the Arena League, and also played in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, before becoming a football coach.

Stingley himself was a highly-recruited cornerback coming out of The Dunham School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was graded as a consensus five-star recruit, and the top player in the entire 2019 recruiting class by Rivals. He chose to stay close to home and play for the LSU Tigers, and walked right onto the field as as starter for a team that would go on to win the national championship. As a true freshman, Stingley was named a Consensus All-American and a First-Team All-SEC selection. He led the SEC with six interceptions that year, again as a true freshman.

Stat to Know: I mentioned the six interceptions in the SEC as a true freshman, right? Just wanted to make sure…

Strengths: If you turn on that 2019 film, you see a player that looks every bit the part of CB1. Stingley was a true lock-down cornerback that season, and showed the press coverage chops, change-of-direction skills, and all-around game you want to see from a player many believed would be the first-overall selection at some point in his career.

Take this interception against Georgia in the SEC Championship game:

Stingley plays this vertical route extremely well, showing patience off the snap, the speed to match the vertical release and then the ball skills at the catch point, as he gets his head around for the interception.

Stingley also has the ability to run the receiver’s route, based perhaps on his extensive experience. On this play from 2020 against Texas A&M, watch as he mirrors the corner route from the receiver:

The corner sees and mirrors the inside release, but gets himself to the lower hip off of the break, and is in perfect position to prevent the completion.

While not to the level of Gardner — perhaps due to the injuries the past two seasons — Stingley also offers a wealth of experience in press alignment. Pro Football Focus charted him with nearly 50% of his career snaps in press-man.

Weaknesses: We start with the injuries. After that first season, where he was a consensus All-American, Stingley played in just ten games over the next two seasons. He missed the season-opener in 2020 with an illness, and then the final two games of the season with a leg injury. Then his 2021 campaign was cut short due to a Lisfranc injury.

Now, Stingley recovered from that Lisfranc injury and put up an impressive performance at the LSU Pro Day, but that injury history might have some wary.

Then there is what we saw on film from Stingley in 2020 when he was healthy. It was not the same level of play, or at least as consistent, as we saw from him in 2019. Now, LSU did take a step back after winning that national championship, as players like Joe Burrow and Justin Jefferson were in the NFL and Ja’Marr Chase sat out due to COVID, but Stingley did not match what he did as a true freshman. His game against Alabama that season was not his finest hour, and my notes from that game are filled with remarks like “seems to lack urgency.” As PFF noted in their draft guide, however, that was not unique to Stingley on LSU’s roster that season…

Conclusion: Is the injury history and sub-par play the past two seasons enough to overshadow what we saw in 2019? Probably not. If a team believes they can get that kind of performance from Stingley on a consistent level as he transitions to the league, they might have him as CB1 on their board. If, however, a team is uncertain whether they are getting the 2019 version or the 2020-2021 version, they might be more skeptical.

Comparison: The Draft Network went with Stephon Gilmore, and the 2019 version of Stingley makes that comparison apt.

(Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’4″ (32nd) Weight: 310 (46th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.93 seconds (95th)
10-Yard Split: 1.76 seconds (64th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 29 inches (64th)
Broad Jump: 108 inches (7th)
3-Cone Drill: 7.82 seconds (49th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.73 seconds (52nd)

Wingspan: 84 1/4 inches (91st)
Arm Length: 34 inches (65th)
Hand Size: 10 1/4 inches (70th)

Bio: Ekwonu’s full first name (Ikemefuna) is translated from the Igbo language to mean “My effort will not be in vain.” His father T.J. is a 6-foot-6 doctor who played college basketball before coming to the United States from Nigeria, and his mother Amaka was a high school track star. Ekwonu had offers from Harvard and Yale before going to NC State, and let’s just say that the scouting serviced had him underrated — he was the No. 29 recruit in North Carolina and the No. 3131 offensive guard nationally by Rivals.com, and the No. 23 recruit in North Carolina and the No. 34 offensive guard nationally by 247Sports.com.

Ekwonu showed his potential in 2019, when he allowed no sacks and 13 total pressures on 639 snaps. Things got a bit ugly in 2020, when he gave up seven sacks and 25 pressures as a left guard/left tackle hybrid, but Ekwonu turned things around in 2021, when he gave up three sacks and 13 total pressures.

Stat to Know: Ekwonu allowed sacks in three of his final four college games, against Florida State, Syracuse, and North Carolina.

Strengths: In pass protection, Ekwonu gets his hands out quickly to discourage defenders from setting the tone through the arc, and from there, he turns on the power. Ekwonu doesn’t have Joe Thomas-level agility through the arc, but he’s great in shorter sets that allow him to bully edge defenders through the play.

When Ekwonu is on the move and on the hunt, you absolutely, positively do NOT want to be in the way. Things will end badly.

And when it’s time to slide, as was the case against North Carolina, Ekwonu uses it as another way to show his physical dominance.

This rep against Florida State is the most preposterous example of dominance in downfield blocking I’ve seen from any offensive lineman in this class. You have to love how Ekwonu uses agility and quickness as parallels with his outstanding power. This is an All-Pro rep.

Weaknesses: Ekwonu isn’t entirely consistent when it comes to hitting his targets in space, which was probably of great benefit to the NCAA as an entity.

And you can beat him to the outside and with inside counters; this issue could be amplified at the next level when he’s facing the NFL’s best speed-rushers, with all the moves at their disposal.

Conclusion: If you give Ekwonu a full season with a great NFL offensive line coach, and he gets a bit more consistent in his pass sets, he may well be the best offensive lineman in this class. Right now, the combination of agility and building-wrecking power, as well as the sheer will to dominate and the technique to do it against the NCAA’s best defenders, makes him a sure Top-10 prospect. He may be a better fit for a power-based offense at this point, but I wouldn’t limit him to this or that archetype in the long term. Like Cross and Neal, he’s a field-tilter at a crucial position.

NFL Comparison: Taylor Moton. The 2017 second-round pick of the Panthers out of Western Michigan has a similar heat-seeking, pure badass profile to Ekwonu’s, as he showed in 2020 against the Atlanta Falcons.

Yo @Panthers … Y'all got any camera angle of this finish by Moton? Might be an epic pancake pic.twitter.com/b3ZM4FjlgA

— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) October 13, 2020

At 6-foot-5 aqnd 325 pounds, Moton can be susceptible to speed rushers at times (just as Ekwonu can), but teams with power-based offenses will be falling all over themselves to get a tackle with Ekwonu’s power profile. We’d like to see Ekwonu and Moton playing tackle for the same team, because that would be quite fun.

(Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’3″ (82nd) Weight: 237 (51st)
40-Yard Dash: 4.66 seconds (52nd)
Bench Press: 25 reps (80th)
Vertical Jump: 35 inches (60th)
Broad Jump: 10’6″ (91st)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: A safety in high school, Devin Lloyd was a three-star recruit according to 247Sports. Coming out of Otay Ranch High School in Chula Vista, California, Lloyd originally committed to UNLV, but flipped to Utah in February of 2017, as the Utes provided him with his only offer from a Power Five school.

Lloyd redshirted as a freshman, but saw action in all of Utah’s games during the 2018 season as a reserve. He stepped into a starting role for the 2019 season at linebacker, racking up 91 tackles, 6.5 sacks and an interception. During the 2020 season, Lloyd played in all five games of the shortened campaign, notching 48 tackles and a pair of sacks.

Lloyd came back to school for his senior campaign, rather than enter the 2021 NFL draft. He led the Pac-12 with eight sacks, and notched another 66 tackles and four interceptions. He was named a First-Team All-American, and was the MVP of the Pac-12 Championship Game.

Stat to Know: As we will see, Lloyd can impact the passing game in a number of ways. Pro Football Focus charted him with four forced incompletions (fourth among linebackers in college football) and 31 pressures, which was sixth among linebackers.

Strengths: Lloyd is perhaps as complete a linebacker as it gets, and the fact the finds ways to impact the passing game makes him ideal for the modern NFL. He is a long defender who puts that length to use, impacting passing lanes, getting to the catch point in either man or zone coverage, or bursting off the edge when Utah aligned him as a pass rusher in passing situations. The Utes used him all over the field, putting him in the A-Gaps in mugged up looks to create pressure, or aligning him on the edge in a three-point stance in sub packages.

Here is how that length shows up in coverage, as he gets to the seam route and prevents the completion:

Then you can see the length off the edge, when Utah lets him attack off the outside:

When used as a pass rusher, Lloyd showed solid technique, with a variety of pass-rushing moves including a cross/chop, a dip/rip and a violent hand swat technique. If he cannot get home, Lloyd’s length can still be disruptive off the edge, even against quick-game concepts:

Lloyd displayed great awareness on the field, even when used in different roles. When Utah dropped him down to the edge, Lloyd would constantly fight to set that edge against the run, showing a great understanding of defensive structure and roles.

A complete player in a rather deep class, Lloyd offers three-down ability on his first day in the league.

Weaknesses: It is hard to find flaws in his game. Pro Football Focus noted that he missed some tackles — they charted him with a 11.5% missed tackle percentage — and that might be a concern. After all, as Bill Belichick loves to tell people, sometimes you lose games because you can’t tackle.

Conclusion: Lloyd is a perfect modern linebacker, who can impact the passing game both as a rusher and a coverage player, and consistently finds ways to put himself in position to help when the offense keeps the ball on the ground. Personally, I will be stunned if he lasts too long on the first night of the draft.

Comparison: When you think of the modern NFL linebacker, with the ability to impact the passing game in multiple ways, Fred Warner is the first name that comes to mind. In talking with others around the media landscape, this seems to be the common comparison.

I have another comparison in mind, however, and it brings us to our first true “outside the box” comparison of this draft cycle…

I have been playing a lot of “Elden Ring” these past few weeks. The game is punishing, and demoralizing at times, but I keep coming back for more. Those who have played the game probably have run into an Erdtree Avatar or two, these massive creatures that swing these huge hammers at you, and if you are not careful and get too close, you get one-shotted and have to reload. Their length, like the game, is punishing.

That’s Lloyd.

(Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’6″ (98th) Weight: 341 (97th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.78 seconds (94th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 32 inches (77th)
Broad Jump: 10’3″ (98th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: One of the scariest biographical nuggets I have come across this draft cycle is this fact. Jordan Davis did not start playing football until his junior year in high school. Despite his late start, Davis was one of the top recruits in the country and turned down offers from schools like Clemson, Florida and Miami to play for Kirby Smart at Georgia.

Davis played in 11 games as a true freshman, notching 25 tackles and earning SEC All-Freshman honors. As a sophomore in 2019, Davis tallied 18 tackles and 2.5 sacks on the season. His most productive year in college came this past season, where Davis had 32 tackles and a pair of sacks, and he was part of a team that won the National Championship.

Stat to Know: By now you probably know that Davis ran a 4.78 40-yard dash at the Combine. That made him just the third player over 330 pounds to run a sub-five second 40-yard dash, joining Dontari Poe and Greg Robinson.

Strengths: Davis is a dominant force along the interior against the run, with perhaps some untapped potential as a pass rusher. During his time at Georgia he aligned mostly as a 3-technique defensive tackle, but also saw time as a nose tackle, usually as a shaded 1-technique.

Davis has true two-gap potential, with the ability to stand up blockers at the point of attack and control them, while reading the flow of the play and then disengaging into the appropriate gap. Against the run he is a behemoth, and his athleticism allows him to track plays down the line of scrimmage and play edge to edge as an interior defender. There are moments on film where he looks more like a linebacker using stack/track/fall back technique against zone plays, instead of a defensive lineman trying to disengage.

Where I think he can make his mark in the NFL is as a true three-down player, which gets us to that untapped potential as a pass rusher. One of the knocks against Davis is that he did not produce much in terms of attacking the quarterback, but the athleticism and traits are there. Take this play against Alabama:

Davis is head-up on the center in a 0-technique, and simply walks the center back into the lap of the quarterback, forcing a quick throw from Bryce Young. That power certainly translates to the next level. Or take this play from Georgia’s win over Michigan:

Davis aligns as a shaded nose tackle on this play, and shows a little push-pull move against the blocker. That allows him to disengage quickly, and then you see the quickness as he closes down against the QB, forcing a checkdown under duress.

If he can add that to what he offers as a run blocker at the next level, watch out.

Weaknesses: Perhaps the biggest knock on Davis is whether he can rush the passer consistently at the next level. We all know that passing is king in the modern NFL, and that fact has impacted positional value when it comes to roster construction. The era of the two-down player, whether at running back, linebacker or even defensive tackle, is in the rear-view mirror. If you cannot help your team when the quarterback drops to throw, your value is going to be limited.

From where I sit, Davis can be a three-down player with the ability to rush the passer, thanks to his strength, quickness and ability to counter blockers with his hands. But it is a projection, and there are players in this class who have put more production as a pass rusher on film.

Conclusion: Maybe my projection is wrong. As I like to say, I’ve been wrong before and I’ll be wrong again. But studying Davis, I see a dominant force on the inside against the run, who can fill out his resume with what he offers as a pass rusher. Besides, something tells me that it is not a mistake to bet on a mountain of a man who can move the way he does. A tackle-to-tackle defender at 341 pounds? Sign me up.

NFL Comparison: Davis has drawn comparisons to Derrick Brown, most notably from The Draft Network, and as a fan of Davis’ game that feels accurate.

(Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’4″ (90th) Weight: 219 (88th)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Drake London was a talented two-sport athlete for Moorpark High School in Moorpark, California, starring on the gridiron in the fall and the hardwood in the winter. During his senior year, he caught 62 passes for 1,089 yards and a touchdown. That winter he averaged a double-double on the basketball court, averaging 29 points and 12 rebounds a game.

He signed with USC to play both sports, and saw action as a true freshman in both football and basketball. he caught 39 passes for 567 yards and five touchdowns in the fall, and played in three games for the USC basketball team that winter. He decided to focus on football, and in the shortened 2020 season he caught 33 passes for 502 yards and three touchdowns.

Last year, London caught 88 passes for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns, despite missing the final few games of the season with a fractured right ankle. Even with the missed time, he was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year.

Stat to Know: According to Pro Football Focus charting data, London led receivers with 19 contested catch receptions last year. While that might lead to some wondering whether he can separate, as we will see he checks that box as well.

Strengths: What might work most in London’s favor is that he stands out as perhaps the prototypical “X” receiver in a class that sees more options at the “Z” role or even in the slot. London has the ability to line up at the X, face press-aligned defenders, and separate either off the line with his release package or at the catch point with his size and physical style of play. That is where you see his basketball background come into play, as he is more than comfortable playing in the proverbial phone booth.

Studying London on film, you might first be drawn to what he offers in the downfield passing game. He has the ability to win on those routes by high-pointing the football, or making adjustments to back-shoulder throws. Plays like this against Oregon State, where he adjusts to an underthrown nine route, are going to endear him to his NFL quarterbacks:

Where London sets himself apart in this class is how he separates early in the down as well, even against press-aligned defenders. Two games to study for this trait are Arizona and Washington State, where he worked himself open both initially off the line, or at the catch point using his frame and physical style of play. On this slant route against Arizona, London separates off the line using a quick stutter-step:

Even when the corner does a better job in press coverage, London’s physicality through the route and to the catch point serves him well:

London is one of a few players in this draft who can step in and serve as a prototypical X receiver. His ability to separate makes him more than just a “contested catch receiver,” and will help an NFL offense in a number of ways, and in a variety of systems.

Weaknesses: However, unlike others in this class London is not a speed demon. Teams looking for that 4.3 type of receiver might keep looking after getting to his name on their draft board. London also was a little inconsistent at the catch point, as he dropped eight catchable passes last season.

Also, he is coming off the fractured ankle, so we have not gotten to see him test yet. What he does at his Pro Day — scheduled for April 5th — could complete the picture for his evaluation.

Conclusion: Some have posited that London’s best role in the NFL could be as a big slot receiver, and USC did use him in that alignment a number of times last season. Adding a prototypical X receiver who can also play in the slot, and can separate early in the down and at the catch point, seems like a dream scenario in my book. His experience against press-aligned defenders will make his transition to the NFL a bit easier than it will be for others in this class.

Comparison: Mike Evans is a name that is mentioned often with London, and if you squint hard enough you can see that aspect to his game, particularly with how he was used in college and how he could be utilized in the NFL. Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus mentioned Brandon Marshall as another comparison, which also tracks quite well.

(Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’1″ (59th) Weight: 179 (9th)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Jameson Williams starred on the football team for Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School in St. Louis in the fall, and turned his attention to the track in the spring. He caught 68 passes for 1,626 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior, and was named an Under Armour All-American for his achievements. He also won the 300 meter hurdles in two-straight seasons, setting a state record in 2017.

A four-star prospect according to scouting services, Williams had no shortage of scholarship offers. He turned down teams like UCLA, Alabama and Oregon to start his college career at Ohio State. After playing two seasons with the Buckeyes, catching 15 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns over three years, he announced he would transfer to Alabama.

Williams was an immediate impact player for the Crimson Tide in 2021, catching 79 passes for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was named a First-Team All-SEC player, as well as a First-Team All-American.

