It’s no secret that the Panthers are in the market for an edge rusher, and while the signing of Bruce Irvin has alleviated this to some degree, this is a position that is very much in play in the first round and, quite frankly, it would be a surprise to see the Panthers enter the final day of the draft without having addressed the position in some capacity. With that in mind, it is worth knowing what the 2019 draft class has to offer in this regard and who might make sense for the Panthers at various points in the draft – I’ve already taken an in-depth look at Brian Burns and Montez Sweat – and I’d invite you to take a listen to the latest episode of The Great British Drafting Show, where we discuss my entire big board and what it takes to be a successful edge rusher in the NFL.
Download/Subscribe To The Great British Drafting Show: Apple Podcasts/Google Podcasts/Spotify/RSS/Pocket Casts
Now that the podcast is in your queue – let’s take a look at some edge rushers.
The Usual Housekeeping
In terms of what I look for when I evaluate edge rushers, there is an undeniable focus on a few key athletic traits. In order to pose a threat as a pass rusher around the edge, players need to show the quickness to get outside the tackle with the hip flexibility to bend around the edge back to the quarterback. Players can pose an outside rush threat without elite speed rush – and add value if they do have a good speed rush – by using their hands well to keep blockers away from their frame and to allow them to get either an inside or outside leverage advantage against the blocker, usually achieved by getting the blocker-side arm between them and the outside arm of the blocker.
Better pass rushers will also show the skills needed to counter if the blocker is able to take away their outside rush, either by having the power and pad level to turn a speed rush into a bull-rush or through the use of nice counter moves such as an inside spin or swim move.
In terms of run defense, players need to show the pad level and strength to hold their ground at the point of attack, something which is aided significantly by good hand usage, allowing the defender to get inside location on a blocker and keeping their frame free to allow them to release as necessary. Players can also add value as penetrators by using their hands to gain an early leverage advantage, with the relative value of this skill compared to the ability to set the edge largely depending on scheme.
For teams that run odd fronts with regularity, and particularly for players without the ideal size to play the edge in an even front, movement skills are a nice thing to see – though this is quite often something that needs to be probed in workouts; this gives teams the chance to drop the player into coverage on occasion. Given the Panthers are expected to move to more of an odd front this season, this is something that is probably more of interest to them now than in previous years.
As always, these evaluations don’t take injury history or off-field concerns into account.
Up Next: The Big Board