Stat to Know: Williams is, at least on paper, the most explosive receiver in this class. According to Pro Football Focus charting data, he averaged 20 yards per catch this season.

Strengths: Williams is a shifty, explosive receiver with the change-of-direction skills to work himself open early in the down, the long speed to separate late in the down, and the burst to create after the catch. Williams relies on footwork and stutter-step moves to beat press-aligned defenders after the snap, and snaps off his routes well with crisp breaks and fluid movement skills.

One of the things that Williams does extremely well is transition immediately from receiver to athlete after the catch. On this play against Florida, Williams sits down in a soft spot of zone coverage, but makes an explosive transition to ball-carrier, exploding upfield for yardage after the catch:

That ability to separate early in the down, and burst away from defenders after the catch, makes him a home-run hitter even on quick game concepts:

But Williams is not a scheme-specific receiver, as his long speed and route-running skills helps him create in the downfield passing game as well. His ability to quickly change directions, and maintain speed on breaks, makes him a threat on vertical routes as well.

Weaknesses: Williams is coming off an ACL injury which he suffered in the National Championship game, but his rehabilitation looks to be progressing well and he could be on track to participate at the start of training camp.

Williams also has a thinner frame, which showed up at times against more physical cornerbacks. He will see more of that at the next level, but as we saw last year with DeVonta Smith, if you can separate early in the down, you can still operate against such cornerbacks.

Then there is the fact that Williams was stuck behind two other members of this class, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, during his time at Ohio State and his one year of production came after a transfer. While his play on the field should speak for itself, some might wonder why he could not crack the Ohio State lineup.

Conclusion: Williams is a scheme-diverse receiver who can win early in the down, late in the down, and everywhere in the middle. His ability after the catch is going to make him a quarterback’s best friend, and when coupled with what he can do in the downfield passing game, Williams has the ability to step into an offense and provide explosiveness in the passing game from Day One.

Comparison: Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus used “a taller DeSean Jackson” as a comparison and now I cannot unsee that…

(Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’2 5/8″ (7th) Weight: 312 (53rd)
40-Yard Dash: 5.18 seconds (68th)
10-Yard Split: 1.75 seconds (72nd)
Bench Press: 32 reps (89th)
Vertical Jump: 32 inches (89th)
Broad Jump: 112 inches (91st)
3-Cone Drill: 7.38 seconds (92nd)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.46 seconds (94th)

Wingspan: 82 3/8 inches (77th)
Arm Length: 34 inches (65th)
Hand Size: 10 5/8 inches (89th)

Bio: Johnson was a golf star at Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and he didn’t try out for football until his junior year of high school. He started his senior season at right tackle, with 2021 Minnesota Vikings first-round pick Christian Darrisaw at left tackle. Still, Johnson’s lack of football experience rendered him a no-star recruit out of high school, and he started his next step at Davidson College, a private liberal arts school in North Carolina. Johnson got his big break in 2019, when former Davidson coach Phil Trautwein was hired at Boston College and gave Johnson a scholarship. He played left guard for the Eagles in 2019, moved to left tackle in 2020, and back to left guard in 2021. Johnson made First Team All-ACC in 2021, and participated in the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Stat to Know: Johnson’s 2021 Blown Block rate of 0.3% was the lowest for any NCAA offensive lineman, regardless of position. Over three seasons at Boston College, he allowed just three sacks, nine quarterback hits, and 24 quarterback hurries on 1,074 pass-blocking snaps.

Strengths: Most of the pressures Johnson was involved in allowing were more about stunts and blitzes not picked up by one side of the line overall; you just don’t see him getting physically overwhelmed at all in the passing game. Even when defenders get through the line, as happened on this play against Clemson, Johnson had his guy all the way out of the formation.

On this run, watch him pass off the twist to either side, hit the second level, and take the poor defender right off the screen.

Actually, Johnson seems to have a preference for plays in which he can get to the second and third levels so he can chase defenders right out to the parking lot. It’s fun to watch!

Weaknesses: Johnson will occasionally allow pressure to the side, but it’s not something that shows up over and over — it’s just something to watch at the next level.

His deliberate reaction to stunts is a bigger issue. Johnson will need to identify defenders more quickly as they move late into his lens.

Conclusion: Given Johnson’s relative lack of experience at the left guard position, it’s pretty amazing how many of the nuances of the position he’s picked up. He’s scheme-transcendent, as he showed over three years when his college team moved from equal parts zone and gap blocking to 2021’s heavy zone approach, and there isn’t much you see on tape that you either don’t like, or can’t clean up pretty quickly with NFL-level coaching. He’s as plug-and-play as any IOL in this class, with tantalizing physical potential to hit the Pro Bowl level over time

NFL Comparison: Jahri Evans. Johnson profiles well as an in-line and pull/sweep blocker, but it’s his ability to get downfield and just nuke defenders in space that sets him apart and reminds me very much of Evans, who may have been the best move guard of his era. At Evans’ peak, he was an indispensable part of Sean Payton’s offenses with his ability to hit (and kill) the second and third levels of a defense, and I think that Johnson projects similarly with an outstanding combination of power and agility.

(Joshua Bickel-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’5″ (78th) Weight: 272 (66th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.51 seconds (98th)
10-Yard Split: 1.62 seconds (70th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 36 inches (80th)
Broad Jump: 123 inches (87th)
3-Cone Drill: 6.89 seconds (93rd)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.32 seconds (76th)

Wingspan: 84 1/4 inches (95th)
Arm Length: 35 1/2 inches (95th)
Hand Size: 10 3/4 inches (95th)

Bio: Yury “Travon” Walker was a five-star recruit out of Upson-Lee High School in Thomaston, Georgia as a multi-position defender, running back, and tight end. He passed on Alabama, Clemson, and South Carolina to go with his home state school of Georgia, and he made Freshman All-SEC in 2019. But he didn’t start a single game in the Bulldogs’ loaded defenses until 2021, when he started all 15 games in the NCAA’s most loaded defense. Then, he amassed 7.5 sacks, nine quarterback hits, and 20 quarterback hurries on 381 pass-rushing snaps. As much potential as he’s shown to date, Walker may be the biggest upside prospect in this entire draft class.

Stat to Know: Walker amassed 11 total pressures in his three final games with the Bulldogs — against Alabama in the SEC Championship game, against Michigan in the Orange Bowl, and against Alabama again in the College Football Championship.

Strengths: It’s very easy to see why NFL teams will fall in love with Walker’s preposterous traits. This sack against Michigan has three Wolverine hats on Walker at one point, and he somehow wriggled out of it to take the quarterback down when the quarterback was running away from him. Yikes. Walker taking Mr. Quarterback down with one big paw at the end was the denouement.

How it started How it ended pic.twitter.com/v2rqqUQFeH

— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) April 11, 2022

Missouri’s right guard is in a very, very, very bad place here, and he probably knows it pre-snap. He’s singled up on Walker on the inside, and you can guess how that turned out — with a decisive bull-rush, and the guard on his butt.

Weaknesses: There’s an entirely legitimate argument to be made that Walker benefited to an insane degree by the fact that he was surrounded with generational first-round defensive talent all around him. How do you sort that out? Look at the plays where Walker was double-teamed, and see how he reacted. Against Alabama, he did not display the techniques required to knife through the double. It’s an area of concern in his short-term value if he’s drafted by a team requiring him to be the alpha dog from Day 1.

Another example — this time against Texas, where Walker doesn’t really have an answer to getting doubled on an inside stunt.

As athletically impressive as Walker is, there are times when this actually gets in his way — he’s still learning to combine his ferocious burst and next-level speed with timing and spatial awareness, which leads to “cat on a kitchen floor” moments like this rep in which he tries in vain to catch up with Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. You’ll also see this too often when he’s defending in space.

Conclusion: Every draft class had its “traits vs. production” players, and there are few more obvious examples in recent years than Walker. There are times when he looks like the EDGE1 in this class, and it’s not even close. Other times, his lack of advanced tools will show up, and you realize that he’s a work in progress — like every other draft prospect in football history. But those traits will have him drafted highly, justifiably so, and I can’t wait to see what he looks like after some time with NFL-level coaching.

NFL Comparison: Jason Pierre-Paul. When Pierre-Paul came out of South Florida in the 2010 draft, he was seen by most as an athletic freak with raw technique that would take time to develop. The Giants selected him with the 15th overall pick, betting on the upside, and that went pretty well for them when Pierre-Paul was at his best. Teams are going to be falling all over themselves for Walker based on his raw traits, but there’s a bit of caveat emptor here — Walker may be one of those pass-rushers who needs a year in the NFL to sort things out. If he does, he could easily be the most disruptive edge defender — perhaps the most disruptive defender — in this class.

Height: 6’0″ (70th) Weight: 194 (60th)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Andrew Booth Jr. was another highly-regarded recruit in the 2019 class, graded as a five-star player out of Archer High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia. 247Sports ranked him as the second-best cornerback in the class, behind Derek Stingley Jr.

Booth had offers from a ton of schools, including LSU, but opted for Clemson. He played in 13 games for the Tigers as a true freshman, and made four starts during the 2020 campaign for the Tigers, notching a pair of interceptions. Head coach Dabo Swinney thought playing him as a true freshman, rather than redshirting him, was the best way to prepare him mentally.

This past season was his most productive in college, as Booth recorded 37 tackles and three interceptions, both career-high marks.

Stat to Know: Teams looking for a scheme-diverse corner are going to love what they saw from Booth, as he played a lot of zone coverage last season. Pro Football Focus charted him with 266 zone snaps, in contrast to the players already profiled.

Strengths: While we started with man coverage, or press coverage, with both Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr., with Booth the strengths begin with versatility. He has the movement skills, change-of-direction ability and footwork to handle man coverage in the NFL, but his time at Clemson saw him play a lot of zone or off coverage. That had Booth dropping and using his eyes to read and react to the play as it unfolded, and then driving downhill if necessary to make tackles.

One of my favorite snaps of Booth’s from this past season was this play against Boston College:

Booth is the curl/flat defender in this two-high coverage, and you can see the awareness he has for the position as he calls out the corner route due to the outside receiver’s release, and sinks under that while not taking the bait of the flat route from the tight end. When the quarterback finally throws to the flat, Booth explodes downhill and makes the tackle, holding this to a gain of one yard.

While his zone experience might be his calling card, his footwork put him in position to handle man coverage at the next level. This play from Clemson’s game against Iowa State is a prime example, as he matches the in-breaking route from press alignment:

Booth’s versatility might have some looking at him as the top option in the draft.

Weaknesses: Booth’s experience in zone coverage, reading concepts and rallying downhill to the catch point, comes with a caveat.

Missed tackles.

If you are going to be playing off coverage or in zone, you need to be able to limit the damage. Five yard throws cannot become 15-yard gains because of a missed tackle. PFF charted him with a missed tackle percentage of 23.9% last season, ranking him 326th among college cornerbacks.

Plays like this are what he needs to fix:

It is not a lack of effort issue, in fact it might be the opposite. At times it looks like Booth wants to end the player with the football, and just whiffs at the strike point. Breaking down and just making a sure tackle, rather than swinging for the home-run type of hit, might be the answer.

Booth also suffered a core muscle injury prior to his Pro Day, and did not work out at the Combine  because of a hamstring injury. The core muscle injury is going to require surgery, and is worth monitoring.

Conclusion: I keep coming back to the idea of Booth as a Philadelphia Eagle. The scheme fit seems almost perfect, with what we saw from the Eagles defense a year ago. Booth will need to clean up the tackling to thrive in such a zone-based system, but if he does that, watch out.

Comparison: I know I roll out the Patriots comparisons far too often, but I see shades of J.C. Jackson in Booth’s game.

(Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch)

Height: 6’0″ (44th) Weight: 187 (20th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.39 seconds (86th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 32 inches (12th)
Broad Jump: 10’4″ (69th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Despite putting up big numbers for Mission Hills High School in San Marcos, California, Chris Olave was graded as a three-star recruit by both 247Sports and ESPN. Still, he entertained offers from a number of schools, including Tennessee and Oregon State, but chose Ohio State to play for Ryan Day and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline.

Olave contributed immediately as a freshman, both as a receiver and on special teams. He caught 12 catches for 197 yards and a three touchdowns as a freshman, and even blocked a punt in Ohio State’s huge 2018 win over Michigan. During the 2019 campaign, Olave caught 49 passes for 849 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 17.3 yards per reception.

In the shortened 2020 campaign, Olave caught 50 passes for 729 yards and eight touchdowns, over just seven contests. Last season he continued his high level of production, catching 65 passes for 936 yards and 13 touchdowns, despite playing with another receiver in Garrett Wilson who is going to join him in the first round.

Stat to Know: Olave holds the Ohio State school record for career touchdown receptions with 35.

Strengths: The ability to run a “full route tree” is often overblown when it comes to evaluating wide receivers for the draft. After all, any good offensive coordinator is going to identify what a receiver does best and find ways to use him on such concepts.

Still, when you see a prospect come out with the ability to give you everything int the playbook on Day One, you take notice. Olave offers that. He is a silky-smooth route runner, who can slide into any offensive system and give his play-caller what he needs right out of the box. One of my favorite routes from him this past season highlights how he can use pace and creativity to set up defenders. Against Michigan, Olave aligns on the right side and runs a comeback route:

After an initial stutter-step at the line, Olave bends to the outside and starts to sell the defender on the vertical route. Right before he snaps to the sideline on the comeback, Olave looks back for the football, selling the cornerback on the nine route even more. He then sinks his hips and breaks back towards the sideline, getting a ton of separation on his break.

On this route against Oregon, Olave uses pace to sell the defender on the vertical route, but then does a good job at getting into the cornerback’s blind spot, working back towards the football as he separates from the coverage:

His feel for routes, his ability to setup defenders and his suddenness with his breaks makes him a complete route runner and a dangerous weapon in the passing game.

Weaknesses: Olave has solid hands, but there are moments where he lets the football into his frame rather than attacking the football. He also does not have the catch radius of other options in this class, and there were moments on film where he missed opportunities to high point the football. Olave is experienced against press, but longer, more physical cornerbacks could give him trouble at the line when he moves to the Sunday game.

Conclusion: Olave’s ability to separate against coverage, to setup defenders on his route and provide his NFL play-caller with a full route tree on Day One makes him one of the best options in this class. He is a scheme-diverse receiver who can play both inside and outside, giving his NFL offense a ton of options in the passing game.

Comparison: Olave’s ability to run the complete tree reminds me of Amari Cooper when he was coming out of Alabama. Cooper has a bit more bulk to his frame, and did as a prospect, but that full scheme picture is a nice piece to have as a prospect.

Height: 6’0″ (34th) Weight: 183 (13th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.38 (89th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 36 inches (57th)
Broad Jump: 10’3″ (61st)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.36 seconds (23rd)

Bio: Garrett Wilson was a five-star recruit coming out of Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas, where he rewrote the record book during his high school days. He left school having set records for career receptions, total yards and total touchdowns. He also led Lake Travis to a 6A state championship in 2016.

Having spent the early part of his life in Ohio before moving to Texas, it was a bit of a homecoming when Wilson chose to play college football at Ohio State. He saw playing time immediately, catching 30 passes for 432 yards and five touchdowns in 2019. In the shortened 2020 season, Wilson caught 43 passes for 723 yards and six scores.

Last year was his true breakout campaign, as Wilson caught 70 passes for 1,058 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Stat to Know: Wilson averaged 16.8 yards per reception in 2020, when he made a move to the slot. That is a big number for a slot receiver.

Strengths: Wilson is a shifty, elusive receiver off the line and after the catch. His sudden movements and change-of-direction skills work to stress defenders after the snap, and Wilson has good feel for stressing the leverage of defenders and giving himself an advantage early in the down.

Take this play against Akron:

Wilson squares off against a press-aligned cornerback playing with inside leverage. But the receiver explodes off the snap and threatens the corner to the outside, before working across his face and establishing inside leverage. Wilson then shakes the defender with his speed and change-of-direction skills, creating a big play in the downfield passing game.

Those quickness skills show up on manufactured touches as well. Ohio State found ways to get him the football on sweeps and screens, and Wilson is a potential home run on those plays as well.

Wilson also has a big-time catch radius and the ability to adjust to footballs on vertical throws, creating more big plays for his offense. While he did most of his work out of the slot in 2020, he saw increased snaps on the outside in 2021 and made the most of them, working himself open on plays like this against Michigan and making his quarterback look good:

With the ability to create explosive plays a need for many NFL offenses, you can see why Wilson might be at the top of many boards.

Weaknesses: Wilson’s change-of-direction skills were enough against press-aligned defenders who were on the smaller side, or who were not overly physical. Longer, or more aggressive, corners gave him trouble from such alignments, and as you project him to the NFL game where he will see more corners willing to take the fight to him at the snap, you can see how the transition might take some time.

Similar to another receiver we will discuss a bit later, too much of a good thing can be a problem for Wilson. His change-of-direction skills, along with his footwork, are impressive. But when the extra stutter-step or two throws off the timing of a concept, that becomes a problem. His ability to separate is good enough, and sometimes less can be more.

Conclusion: Part of the reason others might have Wilson higher on boards is his potential. There is still room for growth with him, and if he shows he can operate on the outside at the next level, the sky is the limit. Even if his eventual NFL role is as a slot option with schemed touches in a Z role, his ability to create explosive plays from such alignments will be a big add for NFL offenses.

Comparison: Everywhere you look, you see the name Diontae Johnson next to Wilson’s profile. Works for me.

(Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 5’11” (52nd) Weight: 193 (57th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.44 seconds (66th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Trent McDuffie earned three varsity letters for St. John Bosco High School in California, helping his team earn a spot in the championship game of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. He was graded as a four-star recruit by 247Sports, and the 12-best cornerback in the 2019 recruiting class.

McDuffie chose to play his college football at Washington, turning down offers from schools such as Oregon State, UCLA and Alabama. He stepped right into the lineup as a true freshman for the Huskies, playing in all 13 games and making 11 starts during the 2019 season. He started all four of Washington’s game in 2020, recording 14 tackles and an interception.

This past season saw McDuffie earn Third-Team All-American honors, as he recorded 35 tackles — including four for a loss — and his only collegiate sack.

Stat to Know: According to data from Pro Football Focus, McDuffie has been a shutdown corner since setting foot on campus. He allowed just 339 yards on 439 coverage snaps as a true freshman, and followed that up with just 111 yards on 296 coverage snaps this past season.

Strengths: If you like Andrew Booth Jr., you might love McDuffie. The Washington cornerback played a similar number of zone snaps, but with perhaps better execution, particularly at the strike point. Over his career. PFF charted McDuffie with a missed tackle rate of just 6.9%, which is an impressive number. Plays like this are the reason why:

McDuffie is the boundary cornerback, and employs press-bail technique on this play against Washington State. He drops under the out-breaking route from the inside receiver in this Flat-Seven Smash concept, and rallies downhill to make a sure tackle, after the first defender misses in space.

Where I started to lose my mind watching him was seeing him defender crossers, starting from an off alignment and working over the top of traffic in the box. On this play against Colorado, the offense faces a 3rd and 4 in a game with the score knotted at ten in the third quarter. Watch as McDuffie holds a two-yard throw to a two-yard gain, thanks to his closing speed and the ability to work over the top of the traffic inside:

Even better was this snap against Arizona, where McDuffie actually makes a tackle for a loss on this play:

Press-man coverage is a bit more of a question mark with McDuffie than, say, Derek Stingley Jr. or Sauce Gardner, but the potential is there. On this play against Colorado, McDuffie matches the vertical route well, getting to the hip of the receiver and closing down the throwing lane:

Whether McDuffie can build upon this foundation in the NFL is perhaps the bigger question.

Weaknesses: The main weakness with McDuffie might be his size. He comes in under six-feet tall, and the lack of length adds to concerns about his frame. McDuffie’s arms measured in at 29.75 inches, putting him in the seventh percentile of cornerbacks. That lack of size might have contributed to the lack of production during his college career, as McDuffie posted just two interceptions while in college. Pro Football Focus also charted him with just nine pass breakups on 100 targets during his time at Washington.

Will his size make him a pure slot cornerback at the next level? Washington used him almost exclusively on the outside, as he played 593 snaps on the boundary last season, in contrast with just 12 on the inside, but if he if viewed as a slot cornerback by teams, that might hurt his draft stock.

Then there is the technique in man coverage, and particularly in press-man coverage. His experience in zone has provided him with solid technique in those coverage, but press technique is still a work in progress. If you watch that game against Washington State, he seemed to struggle against bigger receivers when asked to use press technique. On this play, he is late to the punch, and lets the receiver get inside leverage on the slant route:

If he is going to play in a press-heavy scheme, he’ll need to refine the technique on the boundary.

Conclusion: McDuffie can slide into zone-heavy systems and play on Day One, even on the boundary despite his lack of size and length. He can also play in a few different roles at the next level, as Washington did use him in the slot and even as a deep safety at times. Teams that rely more on man coverage, however, might want more experience and refined technique from a player in the first round.

Comparison: Drae Harris went with Byron Murphy as his comparison in his profile of McDuffie for The Draft Network, and that fits for a number of reasons.

(Syndication: HawkCentral)

Height: 6’2 1/8″ (6th) Weight: (5th)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Wingspan: 75 5/8 inches (1st)
Arm Length: 31 1/8 inches (1st)
Hand Size: 10 inches (50th)

Bio: Linderbaum played offensive and defensive line at Solon High School in Solon, Iowa. Though the three-star recruit got an offer from Minnesota, he was a devoted Hawkeyes fan, and Iowa was the choice when the school came calling. He got 18 snaps as a defensive tackle in his freshman season of 2018, followed by a redshirt year in which he moved to the other side of the ball, replacing current Chicago Bears lineman James Daniels, who left school early. That stuck from then on, as Linderbaum made First-Team All-American in 2020, repeating that award in 2021. Last season, Linderbaum also made First-Team All-Big Ten, he was named Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, and he won the Rimington Trophy, given to the nation’s best center.

Stat to Know: Linderbaum’s Blown Block rate of 1.6% ranked 39th among offensive lineman in the NCAA in 2021. He did allow just one sack and seven total pressures on 457 pass-blocking snaps.

Strengths: Linderbaum is as functionally agile and mobile as you could ever expect from a center; this play against Kentucky is particularly noteworthy as he seems tangled up at the line of scrimmage, but then disengages and gets 30 yards downfield in no time.

And while he’s not the most powerful center in this class, when he gets upfield and gets a head of steam going, he’s a real problem for second-level defenders with his understanding of leverage. Linderbaum has aggressive hands and excellent technique to take defenders where they don’t really want to go.

Weaknesses: Linderbaum’s relative lack of size shows up when he’s facing bigger men in gaps and right over his head — there are times when he’ll simply get physically overwhelmed.

He will also give way to quicker defenders running inside speed moves and crossing his face.

Conclusion: Last season, the Hawkeyes blocked zone on 93% of their offensive snaps, and that proved to be the best fit for Linderbaum. His NFL team should be one that required a center who can reach the point in all kinds of zone concepts. If you need a gap mauler to snap the ball? There are other centers in this class far more qualified to make that happen.

NFL Comparison: Jason Kelce. At the scouting combine, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta compared Linderbaum to Marshal Yanda, who is a future Hall of Famer to me. I don’t quite see Yanda’s ferocious play strength in Linderbaum’s game, but he does put me very much in mind of Kelce, the five-time Pro Bowler and four-time First-Team All-Pro who has established quite a career with quickness and intelligence over root strength and power. That’s not to denigrate Kelce’s or Linderbaum’s power — it’s just a different kind of player. If you want a top-tier move center, this is your guy.

(Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’3″ (45th) Weight: 304 (57th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.77 seconds (94th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 29 inches (40th)
Broad Jump: 9’3″ (72nd)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Graded as a three-star recruit out of Towers High School in Decatur, Georgia, Devonte Wyatt made his original commitment to play college football for South Carolina. But when the in-state Bulldogs made a late push for him, Wyatt flipped his commitment to Georgia.

However, he was then ruled academically ineligible to play at Georgia, so he began his college career at Hutchinson Community College, where he tallied 30 tackles and three sacks his freshman year. Once his academic requirements were met, he enrolled at Georgia as a sophomore.

Wyatt used the extra year of eligibility offered to college athletes due to COVID-19 and returned for a final season this past year, and helped the Bulldogs win a National Championship. This past year Wyatt was named a First-Team All-SEC performer.

Stat to Know: Wyatt has the ability to align almost anywhere up front. Pro Football Focus charted him with snaps anywhere from a 0-technique up front to an alignment outside on the edge.

Strengths: Wyatt wins in two ways: With his first two steps off the line, and with his ability to counter blockers with a well-rounded arsenal of moves. His explosiveness off the line is a the top of the class, and when Georgia turned him loose to slant into gaps off the snap, he was nearly unblockable. He displayed elite lateral quickness and footwork, with the ability to track outside zone running plays down from behind.

Where I was most impressed was with his ability to counter blockers. On this play against Michigan, you can see that at work as he transitions from a power-rushing move into a quick swim move to generate pressure on the quarterback:

That pass-rushing ability showed up this year as Wyatt notched four sacks, a career-high. Teams looking for a pass rusher on the inside are going to love what they see. Plus, his quickness off the snap makes him a terror on stunts and scheme games up front. There were moments on film where it looked like his job was to create pathways for linebackers and edge rushers, but he ended up getting home as well, or at least generating some pressure on the quarterback.

Weaknesses: The biggest knock on Wyatt is that when he sees blockers at the next level who can match his quickness, can he then win with power? I think that is a question he answered with his ability to counter blockers with secondary movements, but until we see it at the next level, that box is unchecked. If he adds a bit of a power game to his arsenal, he can be a force.

Conclusion: For many, Wyatt as DT1 is etched in stone. I certainly understand, and deciding between him and Davis is a tough call. Both are tremendously talented players who should come off the board in the first round…and on the early side. Wyatt is less of a projection than Davis, given what we have seen from him as a pass rusher, and if he ends up the first DT taken it will not be a surprise at all.

NFL Comparison: Derrik Klassen went with Kenny Clark for Wyatt, and that is the first comparison I’ve seen that made sense to me.

(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’2″ (90th) Weight: 191 (46th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.39 seconds (84th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Kaiir Elam was a four-star prospect coming out of The Benjamin School in North Palm Beach, Florida. While in high school he played both defensive back and wide receiver, and for his career he notched nine interceptions on defense, while adding another 97 catches for 1,490 yards and 15 touchdowns as a receiver. He also played basketball in the winter — averaging almost 12 points per game over his career — and was a sprinter in the spring season.

Elam chose Florida over a number of schools, including Clemson, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame and Ohio State. He stepped right into the rotation for the Gators as a true freshman in 2019, recording three interceptions while making five starts that year. During the 2020 campaign, Elam started all 12 games and finished the year with a pair of interceptions, and 11 pass breakups.

This past season, Elam started nine games, as he missed three with an injury suffered against Alabama. He finished the year with an interception, and allowed only 18 catches (on 35 targets) for 185 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His father Abram Elam played college football at both Notre Dame and Kent State before spending six years in the NFL as a safety. Elam’s uncle Matt Elam was a first-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2012 draft as a safety, and is currently playing for the Edmonton Elks with the CFL.

Stat to Know: As we will discuss in a moment, press coverage is a strength of Elam’s. He saw 184 press coverage snaps last season, 39th-most among college football cornerbacks according to Pro Football Focus.

Strengths: Teams looking for a press coverage cornerback that can play some bully ball are going to love Elam. He is not afraid to take the fight to receivers and jam them off the line, but can also use his feet and change-of-direction skills to play press-bail technique with confidence.

His patience also stands out when in press alignment. On this snap against Jameson Williams, watch as Elam fights to keep his hips as parallel as possible, waiting for Williams to declare, and then he matches his speed on the vertical route:

This play against South Florida is an example of Elam taking the fight to the receiver. He gets in a solid jam off the snap, but stumbles on the receiver’s break as the offensive player gets in a little shove at the top of his stem. Elam recovers, and makes an interception on an errant throw:

Elam is a press coverage corner with experience against upper-level competition throughout his college career. That should have teams giving him serious consideration in the first round.

Weaknesses: Discipline, both with his hands and his eyes, is where Elam needs to improve. He was flagged for seven penalties in his ten games a year ago, and will need to learn how to balance his physical style of play with how the game is called at the next level.

Take this play against Alabama, where he draws a flag for defensive pass interference:

At first blush, this looks like good coverage. But with both Elam and John Metchie III hand fighting along the route, Elam is the one that gets flagged. You just know this kind of play will be called against him on Sundays.

Eye discipline is another area where Elam can improve. There are moments where he gets caught peeking in the backfield, hoping to jump a route or throw, and then loses track of his receiver or the nearest threat when he is in zone coverage.

Conclusion: His ability in press, coupled with his experience against some of the best receivers that you could see on Saturdays, makes Elam a solid option at the position early in the draft. If he gets a little more disciplined with his eyes and his hands, he can become a solid CB1 for an NFL team.

Comparison: Joe Marino of The Draft Network compared Elam to Carlton Davis, and that is the most apt comparison I have come across.

(Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’3 7/8″ (23rd) Weight: 323 (80th)
40-Yard Dash: 5.24 seconds (54th)
10-Yard Split: 1.8 seconds (44th)
Bench Press: 20 reps (14th)
Vertical Jump: 26 inches (28th)
Broad Jump: 102 inches (48th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: 5.12 seconds (4th)

Wingspan: 83 3/8 inches (87th)
Arm Length: 34 1/8 inches (71st)
Hand Size: 10 3/8 inches (79th)

Bio: Green attended Atascocita High School in Humble, Texas, and was a five-star recruit. He was ranked as the best Texas recruit of the 2019 class, ahead of Ohio State receiver Garrett Wilson and Green Texas A&M teammate DeMarvin Leal. He committed to LSU in 2016, but switched to Texas A&M. Originally, he played right and left guard, but as he was the only returning lineman on the 2021 team, he was asked to play all over the place. In 2021, he played 81 snaps at left tackle, 142 snaps at right tackle, 408 snaps at left guard, and 106 snaps at right guard.

Stat to Know: Texas A&M runners averaged 4.9 yards per carry when running to Green’s gap in 2019, 2020, and 2021. That’s consistency.

Strengths: Green can seal the edge to either side as well as any guard in this class; there are times when he’s ambidextrous in that regard and he’ll adjust on the fly.

Speaking of side to side, check out this double hit against LSU. It’s easy to project Green opening up monster holes anywhere near his gap. You also see a bit of the kick-slide he picked up from playing tackle.

And this rep at left tackle against Alabama shows that Green is perfectly capable of getting snappy outside, too.

If you want an offensive lineman who can replicate that famous trucking scene from “Blind Side,” Green should submit this bit of nastiness. Yes, he did this as a tackle.

If you like OL that sustain blocks, here’s @AggieFootball LT Kenyon Green staying latched 24 yards downfield. Have a great Monday! pic.twitter.com/FiokMq8cgw

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) April 11, 2022

Weaknesses: If Green is operating from a solid base, you’re going to have a very unpleasant time trying to uproot him. But there are times when he’ll float over his feet, and you can catch him napping for a pressure or two.

And while Green can pull just fine, you’d like to see a bit more accuracy on the target here.

Green will probably be limited to guard at the NFL level until and unless he becomes more laterally agile against edge defenders, especially out wide, where he has to get quick with his feet, and he can’t just push people around.

Conclusion: A true mauler whether he’s in zone or gap concepts, Green leads with a very strong run-blocking skill set, and he’s good enough in pass pro to make a decent go of it at tackle. He’ll be an asset to any balanced offense in which the run game sets the tone, and if he can work on the finishing aspects of his game, and cut down on the penalties (six holding calls in 2021), he’ll be a plus starter very quickly.

NFL Comparison: Damien Woody. New England selected Woody with the 17th overall pick in the 1999 draft out of Boston College, and through his 12-year career with the Patriots, Lions, and Jets, Woody was able to play center, guard, and tackle at a starting level. I think that Green, who has shown similar positional versatility, projects best at guard. But it’s the ability to move around at a credible level that gives Kenyon Green one extra attribute in his quiver.

(Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 5’11” (5th) Weight: 229 (20th)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Coming out of Horn Lake High School in Horn Lake, Mississippi, Nakobe Dean was one of the top linebackers in the country. Well, he actually was the top linebacker in the nation, as he earned the High School Butkus Award as the top high school linebacker in the country in 2018.

Graded as a five-star recruit, Dean had no shortage of scholarship offers. He turned down Mississippi and Alabama to play for Kirby Smart at Georgia, and stepped right on the field as a true freshman and recorded 25 tackles. As a sophomore in 2020, Dean recorded 71 tackles and added 1.5 sacks. This past season, Dean helped the Bulldogs win a national title, securing another 72 tackles and a career-high 10.5 sacks along the way.

He also earned his second career Butkus Award, this time as the top linebacker in college football.

Stat to Know: Dean took over as a starting linebacker in 2020, forcing Monty Rice into a reserve role. When you saw three-game stretches like the one he had in the middle of the season, where he secured double-digit tackles in games against Kentucky, Florida and Mississippi State, you can see why the coaching staff trusted him.

Strengths: Speed, as they say, kills.

That is why Nakobe Dean is coming off the board in the first round.

In addition to the other traits he brings to the table, Dean is a true sideline-to-sideline defender. He wins with speed, and it shows up on plays like this against Michigan where he tracks the running back across the formation for the stop:

It also showed up on plays like this against Florida, where he aligns along the boundary and jumps a hitch route, looking more like a cornerback than a linebacker:

In addition to his athleticism, Dean is a smart linebacker and that shows up not only in the pre-snap phase, but during the play itself. He has great vision and feel for his run fits, and his nose for the football is incredible. I had a chance to talk with him about Georgia’s technique for fitting zone runs in this podcast, and he explained how the Bulldogs rely on the “stack, track and fall back” technique, and why:

🚨 NEW PODCAST 🚨

Who exactly is @NakobeDean?

Check out the latest episode of Talkin' The Draft as @ConnorNFLDraft and @MarkSchofield get to know him! @GeorgiaFootball

Apple: https://t.co/xQMEJXGTBo
Spotify: https://t.co/iEoRmeVct3 pic.twitter.com/JOGEH25bxq

— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) April 6, 2022

As he put it, while he is responsible for the A-Gap on such plays, the safety is responsible for the backside B-Gap. Since that player is coming from 12 yards deep, Dean better be able to backtrack into the B-Gap to prevent a cutback, otherwise you’re looking at a ten-yard gain.

Perhaps his best skill-set for the NFL game is his coverage ability. You saw it on the Pick-Six against Florida, but Dean is very patient when tasked with man coverage, and rarely bites on the initial move from the receiver or running back. That is going to serve him well at the next level. He looks the part of a weak-side linebacker, and handling option routes from the running back was something he did quite well.

Weaknesses: Similar to Lloyd, finding flaws in Dean’s game feels like unfair nitpicking. There are moments where his speed hurts him, as he can overrun plays and miss tackles as a result. There are also moments where his tackling technique leaves him too high, and ball carriers can break through his attempt. He is also undersized by NFL standards, and had the benefit of playing behind Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt, who kept him clean on the majority of snaps.

Still, you then see those plays linked above and throw the concerns out the window.

Conclusion: The best way to sum up his game is this way: As a New England Patriots fan, if he is on the board at 21 and the Patriots pass on him, I will need more than a few moments to collect myself.

Comparison: Mike Renner of Pro Football focus said Dean offers shades of Devin Bush, and that feels right to me.

(Syndication: Gainesville Sun)

Height: 5’10” (36th) Weight: 218 (63rd)
40-Yard Dash: 4.59 seconds (40th)
10-Yard Split: 1.51 seconds (86th)
Bench Press: 21 reps (64th)
Vertical Jump: 34.5 inches (51st)
Broad Jump: 119 inches (54th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: “Why? Because I’m a Gator, bro.”

That’s what Desmond Pierce said when asked why he was finishing out his final season with the Gators despite the fact that he was also preparing for the Senior Bowl. The Gators did not always show their star running back the same level of justified deference. Pierce came to Florida after gaining 6,779 yards and 92 total touchdowns for Georgia’s Bainbridge High School, but he was always part of more of a workload-share situation than he should have been.

There are times when you have to wonder what the heck a coach is thinking when he’s deploying his personnel. Exhibit A in this case is ex-Florida head coach Dan Mullen, and his 2021 running back by committee approach. RBBC is the order of the day in a lot of programs, and that’s all well and good, but when you have a house-wrecker of a running back like  Pierce on your team, that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Pierce gained 574 yards and scored 13 touchdowns (!) on 100 carries, and he only had double-digit carries twice last season — the Gators’ final two games, after Mullen was fired.

So, why is a back who never had more than 574 yards in a season our RB1? Because when you watch Pierce’s tape, you see the attributes required of a running back combined at a higher level for any other back in this class. It’s as simple as that.

"I ain't got good intentions when I run. I'll tell you that." https://t.co/VtlKUiKLI2

— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) March 31, 2022

Stat to Know: On his 100 carries last season, Pierce forced 39 missed tackles and averaged 3.65 yards after contact. 365 of his 574 yards came after the first hit.

Strengths: Good backs can deal with contact. Great backs are emboldened by it. Pierce is one of the rare backs in the latter category. When you hit him, he’ll bounce off contact and actually use that leverage to further accelerate downfield. We need look no further than the three explosive runs Pierce had against Georgia’s incredible defense last season — on just nine carries. 

This 19-yard run shows Pierce’s vision, cutback acceleration through gaps, power through hits, and contact balance downfield.

On this 18-yard run, Pierce bounces across and outside the formation, outrunning some rather impressive Georgia defenders.

Every great back has some “FU” runs, where they’re just announcing their presence with authority. This 11-yard run qualifies as just that.

As does this helmetless run against Florida State. Pierce was penalized for “continuing the action” after his helmet was ripped off; personally, I want a running back who’s just ’bout that action, boss.

Dameon Pierce is a BEAST pic.twitter.com/yfNoyBweq8

— libgator (@lib_gator) November 27, 2021

Pierce is also a plus receiver, as he showed on this touchdown catch against LSU. He’s route-diverse and eager to use his hands to catch at a high level.

Weaknesses: Pierce doesn’t have true third-level home-run speed as a few backs in this class have, though I think NFL teams would accept that in favor of all the things he can do. And he suffers occasional lapses in pass protection, though it doesn’t seem to be a serial issue as it does for a disturbingly high percentage of the backs in this draft class. You will also have to project a higher workload onto him, though he was really good against loaded boxes, which is one kind of projection for that.

Conclusion: NFL teams will likely take two paths of thought when it comes to Pierce. They’ll either assume that he’s limited and that Dan Mullen knew what he was doing when he limited Pierce’s workload, or they’ll look at the tape, and salivate at what he’d do in their offenses. The team that takes the second path to its logical conclusion will be duly rewarded.

NFL Comparison: Frank Gore. Gore had a middling workload in the Miami Hurricanes’ loaded backfields until his 2004 campaign. But when he hit the NFL in 2005 as a third-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers, Gore showed pretty immediately that he had the power, acceleration, gap wisdom, and receiving ability to be what he was — a five-time Pro Bowler with exactly 16,000 rushing yards in his estimable career. I’m not saying that Pierce will equal Gore’s numbers or career length — that’s a tough one — but the attributes are quite similar. Pierce can be an every-down back in the NFL from Day 1.

(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Height: 6’1″ (12th) Weight: 219 (43rd)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Malik Willis was a three-star recruit coming out of Roswell High School in Roswell, Georgia. During his senior year, he led Roswell to the Georgia 7A State Championship game, and threw for 2,562 yards and 27 touchdowns while also running for 1,033 yards and ten more scores. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution named Willis the 7A Region 4 Player of the Year for his efforts.

Willis originally committed to Virginia Tech, but changed his commitment to Auburn. He spent two seasons with the Tigers, but ultimately transferred to Liberty after struggling to find playing time at Auburn. His first two seasons he was used as a backup behind Jarrett Stidham, and while he managed to carve out a role in certain packages, when he lost the quarterback competition to Bo Nix he made the decision to transfer in 2019.

Willis sat out the 2019 season due to NCAA transfer rules, but stepped into the starting job for the Flames for the 2020 campaign. Liberty finished with a 9-1 record in 2020 with him at the helm, and Willis hit on 64.2% of his passes for 2,250 yards and 20 touchdowns, with 6 interceptions. Last season Willis and the Flames finished with an 8-5 record, and his performance earned him an invitation to both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine.

Stat to Know: In addition to his passing production, Willis ran for 2,131 yards and 29 touchdowns during his collegiate career.

Strengths: The case for Willis in this draft, and early in this draft, comes down to one word.

Upside.

Willis is a tremendous athlete with elite arm talent. He has the ability to create outside the pocket and off of structure, which is becoming almost a non-negotiable in today’s NFL. He can deliver throws to all levels of the field off of almost any platform, including deep-shot throws with his feet unsettled in the pocket:

Then there is the athleticism. Willis has the ability to fix mistakes in protection and create with his legs. On this play against Middle Tennessee State, Liberty faces a six-man pressure look, and the quarterback has to navigate an unblocked defender off the right edge:

Beyond the arm talent and athleticism, Willis displayed this past season an ability to solve problems with his mind. Take this play against Middle Tennessee State:

This is a 3rd and long situation for Liberty deep in their own territory. Willis opens to the single receiver on the right side of the formation, who is running a stop route right at the first-down marker. The defense drops the safety down at the snap as MTSU brackets that receiver. Willis immediately moves his eyes to the middle of the field and picks up the crossing route, hitting that to move the chains.

Weaknesses: Perhaps the biggest question facing Willis is this: What are the odds that the team selecting him can develop him to his fullest potential? As we will discuss in a moment, the development of Josh Allen from a raw quarterback prospect into one of the NFL’s elite passers is going to be reflected in Willis, and where he ends up coming off the board. The team that drafts him in the first round will be convinced that they can do for Willis what Brian Daboll and the Buffalo Bills did with Allen.

Will they be right?

There are also other concerns with Willis, from a ball placement standpoint and a repeated decisions standpoint. There are times when Willis misses throws, particularly when trying to put pace on the ball or when trying to layer throws near and around defenders.

Then there are the repeated mistakes. Willis threw an interception on a fake screen concept against MTSU early in the season, and followed that with an interception on the same design against Mississippi a few weeks later. These are the kinds of mistakes that he will need to eliminate at the next level.

Conclusion: In a quarterback class that seems to have more questions than answers, sometimes you see NFL teams more willing to place the bet on upside. A few years ago, Kyler Murray rose to the top of the draft in such a class, and the same could unfold with Willis working to the top of the board because of the potential. Teams will need to be patient with him, but if an NFL organization can get him close to his full potential as a quarterback, they are going to be glad they placed such a bet.

Comparison: For Willis, a range of comparisons might make sense. At a floor a team is probably getting Tyrod Taylor, a quarterback who can make some throws under pressure and from a variety of platforms, and can be effective in the vertical passing game and with his legs. At the higher end of the outcome scale, a team that develops Willis closer to his ceiling could find themselves with their own version of Dak Prescott. If Willis lands somewhere in the middle of those outcomes, you’re looking at Jalen Hurts with a better arm.

(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’2 1/4″ (93rd) Weight: 199 (20th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.37 seconds (95th)
10-Yard Split: 1.51 seconds (83rd)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 37 inches (71st)
Broad Jump: 133 inches (96th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Wingspan: 78 inches (81st)
Arm Length: 32 1/4 inches (71st)
Hand Size: 9 3/8 inches (54th)

Bio: Born in Haiti, Cine was moved to Florida at age 4, and alternated between Haiti and Florida for a time before moving to Massachusetts, where he became a defensive back at Everett High School. Cine was named Massachusetts Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, the same year the Everett won the state championship. He then moved to Cedar Hill. Texas to live with his uncle, enrolling at Trinity Christian. Again, he was a standout player, and again, his team won the state championship.

The four-star recruit passed on Michigan, Florida, Penn State, and Texas in favor of Georgia, where he became a full-time starter in 2020, and a key part of the NCAA’s most dominant defense in 2021.

Over three seasons with the Bulldogs, Cine played 1,008 snaps at free safety, 338 in the box, 192 in the slot, 26 at cornerback, and 10 at the defensive line.

Stat to Know: In 2021, Cine had a blown or missed tackle on 10% of his attempts, which is something he’ll need to clean up at the next level.

Strengths: Cine has the athleticism and tracking skills to take catches away from receivers to either seam and boundary. If he gets inside position on this play, it’s a pick, and it’s plays like this that have me excited about his NFL future when he gets more detailed coaching.

He also has the easy movement skills to spy a mobile quarterback and track the ball at the same time.

Cine comes down and across on plays with the hammer. If he’s on a line to your general direction, your yards-after-catch experience is not what you think it’s going to be. Alabama tight end Slade Bolden could vouch for that.

Even if he’s in the deep third, your simple swing pass can be blown up once Cine gets a bead on your running back.

Weaknesses: Cine’s motorhead playing style does have its drawbacks — there are too many times where he’s to intent on making the kill shot, he’ll miss the tackle altogether. This happens against the run and the pass, and it’ll be up to his NFL coaches to get that under control.

Cine can also twist himself up into some missed coverages.

Conclusion: Right now, Cine has the NFL attributes to be an overhang enforcer who will cause trouble on anything in front of him. Over time, and once he cleans up a few things in coverage and with his tackling, he could be a top-10 NFL safety with his athleticism, aggressiveness, and coverage potential.

NFL Comparison: Jessie Bates III. Selected with the 54th pick in the 2018 draft out of Wake Forest, Bates started his NFL career as a rangy safety with a ton of tools, and became one of the league’s best and most underrated safeties both in the deep third and in the box when he put it all together. Cine can be that same style of player.

(Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’6 1/8″ (85th) Weight: 303 (20th)
40-Yard Dash: 5.05 seconds (89th)
10-Yard Split: 1.73 seconds (83rd)
Bench Press: 30 reps (82nd)
Vertical Jump: 30.5 inches (79th)
Broad Jump: 117 inches (98th)
3-Cone Drill: 7.46 seconds (86th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.49 seconds (91st)

Wingspan: 80 1/8 inches (41st)
Arm Length: 32 7/8 inches (23rd)
Hand Size: 10 1/4 inches (70th)

Bio: Raimann was born and grew up in Steinbrunn, Austria, and first played American football for the Vienna Vikings’ youth team at age 14. He attended Delton Kellogg High School in Delton, Michigan for his high school junior year, and his host family included two Central Michigan players — Rollie Ferris, and Tyden Ferris, his future collegiate teammate. He then returned to Austria, graduated from Ballsportgymnasium Wien, and completed his compulsory service in the Austrian military. He then committed to Central Michigan and played tight end during his first two seasons, catching 20 passes for 164 yards.

The switch to tackle came in 2020 as Raimann gained weight — he allowed no sacks and five total pressures on 447 reps in the Chippewas’ shortened season, and came back for a 2021 campaign in which he allowed one sack and 10 pressures on 895 total snaps and 475 pass-blocking snaps.

excited for Bernhard’s trajectory for a number of reasons, not the least of which is this: he seems to get happier as he acquires mass https://t.co/nTOKnbBQQO pic.twitter.com/bHGtJqZ16r

— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) April 5, 2022

Stat to Know: Raimann allowed a sack, a quarterback hit, and two quarterback hurries in the 2021 season opener against Missouri. After that, he gave up no sacks, two quarterback hits, and four quarterback hurries in 11 games.

Strengths: At his best, Raimann is agile and strong enough to do just about anything you require from a left tackle. His ability to set the edge and hit targets in space is particularly appealing.

And he has an easy movement palette through the arc as a pass-blocker — what I liken to the arc of an opening door. Raimann can do that all day.

Weaknesses: Raimann is more of a catcher than an attacker with his hands; he would benefit from more aggressiveness in this capacity, especially to offset the possible negative effects of his relatively short arm length and wingspan. NFL-level defenders could get inside his reach and make things more complicated than they need to be.

He will also struggle at times to recognize and pick up extra pressures and the tails of stunts. One assumes this is the product of Raimann’s relative inexperience, and can be cleaned up over time. But this rep against Missouri shows the need for coaching and development.

Conclusion: That Raimann can already play at the level he’s reached with such limited experience at the position should be highly exciting to NFL line coaches, who probably as a group wouldn’t hesitate to get a guy with this much athletic potential and positional upside. Yes, there are things to work on here, and that’s completely understandable, but don’t mistake Raimann for a developmental prospect. He has the chops to start in his first NFL season, and from there, the sky’s the limit.

NFL Comparison: Sebastian Vollmer. Like Raimann, Vollmer didn’t play American Football until he was 14 years old — he grew up in Germany. And like Raimann, Vollmer switched from tight end to left tackle in college — Houston, in Vollmer’s case. A private workout with Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia had New England selecting Vollmer in the second round of the 2009 draft, and Vollmer combined athleticism and strength while overcoming his relative inexperience to play seven mostly solid seasons. Vollmer tended to alternate between clean seasons and campaigns in which he gave up a ton of pressures, and while Raimann might fit that profile for a while, there’s certainly enough on the ball in a physical sense for him to become a top-level move tackle over time.

(Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports)

Height:  6’3″ (60th) Weight: 217 (36th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.73 seconds (66th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 34 inches (76th)
Broad Jump: 10’1″ (90th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Kenny Pickett was one of the top high school prospects coming out of New Jersey in the 2017 recruiting class, and after originally committing to Temple, he flipped his commitment to Pittsburgh, where he spent his entire collegiate career.

Pickett started the final game of the season during his true freshman year, leading Pittsburgh to an upset over Miami, who at the time was ranked the number-two team in the country. In that victory, Pickett hit on 18 of 29 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown, and ran for two more scores.

Pickett would be the Panthers starting quarterback for the rest of his time on campus, and he decided to use the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes due to COVID-19 to return for one more year this past season. He is probably glad he did, as Pickett put himself into first-round contention with a season that saw him finish as a Heisman finalist. He threw for 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns, and became the school’s career leader in passing touchdowns and passing yards, eclipsing Dan Marino.

Stat to Know: Over his first four years on campus, Pickett threw 39 touchdown passes. He threw 42 in his final season.

Strengths: While the argument for Willis is one of upside and ceiling, the argument for Pickett and the quarterback we are going to discuss next is one of floor. During his time in Pittsburgh Pickett displayed the ability to attack all levels of the field, to layer in throws around defenders and over coverage, and to work through concepts and get the football where it needs to be, when it needs to be there.

Pickett can attack defenses with anticipation on throws, and take advantage of coverage with an understanding of concepts and leverage. On this completion against Duke, you see those traits as he delivers the stop route on time and in rhythm, putting the throw towards the boundary and away from the leverage of the nearest defender:

As we have long maintained here at Touchdown Wire, yardage after the catch is in part a quarterback statistic. Pickett’s timing, rhythm and placement create the opportunity for YAC on this play.

Pickett is an accurate passer, and that continues even when he is on the move. In a win over Clemson that put him firmly in the first-round discussion, one of his biggest throws came on this third-down conversion before halftime, where he was used on a designed sprint-out to the right and dropped in a perfect throw while rolling out:

While not having the athleticism of Willis, Pickett can move well in the pocket — with a caveat to be discussed — and as we have seen, he can throw well when forced off the spot or while on the move.

Weaknesses: Much of the discussion regarding Pickett this draft cycle has focused on his hand size. To be clear, measuring in with 8.5-inch hands makes him an outlier, as the last quarterback with such a measurement was Michael Vick.

However, that measurement does need to be given context, as our own Doug Farrar did during the Combine. Are you seeing fumble issues? With 38 fumbles over four-plus years, including 26 lost fumbles, perhaps that is a big number. Then, watch him play in the elements. A few years ago Brett Rypien — a quarterback I was rather high on — faced similar concerns and you could see issues crop up when he was playing in the elements.

Pickett played his home games in Pittsburgh, and this past season you did not see issues with him losing the football in clean pockets due to weather conditions. However, in 2019 he coughed up the football in a game against Virginia Tech that was played in rainy conditions, where the ball seemed to slip out of his hands.

That was prior to him wearing a glove on his throwing hand.

However, the biggest concern, from where I sit, is how Picket handles pressure in the pocket. When he knows it is coming — and where it is coming from — he is adept at moving, sliding and creating space to extend plays. However, if the pressure comes in an unexpected manner, then his response to the pressure is a bit more erratic.

In the world of simulated pressures, where sometimes the points of pressure in the pocket come from areas you are not expecting them to, that is going to be something he must improve upon at the next level.

Conclusion: There are two teams that I think would be ideal landing spots for Pickett: Carolina and New Orleans. Both teams — with Ben McAdoo in Carolina and Pete Carmichael in New Orleans — are likely going to be rooted in West Coast passing concepts, a system that might be the ideal fit for Pickett and what he does best. Pickett is an accurate passer who throws with touch, rhythm and anticipation, things that still matter at the position. If he can clean up how he handles pressure in the pocket — or gets the chance to play behind a great offensive line — he can grow into an upper-level NFL starting quarterback.

Comparison: Joe Marino of The Draft Network went with the Andy Dalton comparison, and that seems rather accurate.

Resources: For a deeper dive on Pickett, you can watch this extensive breakdown of him put together by myself and Matt Waldman of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio:

You can also watch this dive into Pickett and the mental perspective:

(John Reed-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 5’11” (52nd) Weight: 190 (42nd)
40-Yard Dash: 4.50 seconds (40th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Coming out of Williamson High School in Mobile, Alabama, Roger McCreary graded as a three-star recruit and was the 87th-ranked cornerback in the 2018 class according to 247Sports. He originally committed to South Alabama and looked to stay close to home, but ultimately he chose Auburn.

He stepped onto the field as a true freshman and played in seven games, primarily as a reserve. He played in all 13 games as a sophomore in 2019, grabbing his first collegiate interception in a game against LSU. He took over as a starter in 2020, snaring three interceptions in ten games. This past season, he recorded 14 pass breakups, the top mark in the SEC. He was named a First-Team All-American at the end of the year.

Stat to Know: This is more “interesting fact” than “stat to know,” but the night before every game McCreary eats a meal of baked beans with sugar piled on top.

Strengths: Derek Stingley Jr. is not the only cornerback in this class who played early in his career, and held his own, in the SEC. While Stingley’s production as a true freshman does stand out, McCreary also took on a big role early in his career for the Tigers.

In fact, his first interception came against Stingley’s LSU Tigers, in a 2019 meeting between Auburn and LSU:

This play is a good synopsis of McCreary’s skill-set. He aligns in press, maintains his relationship with the receiver throughout the route — showing some sticky man-coverage skills — and fights at the catch point to secure the interception.

If you are wondering, that is Ja’Marr Chase that McCreary is covering.

That leads us to the second point. McCreary is certainly battle-tested, coming out of the SEC. His game against Alabama this season is a prime example, as he was matched up with Jameson Williams early in the game, and against John Metchie III late in the game. McCreary will travel with receivers when asked, and saw time both on the outside and in the slot during his time on campus.

While Metchie got the better of him on the game-winning play in the Iron bowl, McCreary had some great plays against him before that snap. Take this comeback route, where McCreary showed his fluid hips and ability to stay patient against routes:

He also displays solid technique at the catch point. On this play from the Iron Bowl, Metchie tries to test him deep on a double move. McCreary does not panic, and plays up through the catch point to prevent the completion:

McCreary is experienced, changes directions well and has played against some of the best receivers in the SEC, putting up impressive production (his 20 forced incompletions last season were tops among college cornerbacks). That alone is a resume worthy of an early selection.

Weaknesses: On the negative side of the ledger, McCreary might not hit some size thresholds for teams, at least with respect to playing on the outside. Similar to Trent McDuffie, McCreary lacks ideal length for the position, as his 28.88-inch arms placed him in the 1st percentile for the position, and would be the smallest of a boundary cornerback in the NFL. That likely foreshadows a move to the inside, which could see him slide down boards a bit.

One area where he could improve is when playing in off technique. Particularly early in his career, the big plays he gave up seemed to come when he was playing off the receiver and trying to read cues and react downhill. If he can add consistency there, to what he already can do at the catch point, that would make for an ideal combination.

Conclusion: What McCreary did over his career in the SEC should count for something. Yes, the measurables might make him somewhat of an outlier, but he makes up for that lack of length with great closing skills, good fluidity and great awareness for the position. I think he can still play on the outside, but his versatility makes him a solid option as a slot corner out of the box.

Comparison: McCreary gives of some Casey Hayward vibes when studying him.

(Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’2″ (71st) Weight: 225 (95th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.55 seconds (28th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 33 inches (19th)
Broad Jump: 10’2″ (54th)
3-Cone Drill: 7.28 seconds (8th)
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: A three-sport athlete in high school, Treylon Burks was the top football recruit in the state of Arkansas, coming out of Warren High School in Warren. He caught 151 passes for 3,403 yards and 43 touchdowns, and that was despite missing the bulk of his senior year due to an ACL tear.

Burks stayed in-state, choosing to play college football for Arkansas despite having a number of offers from schools like LSU, Clemson and Florida State. Burks stepped right into the Razorbacks’ offense, catching 29 passes for 475 yards. He was named a member of the SEC All-Freshman team after the 2019 season. In 2020, he caught 51 passes for 820 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore, and was named a Second-Team All-SEC player.

As a junior this past season, Burks caught 66 passes for 1,104 yards and 11 touchdowns, and added another 112 rushing yards for an additional score. He was named a First-Team All-SEC selection for his work.

Stat to Know: According to Pro Football Focus charting data, Burks averaged 9.3 yard after the catch per reception, fourth-best among college receivers last year.

Strengths: Burks is a big, physical receiver with the body to play on the outside at the next level. He is also an extremely confident receiver, who believes he is open on every snap even when it looks like the coverage is in position to take care of him.

More often than not, he is right. Take this play against Mississippi:

As this play begins, the corner over Burks gives him nearly ten yards of cushion. But as Burks closes that gap, he throws his arm up, asking for the football, while the corner still has about five yards to work with.

Burks comes down with the football.

After his 40-yard dash in Indianapolis came in at 4.55, some questions were raised about his long speed. Burks might be the latest example of the different between track speed, and game speed. When you see a receiver accelerate away from the entire Alabama secondary as Burks did in their meeting this year, you take the concerns over straight-line track speed with a grain of salt:

Then you remember he is doing this at 225 pounds — 95th percentile for wide receivers — and relax a little bit.

Weaknesses: Other receivers in this class, such as Chris Olave, are giving an NFL team the full route tree on Day One. Burks is a different story. Arkansas gave him a core staple of routes, and while he ran those well, teams looking for a receiver who can step into an NFL offense and master the entire tree are going to need to be patient. A smart offense will give him a similar package at the start, and let him round out the rest of his game over time.

His role is also something interesting to think about. His size profile screams “X receiver,” but the Razorbacks used him primarily out of the slot. According to charting data from PFF, Burks was in the slot over 75% of the time. As such, he was able to take advantage of some two-way gos, and did not see a ton of press-aligned defenders across from him. And, as we saw above, sometimes when he aligned outside he was seeing a lot of cushion. So asking him to step into an NFL offense, align at X and beat press-aligned NFL cornerbacks might be a big ask. So he might start out as a big slot at the next level, while he rounds out his game.

Conclusion: Every once in a while the retired lawyer in me creeps out. If I were Burks’ attorney, tasked with making the case for him, I would simply play those two above clips as my closing argument. In my mind, they speak for themselves. He is a ball-winner on the outside with the confidence needed to play receiver at a high level, and with the football in his hands he can accelerate from SEC secondaries in a flash. Those skills translate well to the NFL.

Comparison: I’ve said before that Burks reminds me of A.J. Brown, and I’ll stick with that comparison.

(Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’0″ (55th) Weight: 194 (60th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.52 seconds (30th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Kyler Gordon was a standout on both sides of the football for Archbishop Murphy High School in Everett, Washington. During his senior year, for example, he ran for 517 yards on 40 rushing attempts, caught 32 passes for 841 yards, and tallied 44 tackles and five interceptions as a defensive back. He was named the Offensive MVP of the Cascade Conference, and a First-Team All-League defensive back.

Rated as a four-star defensive back by 247Sports, Gordon turned down Notre Dame, Nebraska and UCLA to stay close to home and play for Washington. He played in four games in the 2018 season, preserving his redshirt status. During the 2019 season, he played in all 13 games for the Huskies with four starts, recording 32 total tackles.

Gordon played in four games during Washington’s shortened 2020 campaign, making one start for the Huskies. He finished the year with 18 tackles, and was named the team’s Special Teams MVP.

This past season he slid into a starting role on the defensive side of the football, and finished the year with 45 tackles and a pair of interceptions.

Stat to Know: Gordon brings some versatility to the table as a prospect. He played all over the field for the Huskies, including in the slot, on the boundary, in the box and on the line of scrimmage. He saw 144 snaps in the slot a year ago, but also played 160 press coverage snaps, 60th-most among college cornerbacks.

Strengths: Gordon is an explosive defender who plays with impressive burst, whether coming downhill against the run or clicking and closing on a receiver after his break. That makes him one of the better run defenders in this cornerback class, whether aligning in the slot or along the boundary.

That closing speed also plays well in coverage. Similar to his teammate Trent McDuffie, some of Gordon’s best plays came when closing down on a receiver after the catch and either limiting the additional yardage or preventing the completion. Take this crossing route from Colorado:

Gordon plays this shallow crosser from depth, and has to work around a deeper dig route that creates traffic. Still, he gets to the catch point right as the football does, and prevents a third-down completion. That closing speed will serve him well in the NFL.

This play also shows another strength of his, which is his disruption at the catch point. He manages to get his hands on the football in critical spots, leading to incompletions, tipped passes and even deflections that are intercepted by teammates:

Weaknesses: Eye discipline is perhaps the biggest area where Gordon can improve, although that might come with more snaps. There are times where Gordon can bite on double-moves, or take the bait when the offense is setting up a shot play downfield. On this play against Stanford, Gordon takes the bait on the swing screen behind the line of scrimmage while in zone coverage, giving the offense the deeper wheel route:

More discipline in situations is an area where he can show some improvement. Another area where he can improve is with his press technique, and working to stay parallel to the line of scrimmage longer rather than immediately turning his hips as the receiver releases.

Conclusion: Gordon’s versatility, closing speed and ability to help against the run will endear him to secondary coaches and defensive coordinators at the next level. He just needs to dial back the aggression just a bit, being more patient and disciplined, and he can carve out a nice role for an NFL defense.

Comparison: Comparing players to former teammates is often low-hanging fruit, but you can see parallels between his game and Elijah Molden, a former Washington defensive back now in Tennessee with the Titans.

(Syndication Lansing State Journal)

Height: 5’9″ (20th) Weight: 211 (42nd)
40-Yard Dash: 4.38 seconds (95th)
10-Yard Split: 1.49 seconds (95th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 34 inches (45th)
Broad Jump: 122 inches (75th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Walker started his collegiate career at Wake Forest, gaining 1,158 yards and scoring 17 rushing touchdowns on 217 carries, adding six catches for 47 yards. This in no way prepared anybody for what Walker was able to do after he transferred to Michigan State for the 2021 season. Last year, Walker gained 1,636 yards on the ground and scored 18 rushing touchdowns on 263 carries. Add in his 13 catches for 89 yards and a touchdown, and Walker did everything he could to prove that he could be a high-volume, every-down back in a major program, with traits that transfer quite well to the NFL.

He opted out of Michigan State’s appearance in the Peach Bowl to prepare for the draft, but one could argue that he’d already proven everything he needed to prove.

Stat to Know: In 2021, no FBS back had more runs of 15+ yards than Walker’s 30, on which he gained 881 of his 1.634 rushing yards.

Strengths: For a back with his speed and quickness, Walker also has a nice sense of when and how to follow his blocks, and then get explosive when necessary. He’s fast, but he’s not frenetic. His third-level speed is plus-average, and he accentuates that with body lean and subtle acceleration to get past cornerbacks and safeties who might otherwise outrun him. That body lean into his speed cuts also keeps him away from contact as he’s gearing up from the first and second levels. He presents a favorable target on the swing passes and release routes he ran at Michigan State, with the potential to do more as a receiver.

Walker has an enviable ability to “get skinny” through gaps, power through small openings, and then burst into the open field. You see that a lot with his tape.

And his jump cuts rival those of any collegiate back in recent years.

He’s also exceptional when things fall apart at the line, and he has to make lightning-quick diagnoses and responses, especially when bouncing outside.

Weaknesses: While Walker can zip through gaps with ease, post-contact power is an issue at times, and it’ll have him running himself right out of the play when he doesn’t see an opening.

And he’s not a plus pass protector at all. If Walker’s NFL team is facing a defense in which blitzing defensive backs are the norm, he might get lighter workloads until he fixes that issue.

Conclusion: Walker’s traits and production project him very well into any zone-heavy run scheme in which he can use his quickness and agility to break off big gains and explosive plays. He’ll never be a headbanger, but if he’s able to advance his route palette and clean up the blocking issues, he has a chance to wow in the NFL as he did in the Big Ten.

NFL Comparison: Melvin Gordon III. Two IIIs? Sure. Like Gordon, who was selected by the San Diego Chargers with the 15th overall pick in the 2015 draft, Walker can make you miss all over the field, and that’s an incredibly valuable skill. Gordon maxed out as a feature back in 2017, when he gained 1,105 yards and scored eight rushing touchdowns on 284 carries. But he also has two different seasons (2016 and 2018) with 10 rushing touchdowns as more of a committee guy, and he’s currently a very nice complementary back with the Broncos. Walker’s power limitations prevent him from becoming truly scheme-transcendent (and possibly workload-transcendent), but in the right offense, just wind him up and watch him go.

Height:  6’1″ (12th) Weight: 211 (18th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.52 seconds (95th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 36 inches (95th)
Broad Jump: 10’7″ (99th)
3-Cone Drill: 7.15 seconds (40th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.29 (60th)

Bio: In last year’s draft five quarterbacks found their way into the first round. Desmond Ridder was mentioned early in the process as a passer who could sneak in as the sixth, but he decided to return to campus for one final season with Cincinnati.

He is probably glad he did, as he and the Bearcats earned a berth in the College Football Playoff. While Cincinnati lost to Alabama in the semifinals, Ridder leaves school as one of the most accomplished players in Bearcats history. He was twice named the AAC Offensive Player of the Year, and threw for 87 touchdowns and over 10,000 yards during his time on campus. Ridder also ran for 2,180 yards and 28 touchdowns while with the Bearcats.

Stat to Know: Ridder’s progression as a passer is reflected in his NFL passer rating from season to season. What was an 82.5 mark during the 2019 campaign became a 105.2 mark in 2020, and 108.9 last season.

Strengths: Similar to Pickett, Ridder’s experience makes him ready for the NFL game from a mental perspective. One of the better games to study for him is his outing against Houston in the AAC Championship Game. The Houston Cougars did a lot that night in terms of moving and rotating their safeties at the snap, but Ridder consistently made the right decisions with the football, either getting to his single-receiver matchups when the Cougars spun into single-high coverage, or working through concepts as necessary when Houston rotated into two-high looks.

Another area that stands out is how well Ridder works through reads in the pocket, getting to that all-important backside dig route that has become almost a non-negotiable in the modern game. On this play against UCF, Ridder opens to the left first, and seeing the concept covered he gets his eyes then to the middle of the field, and finally to his fourth read, the backside dig route:

In addition to what he can do with his mind, you can add in the athletic component. Ridder was a weapon with his legs during his time at Cincinnati, reflected in his rushing production. The 4.52 40-yard dash he posted at the Combine showed up on the field, particularly on runs like this one against SMU where you see that straight-line speed on designed plays:

With his processing ability and athleticism, Ridder offers a strong foundation  and floor as a passer while still offering room for growth and development.

Weaknesses: The biggest knock on Ridder is accuracy and ball placement. This is something that shows up both on film, and in advanced metrics and charting. Pro Football Focus charted Ridder with an Adjusted Completion Percentage of 73.9%, which was 33rd among quarterbacks in the college game last season.

There are two caveats to this discussion. First, Ridder’s ball placement issues seem to pop up early in games, and settle down over the course of the contest. This could be something that works out over time, as there is not a mechanical issue with his throwing motion that is to blame. Football players are human, after all (huge if true) and perhaps Ridder is working through some early jitters or excitement and just needs time to settle into games.

Second, Ridder did show improvement in this area during his time on campus. On film there were more misses in 2019 and 2020 where the football was not where it needed to be, than there were on 2021. That growth is, in my opinion, a good sign for his development at the next level.

Conclusion: Ridder offers an NFL team what you want to see from a mental perspective, with some athleticism to boot. You put those two traits together, and you have a very strong foundation for an NFL quarterback. His growth as a passer during his time on campus should not be ignored, and in the right offensive system you could see Ridder being a solid starting quarterback early in his career, with an opportunity to become more.

Comparison: At the Combine, Ridder told the media that he modeled his game after Ryan Tannehill, and you can certainly see that on film. You also see shades of Marcus Mariota as well. When you start connecting dots, you might be led to the Atlanta Falcons, perhaps with their pick at the top of the second round…

Resources: For more on Ridder you can dive into how his athletic ability will translate on Sundays in this video breakdown:

You can also look at some of those spun safety looks he saw against the Houston Cougars in this breakdown:

(Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’1 3/8″ (77th) Weight: 199 (20th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.49 seconds (75th)
10-Yard Split: 1.52 seconds (77th)
Bench Press: 22 reps
Vertical Jump: 35 inches (36th)
Broad Jump: 124 inches (92nd)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Wingspan: 76 inches (49th)
Arm Length: 31 3/4 inches (56th)
Hand Size: 9 7/8 inches (86th)

Bio: A three-star recruit out of Gateway High in Monroeville, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh), Brisker played receiver and safety in high school and then enrolled at Lackawanna Community College as academics was not the focus it should have been. After two seasons there, Brisker chose Penn State over Alabama, as it was his dream to play there. Brisker had two interceptions as a non-starter and spot player in 2019, made Third-Team All-Big Ten in 2020, and advanced to Second Team All-American and First Team All-Big Ten in 2021.

Over three seasons with the Nittany Lions, Brisker played 668 snaps at free safety, 690 in the box, 332 in the slot, 13 at cornerback, and 41 at the defensive line.

Stat to Know: No safety on this list allowed a lower opponent passer rating than Brisker in 2021 — he gave up 12 catches on 21 targets for 105 yards, 38 yards after the catch, one touchdown, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 46.8. He allowed no catches on three targets in man coverage.

Strengths: Some think of Brisker as a predominant box safety, and I don’t get that at all — he’s perfectly good in the deep third, especially in two-high coverage. On this interception against Maryland, watch how he tracks the quarterback out of the pocket and puts himself in position where the ball will be his.

He’s also great at reading the quarterback, as he showed on this red zone interception against Wisconsin. Track the ball and go get it.

And if you need a guy who can move quickly from one side of the field to the other, Brisker is just fine with that. Unfortunately, he couldn’t turn this into an interception.

NFL teams that play a lot of Cover-0 and blitz to it (Chiefs, Ravens, Dolphins) should love Brisker’s aggressiveness and tracking skills to the ball.

Weaknesses: Much like Lewis Cine, Brisker is so aggressive at times, he can take himself out of the play by losing track of his tackling fundamentals. This blitz against Rutgers would have had a more positive outcome were that not the case.

Brisker has the footwork and transition skills to be a quality pass defender up the seam and over the middle, but he isn’t always in the right place to finish the play.

Conclusion: Brisker’s cornerback background shows up on tape with his ball skills, and I love his play personality. Like a lot of safeties in this class, he’ll need to learn to temper his aggression at times to avoid giving up big plays, but overall, he’s got his game on lock, and the stuff that needs fixing is fixable.

NFL Comparison: Adrian Amos. I generally try to shy away from player comps from the same school, and Amos also played for Penn State, but this one makes too much sense. Like Amos, Brisker can play at a dominant level in the box, and he’s underrated as a deep defender. Brisker might be even more advanced as a deep defender over time, but no matter how he’s utilized, he’s got Day 1 starter traits and game-changing potential.

(Syndication: Online Athens)

Height: 6’2 5/8″ (17th) Weight: 268 (55th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.77 seconds (63rd)
10-Yard Split: 1.62 seconds (70th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 38 inches (91st)
Broad Jump: 123 inches (87th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Wingspan: 79 inches (27th)
Arm Length: 32 3/4  inches (20th)
Hand Size: 9 5/8 inches (30th)

Bio: A four-star recruit out of Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Maryland, Paschal chose Kentucky over just about every major program in the nation, including Alabama, USC, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma. His career path was delayed when he was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2018, and he had several operations to battle the cancer — a process that ended in August, 2019. He had 3.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss in 2019, fell off a bit in 2020, and put up a ton of good tape last season with 38 total pressures and 20 stops from every gap — 23 snaps in the A-gap, 87 snaps in the B-gap, 287 snaps over the tackle, and 252 snaps outside.

Stat to Know: Paschal had five sacks and 15 tackles for loss in 2021.

Strengths: For a guy weighing nearly 270 pounds, Paschal has an ferociously quick close to the pocket. His acceleration and short-area quickness are his alpha attributes from the edge.

Here’s Pascal creating pressure against Mississippi State left tackle Charles Cross, who I believe to be the best offensive lineman in this draft class. Cross recovers nicely from a head-up move inside, because he’s that good, but you can also see how well Paschal moves from the snap to the pocket.

Paschal can create absolute havoc as an interior rusher with his lateral quickness and power to work the bull-rush. The Georgia Bulldogs discovered this with a quickness on this rep.

And if you’re going to give Paschal a double-team, both of your blockers had better be on point. Otherwise, he’ll knife through it all with ease.

Weaknesses: Paschal will work himself into stalemates at times, even against single teams, because his hand technique isn’t yet evolved enough to disengage. It’s a short-term concern, and a long-term wonder — when he puts that together with NFL coaching, how good will he then be?

This red zone rep against Louisville showed a similar issue. You can turn Paschal into an innocent bystander if you force him to use his hands, as opposed to flouting his physical superiority through the gaps.

A guy this good with his basic attributes should not get pushed around to this degree by two-fifths of Vanderbilt’s offensive line. Paschal’s elementary technique will render him out of the picture too often at the next level for a while.

Conclusion: If you’re looking for a traditional edge rusher who plays 90% of his snaps outside the tackles, you may miss out on Paschal’s potential, because his true value is in his ability to affect offenses from every gap from wide 9 to offset nose tackle. Teams that value such versatility will be more present with Paschal’s NFL future, and one will be duly rewarded when they commit to it.

NFL Comparison: Emmanuel Ogbah. There’s a subset of multi-gap pass-rushers in the NFL who don’t get the praise they deserve because they’re so good in every gap, and they don’t hang out in one place — so perhaps it’s hard to get a bead on what makes them great. Ogbah became that kind of player when he was unleashed in Brian Flores’ Dolphins defense in 2020, and Paschal reminds me a lot of Ogbah as a player who can defeat blockers in different gaps, and in many ways. He might be the most underrated edge defender in this class, but in the right system, he won’t hold that classification for long.

(Jenna Watson/IndyStar-USA TODAY NETWORK)

Height: 5’11” (57th) Weight: 217 (61st)
40-Yard Dash: 4.39 seconds (93rd)
10-Yard Split: 1.54 seconds (73rd)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 40 inches (94th)
Broad Jump: 126 inches (91st)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Hall has some pretty good legacy notes for his position — his cousin is Roger Craig, the 49ers legend who, in 1985, became the first back in pro football history to gain 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving in the same season. His stepfather, Jeff Smith, played at Nebraska, and also for the Buccaneers and Chiefs. Hall got his start in 2019 with the Cyclones when he gained 897 rushing yards and scored nine rushing touchdowns on 186 carries, adding 23 receptions for 252 yards and a touchdown. This earned him All-Big 12 honors as a freshman.

Over the next two seasons, Hall became one of the more impressive volume punchers at his position, gaining a total of 3.044 rushing yards and scoring 41 rushing touchdowns on 532 carries, with 59 receptions for 482 yards and five touchdowns. In 2020, Hall became the first unanimous All-American in Iowa State history.

Stat to Know: In Hall’s final collegiate game, against TCU, he ran the ball 18 times for 242 yards, five carries of 15+ yards, and three rushing touchdowns. He finished his NCAA career with five rushing touchdowns of 75 or more yards.

Strengths: Hall isn’t a burner, so he must create explosive plays with patience, vision, power, and sudden acceleration. Fortunately, he has all of those attributes on easy and consistent display. This 16-yard run against TCU is as impressive as any run I’ve seen from any back in the 2022 class. Hall creates at all three levels, which is nice if you can do it.

You can see those same attributes when Hall is deployed in the passing game. He can splay out for swing and screen passes, and he has the potential to line up or motion to an X or Z spot and make things happen outside.

And this effort run against West Virginia is just… *chef’s kiss*. Once Hall gets rolling, he’s very intent on getting yards after contact, and you’ll have to do a lot to get him down. He’s a constant forward leaner who will give maximum effort to stay alive in the open field — a must, because he isn’t going to run away from NFL defenders.

Weaknesses: Hall’s relative lack of flash speed and quickness shows up when he gets bottled up and can’t create his way out of it. You just don’t see the lightning bolts of suddenness in his game; he’s more of a smooth glider with power. If your defense gets on him quickly, he can be limited, and for all his after-contact power, he averaged just 2.83 yards after contact per carry last season. A lot of the lost plays came in situations like this.

And let’s just say that his pass pro needs a lot of work. Hall isn’t consistent with his targets, and his blocking vision isn’t developed. This is an NFL coaching issue to be solved.

Conclusion: Hall’s 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine is one of the more incongruous testing numbers I can remember from any draft prospect in a while — because there just isn’t 4.39 speed on the field. When Najee Harris came out of Alabama last season, my thought was that Harris does everything at an above-average to really good level, but nothing spectacularly to the point where you see one of those franchise-defining backs. I see a similar back in Hall, who brings so much to the table and should be highly productive at the next level. You just wonder what he could be with one extra tick of short and long speed. That’s not a professional death sentence; but I can imagine NFL evaluators wondering this, as well.

NFL Comparison: Matt Forte. Selected with the 44th pick in the second round of the 2008 draft out of Tulane, Forte quickly became one of the NFL’s most effective and versatile backs in the league despite the lack of a real third gear or devilish escape speed. From 2008 through 2016, Forte had more total yards from scrimmage (13,794) than any other back (Adrian Peterson finished second over that time with 12,083), and I could see Hall having the same kind of long-term impact in an offense that’s okay with a back who can do it all… except for blowing you away with a fifth gear.

(Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’3 3/4 (45th) Weight: 261 (34th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.53 seconds (98th)
10-Yard Split: 1.59 seconds (87th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 38 inches (91st)
Broad Jump: 125 inches (92nd)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Wingspan: 80 3/4 inches (58th)
Arm Length: 32 5/8 inches (16th)
Hand Size: 9 7/8 inches (48th)

Bio: A three-star recruit out of Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Adeboye “Boye: Mafe also spent his eighth-grade year in a cultural exchange program in his family’s native Nigeria. He chose Minnesota over Rutgers and Wyoming, and though he never had more than 480 snaps in a season over four years (1,086 total), he made Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in 2020 with 4.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. Last season, he made Third-Team All-Big Ten and again led the Gophers in sacks (7.0), tackles for loss (10.0), and forced fumbles (one).

Stat to Know: Mafe had just 20 of his 480 snaps inside the tackles last season. If I’m on his NFL coaching staff, I’m multiplying that number by four or five.

Strengths: As a pure edge rusher, Mafe has a really nice combination of strong, aggressive hands, and freaky athleticism to the pocket. This play against Indiana is just ridiculous. Mafe is aligned inside the left tackle, which he didn’t do a lot, but… wow. He can’t knife through the double-team, so he just careens around the tackle, closes to the pocket, and chases the quarterback to the sideline. You want effort pressures? It’s hard to do much better than this.

Here’s a similar win against Nebraska — if I’m Mafe’s NFL coach, I’m putting him inside more often, because this kind of speed and bend around double teams is rare.

And here, he shows a nice ability at least swing with double-teams, using hand strength and velocity. You love to see this from a player his size. And again, this is from the tackle’s inside shoulder.

From the edge, Mafe has no trouble bedeviling tackles with speed counters that start outside, and upset things from inside.

Weaknesses: There’s nothing Mafe can do about his relatively short arms, and what happens at times to most edge guys with this particular issue happens with him — if a tackle gets his hands out first (or even as the rush develops, Mafe struggles to counter straight-ahead. He’ll need to continue to develop his hand techniques as adaptive strategies.

He can also be waylaid by slide blocks, as well as motioning and pulling tackles and tight ends — any situation in which he needs to quickly disengage and move. Again, he’ll need to do more than wrestle with power in these situations.

Conclusion: I’m fascinated by Mafe’s potential as a multi-gap pass rusher at the next level, especially when he gets more reps and is able to continue to develop his attributes, and gets with a next-level strength program to fill out his skill set. He could be a plus defender in the NFL sooner than later.

NFL Comparison: Michael Bennett. An undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M in 2009, Bennett played pretty well with the Buccaneers for a few seasons, and then blew up to a thermonuclear level with the Seahawks when his new team realized how he could disrupt from multiple gaps. I think that Mafe has a ton of untapped potential in this regard, and I hope his NFL team sees him the way the Seahawks saw Bennett.

(Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’4″ (56th)Weight: 250 (11th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.55 seconds (96th)
10-Yard Split: 1.64 seconds (51st)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 35 inches (72nd)
Broad Jump: 122 inches (84th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.45 seconds (39th)

Wingspan: 80 3/4 inches (58th)
Arm Length: 33 1/2 inches (50th)
Hand Size: 9 inches (3rd)

Bio: Born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Ojabo played soccer, volleyball, and basketball in Aberdeen, Scotland after his family moved there for his father’s job. Wanting to maximize his athletic opportunities, Ojabo left his family and moved to the U.S. at age 15, enrolling at Blair Academy, a boarding school in New Jersey. Ojabo switched from basketball to football as a junior when he saw his teammate, former Penn State and current Baltimore Ravens edge-rusher Odafe Oweh make the same transition. He took to the game quickly, becoming a four-star recruit and gathering offers from Ohio State, Clemson, Notre Dame, Yale, and Columbia, choosing Michigan because he appreciated the academic opportunities there. He redshirted in 2019 making Scout Team Player of the Year, and really broke out in 2021, with 11 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, and a Big Ten-best five forced fumbles.

Unfortunately, Ojabo suffered a torn Achilles tenson at his pro day on March 19, which may force him to miss his rookie NFL season, but the tape still shows enough pass-rush juice to make that redshirt possibility more appealing than it would be for a lot of prospects.

Stat to Know: Ojabo led all edge defenders last season in Sports Info Solutions’ “Hand on Ball” rate, which tracks how often a defender gets his hands on the ball by breaking up or intercepting a pass, or forcing or recovering a fumble. Ojabo did that on 1.7% of his snaps.

Strengths: We often talk about speed-to-power moves; here’s Ojabo running power-to-speed against Penn State. He’s so quick off the snap, and to get his hands out, tackles had better be quick with their own hands. If not, it’s the bull-rush, then the close to the pocket. Bonus points in this case for the strip-sack.

Ojabo also has about as filthy a spin move as you’ll see from any edge-rusher in this class.

You can see that 4.55 speed when it’s time for Ojabo to gobble up turf with his stride length; Michigan State really had no answer for this.

Weaknesses: Ojabo does have some good power moves, but he’s not going to beat the landslide to his side on a run play with pure mass; he’ll have to finesse his way out of plays like this.

Like Aidan Hutchinson, his estimable bookend, Ojabo can get himself disappeared by motioning and pulling blockers.

Conclusion: It’s a real shame that Ojabo suffered that injury, because if he hadn’t, I might well have him in my top three edge defenders, and I would almost certainly rank him above Aidan Hutchinson, his Michigan bookend. Ojabo has a compelling combination of traits and techniques to get to the ball, and if he’s able to make a complete recovery, he’ll be a supreme annoyance to opposing quarterbacks in the NFL just as he was in the NCAA.

NFL Comparison: Cliff Avril. Ojabo has a similar combination of smooth pursuit and aggressive techniques to get to the quarterback, and the more you watch his appallingly great spin move, it’s appropriate to throw a bit of a Dwight Freeney comp in there, as well. No matter which edge-rusher you compare him to, it’s clear that a healthy David Ojabo has all the traits to succeed in any four-man front. Let’s hope we’re able to see a healthy David Ojabo sooner than later.

(Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’3″ (86th) Weight: 195 (36th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.47 seconds (59th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 33 inches (19th)
Broad Jump: 10’5″ (76th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: A few years ago, George Pickens looked like a mortal lock for WR1 in his eventual draft class. After catching 69 passes for 1,368 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior at Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama, Pickens stepped into the starting lineup for the Georgia Bulldogs as a true freshman. What did he do that year? Catch 49 passes for 727 yards and eight touchdowns.

However, the past two seasons have not been as kind to Pickens. His production was up-and-down in 2020, as he caught 36 passes for 513 yards and six touchdowns, and then tore his ACL during spring ball prior to the 2021 campaign. He managed to get back onto the field late in the year, and in four games caught five passes for 107 yards.

Still, while it once seemed like Pickens was a lock for the first round, that appears to be very much in doubt.

Stat to Know: Fun with sample sizes! Pickens averaged 21.4 yards per reception this season. Yes, on five catches…

Strengths: Pickens is a master of late separation. He wins at the catch point, which is something he was doing as a true freshman against bigger and more physical SEC cornerbacks, but also has the ability to create a bit of space off his breaks with arm bars, shoulder nudges and by using his leverage and frame.

But Pickens is much more than just a contested-catch receiver. He has the ability to separate from press-aligned defenders, and this is something that again he was doing as a true freshman in the SEC. Take this play from his freshman campaign:

Facing a press-aligned defender shaded to the inside, Pickens uses a stutter-step off the line to stress his leverage, and then bursts along the boundary to separate on the vertical route for a touchdown.

His catch radius shows up as well, whether working underneath, along the sideline or in the vertical passing game. Take this play from that game against Baylor, where Pickens was named the MVP of the Sugar Bowl:

Again, you see the release off the line against a press-aligned defender, followed by an incredible adjustment to the football for a big play.

Of course, you cannot discuss Pickens without mentioning how, coming back from his injury, he delivered the first big play of the National Championship game:

This play highlights Pickens’ nuanced route-running as well as his ability to track the football in the vertical passing game. The cornerback sets up in press alignment with outside leverage, so Pickens releases to the inside as he pushes vertically. At the top of his stem, he flashes his eyes to the outside as he fakes in that direction, and the corner bites. That is all Pickens needs to push to the post and get separation, and he then tracks the football perfectly and extends for the confident catch, and the huge play early.

Weaknesses: Those who remain convinced that the “best ability is availability” might have some concerns. Pickens is coming off the ACL injury, and also missed time in 2019 for a violation of team rules. He was also ejected from a game as a freshman for fighting.

Pickens has the body type to be an X receiver at the next level, but might need to add some strength to handle the more physical corners he will see on Sundays.

Conclusion: You do not step into the starting lineup as a receiver in the SEC as a true freshman and put up the numbers Pickens did if you are not a talented football player. Circumstances might have pushed Pickens down the board into the Day Two range, but an NFL team is going to be thankful for said circumstances.

Comparison: I get a Tee Higgins vibe after studying Pickens’ college career.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Height: 6’3 3/4″ Weight: 266
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
Bench Press: 21 reps (30th)
Vertical Jump: 38 inches (91st)
Broad Jump: 121 inches (80th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.36 seconds (66th)

Wingspan: 78 7/8 inches (23rd)
Arm Length: 32 5/8 inches (16th)
Hand Size: 10 1/4 inches (78th)

Bio: Football was not George Karlaftis’ first sport. Born in Athens, Greece, he was a top goalkeeper on Greece’s 16-and-under national water polo team. When his father died in 2014, Karlaftis’ mother moved the family to her hometown of West Lafayette, Indiana, and that’s where Karlaftis got his first taste of football. He became a four-star recruit, and turned down offers from most of the NCAA’s major programs in favor of Purdue, which was much closer to home. He made First-Team Freshman All-American and Second-Team All-Big Ten in 2019. leading Purdue with 7.5 sacks and 17.0 tackles for loss. In 2020, he missed half of the season due to injuries and COVID and still made Second-Team All-Big Ten. Last season, he made Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-Big Ten with five sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles.

Stat to Know: Among edge-rushers in the 2022 class, only Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie and Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson had a higher Pressure Share rate (the percentage of pressures created by one defender on a team)  than Karlaftis’ 27% in 2021.

Strengths: Karlaftis has an appealing combination of technique and effort — he goes hard all the time, and when he marries his pass-rush moves to that, the combination is tough to beat. This rip counter move, and chasing the quarterback? You can work with that in the NFL right now.

And even when he’s pressing to the pocket with everything he’s got, he’s aware of what’s going on around him. He was rewarded with a touchdown for this against Wisconsin.

The way he bodies into this spin move is something he can further develop at the NFL level. I’m impressed with the palette of techniques Karlaftis has developed, and there’s more to unlock.

Karlaftis was double-teamed at a pretty high rate, and he was generally able to create pressure — again, through speed and technique, and this is where the power comes in.

Weaknesses: The downside to Karlaftis’ elevated technique? He really needs it. His short wingspan and arm length show up when he tries to extend into the tackle, and it just doesn’t work consistently. A longer-armed tackle like Indiana’s Caleb Jones, who stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 362 pounds? If a guy like this gets his arms out first, Karlaftis is going to be stuck more often than not.

Karlaftis is also not a natural bender; he’s going to have to effort his way through the arc, and that does not always work. He’s more stocky and violent and quick than fluid.

Conclusion: Just because Karlaftis doesn’t pop off the tape as the traditional long, smooth edge defender doesn’t mean that he can’t succeed at the next level. There are physical limitations that will get in his way against the NFL’s best blockers, but I also have a feeling that he’ll work the game as well as he possibly can to become a productive player over a number of years.

NFL Comparison: Kyle Vanden Bosch. The common comparison here is Ryan Kerrigan, but beyond the whole “white pass-rushers who went to Purdue” thing, I can’t really go there. Kerrigan had more pure attributes that are more developable over time, while Karlaftis looks more like a very good player who is going to max out his potential — not a bad thing at all. The more I watched Karlaftis, the more I was reminded of Kyle Vanden Bosch, the estimable strong-side end who became a Pro Bowl force with the Tennessee Titans in the early 2000s. Like Vanden Bosch, I think that Karlaftis will be at his best aligned to the formation, kicking inside, and working stunts and twists. His NFL upside is a very good player who could be made great by alignment and scheme.

(Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 5’11” (22nd) Weight: 178 (7th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.43 seconds (74th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 36 inches (57th)
Broad Jump: 10’1″ (46th)
3-Cone Drill: 7.28 seconds (8th)
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Jahan Dotson attended two different high schools as a prep player, spending his freshman, sophomore and senior years at Nazareth Area High School in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, while attending the Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey his junior year. His return to Nazareth put him in position to set some school records for the Blue Eagles, as he left Nazareth as their career leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.

After initially committing to UCLA to play football, he changed course and decided to stay close to home and play for Penn State. He appeared in eight games as a true freshman in 2018, and started all 13 of Penn State’s games the following season.

2020 was his breakout campaign, as he caught 52 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns in just nine games. This past year, he caught 91 passes for 1,182 yards and 12 touchdowns, and set a school record when he caught a touchdown in six-straight games.

Stat to Know: While his size might lead you to believe he is a slot receiver only, Penn State used him almost exclusively on the outside. In 2020 for example, only 45 of his 648 snaps came from the slot per Pro Football Focus.

Strengths: Dotson is an experienced receiver who has spent the bulk of his college career playing on the outside. As such, he has developed a release package that gives him the ability to separate from press-aligned defenders as he comes off the line. With foot quickness, change-of-direction skills and a hand swat package to boot, Dotson can get open early and give his quarterback an option as the play unfolds.

Dotson also has great feel for the position, whether in terms of finding soft spots in zone coverage, separating late in the play in scramble-drill situations, or working back to the quarterback to make himself a target. On this play against Illinois, Dotson runs a wheel route that takes him nearly 20 yards downfield. But he works back to his quarterback, presenting himself as the best option on the play:

Dotson also has no fear attacking the middle of the field, even when the throw is off-target and he knows that the big hit is coming:

Dotson is also explosive after the catch, and has the ability to turn quick throws into big plays. His catch-and-run touchdown against Maryland is a prime example:

This long touchdown broke a 14-14 tie early in the fourth quarter, and is a great example of his ability after the catch.

Weaknesses: Despite playing primarily on the outside, Dotson’s best usage in the NFL might be in the slot. There were moments on film where longer cornerbacks were able to control him off the snap if they were aggressive and took the fight to him with a jam or a club technique. There were also moments on film where Dotson did a little too much with his footwork and route-running, and the quarterback was forced to double-clutch while he was waiting for the receiver to get into his break. As we have seen with some other options in this class, sometimes less is more.

Conclusion: His usage at Penn State gives Dotson the chance to play on the outside and in the slot at the next level. Teams that use receivers interchangeably — looking in the general direction of Josh McDaniels and the Las Vegas Raiders — might love that versatility. He might need to round out his release package and add some upper-body strength to function at his best on the outside in the NFL, but the foundation is there.

Comparison: The team over at Bleacher Report compared him to Tyler Lockett, and that comparison feels right to me.

(David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’4″ (81st) Weight: 325 (91st)
40-Yard Dash: 4.92 seconds (75th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 29 inches (34th)
Broad Jump: 9’2″ (66th)
3-Cone Drill: 7.33 seconds (81st)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.58 seconds (56th)

Bio: Travis Jones was a three-star recruit in the 2018 recruiting class, and played both offensive and defensive line at Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven, Connecticut. Jones received a number of scholarship offers from teams including Temple and Boston College, and originally committed to play college football at Rutgers. In the summer of 2017, however, he decommitted from Rutgers and a few weeks later announced he announced his commitment to Connecticut.

Jones was an immediate contributor for the Huskies defense as a true freshman, appearing in 11 games and notching 46 tackles and 5.5 tackles for a loss. While he did not play during 2020 when Connecticut canceled the football season, he returned last year and had his most productive season in college, recording 48 tackles and 4.5 sacks. His play at Connecticut earned him an invitation to the Senior Bowl, where he more than proved he belongs on the big stage.

Stat to Know: One of the knocks on Jones is that he did not put up big pressure and sack numbers. This is one of those moments where context is key. During his time on campus Jones and the Huskies won five games. There were not a lot of moments where he could simply pin his ears back and get after the quarterback.

Strengths: Connecticut used Jones in a few different ways up front, as he was most often aligned as a 3-technique and even saw a few snaps at edge, but at the next level Jones is a nose tackle. He has the power and lower-body anchor to consistently reset the line of scrimmage against the run, and even when he was seeing double teams due to the level of talent around him, Jones found ways to impact the running game. On this play against Vanderbilt he does just that:

Jones aligns in the B-Gap, between the right guard and center. Off the snap he takes on both blockers, keeping his linebacker clean, but he fights through the double, and meets his linebacker at the running back, holding this play to a gain of a single yard.

Jones is powerful at the point of attack, and has the upper-body strength to control blockers and then shed them, working to the running back. On this play against Vanderbilt he does that, fighting off the center and getting to the back to stop this before the offense gains a single yard:

While the production as a pass rusher was not there this season — likely due to the context outline above — the effort was there. On this play against Clemson Jones keeps fighting until the whistle, working through multiple blockers to get pressure on the quarterback:

Weaknesses: Jones was able to get by with power and effort, but he could be more explosive off the ball and being with more pop at the snap. He is at times more reactionary, and could improve his game if he took the fight to the blockers at the snap. On those moments where he strikes first, you can see the difference.

Another area where he could improve is with his awareness. If he could anticipate doubles and down block more consistently, he would be able to drop his hips and anchor in those moments better. On this play against Vanderbilt, he stays upright through initial contact, and then gets washed out by the down block when it comes from the tackle:

Conclusion: The bottom line is this: While at Connecticut, Jones still found ways to produce when he was the likely focus for the opposing offensive line during the entire week of practice leading up to the game. When he got to Mobile for the Senior Bowl, for example, he showed that he belonged on the big stage. Getting to play on an NFL roster with top talent around him is going to fully unlock what he can be on the football field.

NFL Comparison: Johnathan Hankins is a popular comparison, with both Joe Marino and Lance Zierlein using that in their profiles. Hard for me to argue.

(Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’6 3/8″ (86th) Weight: 315 (63rd)
40-Yard Dash: 4.92 seconds (97th)
10-Yard Split: 1.76 seconds (64th)
Bench Press: 24 reps (44th)
Vertical Jump: 27 inches (39th)
Broad Jump: 107 inches (75th)
3-Cone Drill: 7.25 seconds (98th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.4 seconds (97th)

Wingspan: 81 3/4 inches (69th)
Arm Length: 33 7/8 inches (59th)
Hand Size: 10 1/2 inches (85th)

Bio: Lucas attended Archbishop Murphy High School in Everett, WA and was named All-USA Washington Second Team by USA Today. He was named the No.52 offensive tackle in the country and eightth overall prospect in Washington by ESPN.com. Lucas also lettered four years in basketball — he was a two-time All-Cascade selection, and he averaged 16 points per game and 14 rebounds per game as a senior.

After committing to Washington State and taking 2017 as a redshirt season, Lucas was named to the Freshman All-America Team by USA TODAY and The Athletic, and made All-Pac-12 Conference Second Team. The Outland Trophy Watch Lists started in 2019 and didn’t stop. He was named to the All-Pac-12 Conference Second Team and to the Associated Press All-Pac-12 First Team in both his junior and senior seasons. Lucas was invited to the 2022 Reese’s  Senior Bowl, where Pro Football Focus’s Mike Renner named him one of the 10 biggest risers of the week.

There’s another important biographical nugget to add here.

Washington State OT Abe Lucas was bored at 3 am as a freshman and started ripping this song on his Fender in his dorm

Got a noise violation for it

“Still worth it,” Lucas said

Adjust the rankings, ⁦@NFL_DougFarrar⁩ pic.twitter.com/dZxhkqCsCV

— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) March 3, 2022

While we can’t adjust player rankings for musical taste (if only we could), this certainly put Lucas on my radar.

Stat to Know: Lucas lined up for 749 pass-blocking snaps in 2021, and allowed no sacks, two quarterback hits, and 17 quarterback hurries.

Strengths: Lucas has a nasty streak that shows up in open space — Lucas can use his movement skills and hand use to box defenders out with target accuracy.

The plus footwork shows up on this rep against Oregon — Lucas has his opponent repelled before he even gets his hands out, and that’s a consistent attribute. .

Weaknesses: Lucas had reps against Oregons Kayvon Thibodeaux where he fought to a draw; you’d lust like to see a bit more of a finishing mentality at times.

Lucas also needs to get more strength from his sets; there are times when he kind of floats through the play, and you can push him right back into Mr. Quarterback. Less than optimal.

Conclusion: The extent to which you grade Lucas as a first-year starter will depend a lot on the type of offense you prefer. If you’re all about headbanging your way to sustained running plays, he won’t be your first choice, despite his thrash-metal preferences. But players of Lucas’ ilk are becoming more and more important in the NFL as the league transitions to more RPOs, quick-game concepts, and offenses are facing defenses that make the front-side protector as important as the blind-side guy. In any of those offenses, Lucas will fit like a proverbial glove.

NFL Comparison: Brian O’Neill. Selected in the second round of the 2018 draft out of Pitt, the Vikings’ right tackle has become one of the NFL’s most underrated blockers, and he’s specifically great in pass protection without a lot of sand in his pants. When you’re winning against top NFL edge defenders and you barely crack 300 pounds on the scale, you’d better have your technique in order. O’Neill has developed that to the point where the Vikings wisely gave him a five-year, $92.5 million contract extension last September, and Lucas has a lot of the same attributes as a potentially dominant player in a pass-heavy, quick-game offense.

(Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 5’11″ (19th) Weight: 198 (17th)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
Bench Press: 16 reps (43rd)
Vertical Jump: 35 inches (42nd)
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: 6.74 (86th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.18 (57th)

Wingspan: 73 1/2 inches (19th)
Arm Length: 30 5/8 inches (17th)
Hand Size: 9 inches (15th)

Bio: A three-star recruit out of Stafford High near Houston, Pitre chose Baylor over SMU, and was the only recruit who stayed put after the Art Briles disaster. This proved to be the right move, as the high school linebacker and safety became a force multiplier in Dave Aranda’s concepts. An early enrollee and five-year starter, Pitre was named First-Team All-Big 12 in 2020 and returned both of his interceptions for touchdowns that season. He built on all that in 2021, allowing 31 catches on 54 targets for 268 yards, 141 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, two interceptions, six pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 55.2. He was named Consensus First-Team All-American, and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Over five seasons with the Bears, Pitre played 425 snaps at free safety, 367 in the box, 1,273 in the slot, 26 at cornerback, and 367 at the defensive line. Also, on 907 coverage snaps over those five seasons, Pitre never allowed a single touchdown.

Stat to Know: Pitre was sent on blitzes on 17% of opponent quarterback dropbacks in 2021, by far the highest percentage for any NCAA safety — Ball State’s Bryce Cosby ranked second at 8%.

Strengths: Pitre’s transition to more of a full-time safety is a bit of a projection because he played so much slot, but this fade interception against Texas State allows you to put him a few yards back in a two-deep alignment in your mind, and everything is just fine back there. He can peel off his first assignment and help in the back because he’s quick and fluid in his transitions.

Pitre had two interceptions last season, but he had his hands on a lot more passes that were just a fingertip or two away from becoming picks. This end zone deflection against Oklahoma State shows how he can match up with bigger slot receivers and tight ends — he’ll just align and clamp down in coverage.

This interception against Texas State shows how well Pitre can play that deep slot/STAR position we all know about via Jalen Ramsey.

Why was Pitre sent so often on blitzes? Because he has a great sense of how to get past blockers, and an impressive close to the pocket. He put up five  sacks and 25 total pressures last season.

Weaknesses: If Pitre is to match with tight ends through the route at the NFL level, he’ll need to do so with positioning as opposed to physical strength; he can get bodied out pretty easily.

Pitre’s NFL coaches will want to have him watching tackling videos pretty quickly. There are too many whiffs on his tape.

Conclusion: If you need a firecracker player to accentuate your defense with aggressive play personality, slot speed, and high potential in free and blitz roles, Pitre might be at or near the top of your defensive back board. I’m not dumb enough to compare any college defensive back to Tyrann Mathieu, given the ways in which Mathieu can stitch a defense together at his NFL best, but if you squint a little, it’s not impossible to imagine that kind of effect if Pitre hits his ultimate ceiling.

NFL Comparison: Jevon Holland. There are some elements of John Johnson III’s game with the Rams here when he played the STAR and slot positions as well as deep safety, but Pitre reminds me most of Holland, the former Oregon standout safety who the Dolphins took with the 36th overall pick in the 2021 draft. Like Holland, Pitre can do everything from slot to free to blitz, and he can make it look pretty easy. It’ll be fascinating to see where Pitre lands in the NFL — hopefully with a team that understands and knows how to utilize his athleticism and versatility. Even in an era where safeties are asked to do a lot of things at a very high level, it’s an interesting mix.

(Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’0 1/4″ (39th) Weight: 191 (5th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.38 seconds (95th)
10-Yard Split: 1.47 seconds (97th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 34 inches (28th)
Broad Jump: 121 inches (53rd)
3-Cone Drill: 6.57 seconds (97th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.06 seconds (87th)

Wingspan: 79 1/4 inches (92nd)
Arm Length: 32 1/4 inches (71st)
Hand Size: 9 1/2 inches (63rd)

Bio: Coming out of Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa (where he was born), Hill was anything but a secret. He was a five-star recruit as a safety and occasional receiver, and was the No. 1 safety prospect in the 2019 class, and the No. 1 prospect in his state overall. Hill committed to Michigan, then Alabama, then back to Michigan on signing day. A three-year starter for the Wolverines, Hill excelled under defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who’s now the Ravens’ defensive coordinator. Another Ravens connection: Hill’s older brother Justice, a running back from Oklahoma State, was selected in the fourth round of the 2019 draft by Baltimore.

Over three seasons with the Wolverines, Hill played 311 snaps at free safety, 308 in the box, 906 in the slot, 35 at cornerback, and 33 at the defensive line.

Stat to Know: Sports Info Solutions defines its Hand-on-Ball Percentage metric as the “Percentage of plays where a defender got their “hand on the ball.” This includes breaking up or intercepting a pass as well as forcing or recovering a fumble.” Only Kyle Hamilton (1.9%) had a higher HOB rate among safeties last season than Hill’s 1.8%.

Strengths: Teams in need of a slot defender in the draft who can run in sub-packages right now would do well to consider Hill. He has the range to cover through the middle of the field, and the closing quickness to get to balls other defenders might not.

On this interception against Wisconsin, you can once again see the match qualities, closing speed and ball skills from the slot. Hill can both work the receiver’s route, and break off for the big play.

And here, it wasn’t Aidan Hutchinson or David Ojabo who was making Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett’s life miserable — it was Hill off the edge on a blitz. He’s excellent in this role.

And while he didn’t play the deep third a lot in Michigan’s defense, Hill certainly has the athletic profile to do that at the next level — especially two-deep.

Weaknesses: There are instances in which Hill, for all his coverage speed and quick-twitch skills, can lose to receivers in the recovery phase, and he doesn’t always have the last-second burst to make up for it. This appears to be more a matter of pre-snap positioning and post-snap understanding than any athletic issues. In other words, it’s coachable.

And let’s just say that Hill’s tackling won’t provide a lot of teach tape. He must improve his technique in this regard.

Conclusion: I would put Hill up there with Baylor’s Jalen Pitre as one of the two best slot defenders on this list — Hill will bring that value to his NFL team right away, and that extends to playing overhang roles in the deep slot. From there, it’s a decent transition to more of a interchangeable free safety role, which could make Hill a key cog in any defense — just as he was in college.

NFL Comparison: Jimmie Ward. Ward has been one of those underrated multi-position defensive backs ever since the 49ers took him with the 30th overall pick in the 2014 draft. But if you talk to his teammates, they’ll tell you that Ward is the guy who holds his defenses together with his acumen all over the field. Hill, who may turn out to be better than his college tape shows, may have the same transformative effect in the right home.

(Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’4″ (63rd) Weight: 283 (5th)
40-Yard Dash: 5.00 seconds (72nd)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 28 inches (32nd)
Broad Jump: 8’10”
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Coming out of Judson High School in Converse, Texas, DeMarvin Leal was one of the top recruits in the 2019 recruiting cycle. 247Sports graded him as a five-star recruit, and ranked him as the 16th player in the country. As you might expect, the scholarship offers came rolling in, but Leal stayed in state to play for Texas A&M, becoming their highest-graded signing since Myles Garrett.

The expectations were high, and Leal did his best to live up to the hype. He started in seven games and played in all 13 as a true freshman, recording 38 tackles and a pair of sacks. He started all nine games in the shortened 2020 season, notching 37 tackles, 2.5 sacks and an interception. This past year, Leal secured a career-high nine sacks, and was named a First-Team All-SEC player, and an All-American.

Stat to Know: In addition to what he did rushing the passer, Leal was also solid against the run. Pro Football Focus charted him with 23 run stops, ranking him 28th among his position group.

Strengths: Leal is a high-effort player who moves extremely well off the edge for a man of his size. He showed on film the ability to counter offensive tackles with a secondary plan of attack, and has a good first step to threaten blockers off the snap. He also showed good power and anchoring ability in his lower body, with the ability to hold his ground on the interior when he kicked inside, even at times against double-team blocks.

Given that he played primarily on the edge, one of his best traits in college was the ability to set the edge and kick running plays back to the inside. Here is perhaps where his effort and work rate showed the most, as Leal was often fighting and working to ensure the edge was set, and running backs were turned back to the interior help.

One of my favorite plays from him was this snap against Auburn, where his awareness created a sack for his teammate:

On this snap, Leal aligns as a 0-techinque, head-up on the center. He begins to rush the passer off the snap, but recognizes that the offense is setting up a screen. He peels back to pick up the running back, and the quarterback cannot make the throw, leading to the sack.

His technique with his hands can be impressive:

Leal identifies the concept immediately after the snap, and then slices to the inside of the left tackle with a nasty swim move, getting to the ball carrier for a loss on the play.

Weaknesses: So what’s the problem?

It might be one of NFL fit and role.

At his size and with what he did on film, Leal’s best role is probably as an interior defender who can attack on the inside against guards and centers. What he did off the edge was impressive on Saturdays, but moving him inside and letting him use his first step on the interior makes the most sense. His quickness showed up more when he aligned inside, rather than off the edge.

But, that is more of a projection. He spent the bulk of his time playing on the outside. Still, some of the plays highlighted here showcase what he did on the interior, and that is probably his best role.

Conclusion: There are two ways teams could use Leal as a rookie. A team could kick him inside and lean on him as a pure interior defender, and given what we have seen, that might be his best pathway to NFL success. Or teams can use him similar to how Texas A&M used him, relying on his versatility as a defender and aligning him anywhere from 0-techinque to the edge.

What’s that expression? The more you can do for a team, the more valuable you are? That might be what leads to Leal coming off the board earlier than we are seeing right now in mock drafts.

NFL Comparison: The player that most comes to mind studying him is Trey Flowers.

(Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’3″ (30th) Weight: 248 (7th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.54 seconds (96th)
10-Yard Split: 1.59 seconds (87th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 36 inches (80th)
Broad Jump: 120 inches (76th)
3-Cone Drill: 7.07 seconds (76th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.23 seconds (88th)

Wingspan: 78 3/4 inches (19th)
Arm Length: 32 1/2 inches (12th)
Hand Size: 9 3/8 inches (16th)

Bio: A four-star recruit at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Bonitto played defensive end, linebacker, and quarterback in high school, and weighed offers from Alabama, Louisville, and Texas before choosing the Sooners. He made Second-Team All-American and Honorable Mention All-Big 12 in 2020, and Second Team All-Big 12 in 2021, totaling 122 total pressures on 584 pass-rushing snaps over four seasons. He also allowed 17 receptions on 23 targets for 155 yards, 113 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, one interception, and an opponent passer rating of 73.6 in his collegiate career.

Stat to Know: Sports Info Solutions defines Quick Pressure Rate as “the percentage of pass rushes that resulted in the player generating the first pressure on the quarterback and doing so in 2.5 seconds or less.” No edge defender in the NCAA had a higher Quick Pressure Rate in 2021 than Bonitto’s 12%.

Strengths: Remember what we said about how long it takes to get around the protection arc against quick-game passing offenses? If you’re going to disrupt that way, you had better be able to cut the corner with a severe quickness Bonitto can do this as quickly as any edge defender in this class. He’s very agile in short areas, an attribute you must have when you’re his size.

Bonitto is an outstanding effort player — even when he gets lost in traffic, or his initial moves don’t work, he’s constantly moving to the ball. As much as his athleticism pops off the tape, teams are going to love his determination through the play.

And if you want a guy with the athleticism to play off-ball, Bonitto has that — he had 37 box snaps last season, with reps in run-stopping and coverage. On this sack from the edge, he shows open space movement skills that should have NFL defensive coordinators wondering if he can be used as a box/edge hybrid guy. After all, everybody’s looking for the next Micah Parsons…

Weaknesses: If I want Bonitto outside the edge, I’m probably not putting him inside the tackles at the line; he doesn’t show the root strength to deal with bigger guys when they’re looking to physically dominate. That’s more of a size thing than anything about his competitive personality, but it’s a discussion his NFL coaches will have.

Here’s another example of Bonitto getting washed out at the line — perhaps he can be coached to be more impactful in this role, but again, if you want him defending the run, it’s best to get him to the second level through pre-snap placement, or post-snap movement.

Bonitto will also need work in coverage if he’s to be a regular asset at the NFL level — he hasn’t had a lot of reps where he’s truly defending the flat or curl areas without watching the backfield.

Conclusion: As a straight-line rusher and a guy who can bend to the pocket, Bonitto has already proven that he has the skills some teams covet when it’s time to get to the quarterback in a hurry. I’ll be fascinated to see if and how his NFL team expands his role into coverage concepts that he has the athleticism to take on.

NFL Comparison: Haason Reddick. Reddick has been one of the more productive and underrated undersized edge defenders of his era, with his best role as an “endbacker” who can provide quick pressure with his speed to the pocket. Bonitto has those same types of traits, and in a leagur where that quick pressure is so important, Bonitto could be a standout right away.

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 5’10” (14th) Weight: 195 (36th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.41 seconds (81st)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 35 inches (37th)
Broad Jump: 10’5″ (76th)
3-Cone Drill: 7.13 seconds (19th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.32 seconds (32nd)

Bio: Skyy Moore graded as a three-star prospect out of Shady Side Academy in the Pittsburgh area, and was recruited as a cornerback by a few different schools, including Robert Morris and Rice. He signed with Western Michigan, and moved to wide receiver despite playing quarterback on offense in high school.

Moore was an immediate contributor for the Broncos, starting 12 games as a true freshman in 2019. During that season Moore caught 53 passes for 802 yards and three scores. He played in five games in the shortened 2020 season, catching 25 passes for 388 yards and three touchdowns.

He put up big numbers this past season, catching 95 passes for 1,292 yards and ten touchdowns.

Stat to Know: Moore is a weapon after the catch. Pro Football Focus charted him with 26 missed tackles forced this past season, tops among wide receivers.

Strengths: Moore walks into an NFL locker room as a Day One option as a slot receiver. But there is much more to his game than just a player that needs a two-way go to get separation. Moore can play on the boundary, and can play very well against press-aligned defenders. With shifty footwork off the line and a violent array of hand swipes, he can beat jams and get into his routes quickly off the line of scrimmage. Studying him I saw 24 different reps against press-aligned defenders in his games against Michigan and Pittsburgh, the toughest competition he faced this past season.

Against Pittsburgh, he caught 11 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown.

This play against Northern Illinois is a prime example of how he can beat a defender off the line and establish leverage early in the down:

We will get to his player comparison in a moment, but this is the play that caused me to write down that comparison next to Moore’s name:

Even the body movement after the catch is reminiscent of this former NFL player.

But despite offering a floor as a starting slot receiver, thanks to his ability to beat press-aligned defenders Moore brings versatility to the table. Western Michigan used him along the boundary, as he saw over 500 snaps on the outside, and around 250 from the slot. Teams can use him as an outside receiver in packages, and he might have a role as a Z receiver in the NFL instead of a pure slot option.

Weaknesses: The bulk of Moore’s production came in the short- and intermediate-areas of the field. He separates quickly in the down and win with both his change-of-direction skills and his violent hand game. That helps him on routes underneath, but he has not fully formed a vertical package. Now, the team that drafts him might be find with what he offers on Day One underneath, but those looking for a vertical threat out of the slot — akin to Christian Kirk — might need some patience.

While he is a physical player, he did lose at the catch point to bigger defenders. That is something that will not ease up on Sundays. Plus, he’ll be facing a much different level of competition than he saw playing on Saturdays. While he put up big numbers against Pittsburgh, Michigan held him to just two receptions. Still, he did his part, and was getting separation on plays like this but never saw the ball:

Conclusion: Moore’s versatility, with the ability to play in the slot immediately while having the skill-set to play on the boundary, should make him an appealing option for NFL teams. Offenses that use receivers in interchangeable ways — such as what Josh McDaniels did in New England for years — should covet what Moore offers both outside and in the slot.

Comparison: The Julian Edelman comparisons write themselves. I know I used that last year with Amon-Ra St. Brown, but on that second clip above he looks exactly like him.

(Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’2 3/8″ (16th) Weight: 250 (11th)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
Bench Press: 21 reps (30th)
Vertical Jump: 38 inches (91st)
Broad Jump: 128 inches (96th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Wingspan: 81 3/4 inches (71st)
Arm Length: 34 1/8 inches (72nd)
Hand Size: 10 1/4 inches (78th)

Bio: Born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Arnold Ebiketie moved to the Washington D.C. area with his family at age 12. He tried football for the first time as a sophomore at Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, Maryland, and proved to be a genius (sorry) right away. Still, his lack of experience made him a three-star recruit and limited his collegiate offers. He chose Temple, amassing six sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss over three seasons. He graduated in 2020 and entered the transfer portal, choosing Penn State over Texas, Washington, Florida State, and Miami. The move to the Nittany Lions coincided with his breakout season, as he put up 52 total pressures after totaling 32 in the three years before.

Stat to Know: In 2021, Ebiketie had a Quick Pressure Rate of 7%, among the highest of the edge defenders in this draft class. Sports Info Solutions defines Quick Pressure Rate as “the percentage of pass rushes that resulted in the player generating the first pressure on the quarterback and doing so in 2.5 seconds or less.”

Strengths: Ebiketie’s arm length is an attribute, and he knows how to use it. When he’s in a two-point stance, his hands rest below his knees, and he’s very good at getting his hands up and using that length to press tackles to the pocket.

As a wide rusher, Ebiketie can pop off the snap and turn to the pocket quickly — on this sack, he doesn’t even need to use his hands.

Ebiketie doesn’t have a counter move as defined as most players on this list, and this makes me wonder how much more effective he’ll be when he develops that, because he certainly has the twitch to do so. When he gets that going, he can add it to his adaptive move, where he gets his hands into the tackle’s chest, and it’s game over.

Weaknesses: If Ebiketie doesn’t get his hands out and going, bigger blockers can eat his lunch, especially in the run game. At 250 pounds, he’s better off with his head on a swivel, dodging through gaps, as opposed to hitting the party late and setting smushed.

Even a well-placed tight end can make Ebiketie disappear against the run; this is where he must be more watchful of blockers in his area, and more quick and aggressive with his counter moves to keep in the play. “Spatial awareness” is one of my favorite “Oh, look how smart we are” scouting terms, and you see the inverse example at times when you watch Ebiketie’s game.

Conclusion: I’m quite impressed by Ebiketie’s athletic potential, movement skills, and palette of schemes to get to the quarterback. He strikes me as a player who might need a year of transition as he gets a bit more strength and a pure counter move, but over time, he could be a very good pure edge disruptor.

NFL Comparison: Montez Sweat. Sweat came out of Mississippi State in 2019 as a long-armed edge-rusher with estimable speed, some play strength concerns, and he’s started to put things together at the NFL level. I would like to see Ebiketie as an outside linebacker-style edge defender who can slip through blockers and speed through gaps in nickel and dime sets. That’s where he’ll be at his best in the NFL.