The Big Board
| Ranking | Name | College | Height | Weight | Athleticism | Pass Rushing | Run Defense | Biggest Concern | Summary | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh Allen | Kentucky | 6'4 | 262 | Good quickness and hip flexibility with decent strength and promising movement skills in space. | Plays with good knee bend and uses athleticism to be a threat around the edge with flashes of hand usage and counter moves. | Uses hands well to keep defenders at bay and works off blocks well with good pad allowing him to hold his ground at the point of attack. | Can he continue to develop an effective plan B as a pass rusher? | Extremely well rounded player who can be effective in any scheme with core skills to be an elite pass rusher with room to grow as well. | Mid 1st Round |
| 2 | Nick Bosa | Ohio State | 6'3 | 265 | Pretty good quickness with good hip flexibility and decent power, though wasn't asked to play in space. | Excellent hand usage and a number of nice counter moves with good ability to work around the edge, though can struggle to turn the edge against better athletes. | Uses hands well to work off blocks and has enough strength to hold at the point of attack, but pad level gets too high at times. | If NFL tackles challenge him to win outside is he going to be able to do so consistently? | Technically excellent pass rusher with good but not great athletic traits and could do with being better against the run. | Late 1st Round |
| 3 | Brian Burns | Florida State | 6'5 | 249 | Good quickness and flexibility with nice movement skills but struggles for strength at times. | Really effective working around the edge with nice hand usage and counter moves to work back inside. | Plays with decent pad level and uses hands to keep defenders at bay, but struggles to release at times and size creates real issues at times. | Can he consistently play at a weight that allows him to be at least solid against the run? | Possibly the best pure pass rusher in the class with potential in coverage but looks very light on tape and there are some ugly plays against the run. | Late 1st Round |
| 4 | Chase Winovich | Michigan | 6'2 | 258 | Decent quickness and strength with good hip flexibility, but wasn't really asked to play in space. | Works around the edge consistently with good power counter and nice hand usage to work back inside, even if he doesn't have a developed counter move. | Decent at keeping defenders at bay, works off blocks well and plays with good pad level. | Does he have the athleticism to be an elite pass rusher rather than just a very good one? | Extremely well rounded player technically with good but not great athleticism | High 2nd Round |
| 5 | Anthony Nelson | Iowa | 6'7 | 271 | Decent quickness with good power and nice hip flexibility, though isn't likely to be effective in space. | Uses hands well in combination with athleticism to work around the edge with hand usage and power moves to work back inside. | Uses hands well to keep defenders at bay and releases well off blocks with generally good pad level, though length can create some issues. | Is he going to be able to threaten better tackles around the edge on a consistent basis? | Sneakily athletic player with the hand usage and length to be an impact player against both the run and the pass. | Mid 2nd Round |
| 6 | D'Andre Walker | Georgia | 6'2 | 251 | Good strength with nice quickness with decent hip flexibility and movement skills in space. | Has enough speed and bend to threaten the edge and flashes the hand usage and counter moves to work back inside, but hand usage will need to continue to develop. | Plays with good pad level and uses hands well to keep defenders at bay and to work off blocks. | Does he have the speed to threaten the edge consistently? | Was moved around a lot at Georgia, but is one of the better run defenders in the class and has the core skills to be a consistent pass rushing threat. | Late 2nd Round |
| 7 | Jachai Polite | Florida | 6'2 | 260 | Good quickness and bend but struggles for strength at times. | Uses athleticism and hand usage to threaten the edge with the hand usage and counter moves to then threaten inside the tackle. | Doesn't do a good job of keeping defenders at bay and struggles to work off blocks with inconsistent pad level. | Can he work on his run defense to allow him to be a three-down player? | Flashes a really nice pass rushing skill set, but his run defense is really very poor. | Late 2nd Round |
| 8 | Christian Miller | Alabama | 6'3 | 244 | Good quickness and bend with decent strength and some movement skills. | Works around the edge well as a speed rusher and uses hands effectively but needs to develop more of an inside game. | Pad level gets a bit high at times but does a decent job of keeping blockers at bay and working off blocks. | Can he develop technically as a pass rusher to go with his athleticism? | Flashes the ability to be a really nice pass rusher but needs development and run defense is mediocre. | Early 3rd Round |
| 9 | Clelin Ferrell | Clemson | 6'5 | 265 | Pretty good quickness with some movement skills but strength is mediocre and struggles to bend at times. | Uses hands well to work both sides of blockers and athletic enough to make the most of opportunities, but struggles to win outside against more disciplined blockers. | Decent pad level and does a decent job of setting the edge, but struggles to work off blocks at times. | Does he have enough of a pass rusher to do more than capitalise off mistakes? | Can be an immediate contributor, but lack of consistent outside game could limit upside. | Early 3rd Round |
| 10 | Montez Sweat | Mississippi State | 6'6 | 241 | Good quickness but wasn't asked to play in space, power is mediocre and bend is inconsistent, especially at speed. | Uses burst to threaten the edge and flashes nice hand usage at times, but needs to be more consistent at creating pressure when speed doesn't work. | Uses hands well to keep defenders at bay and works off blocks well but pad level isn't ideal. | Can he develop his pass rush to be more than just a speed guy? | The potential is there, and the flashes of bend are alluring, but in need of some development as a pass rusher in particular. | Mid 3rd Round |
| 11 | Zach Allen | Boston College | 6'4 | 284 | Decent quickness and strength with reasonable bend but isn't going to be playing in space. | Uses hands really well to work around blocks but plays very upright and isn't going to be winning around the edge consistently at the NFL level. | Pad level is problematic and hand usage needs to be better both in terms of keeping blockers off him and working off blocks. | Can he work on his pad level and become a viable run defender? | Does some nice things as a pass rusher, but it's hard being a 280lbs edge rusher who struggles against the run. | Late 3rd Round |
| 12 | Justin Hollins | Oregon | 6'5 | 245 | Pretty good quickness with nice bend and promising movement skills, though strength needs to improve. | Has the core athletic skills to threaten around the edge but needs to improve hand usage and develop a counter to go with the speed rush. | Pad level could be better but uses hands quite well to work off blocks. | Can he turn his promising base skills set into a well-rounded game? | Developmental player with good athletic traits but could do with technique work and time in a weight room. | Early 4th Round |
| 13 | Daelin Hayes | Notre Dame | 6'3 | 260 | Decent quickness with good bend and some movement skills but power is mediocre. | Flashes hand usage to work around blocks at times and decent around the edge back lacks inside game. | Pad level isn't great and needs to improve hand usage. | Can he work on his technique both as a pass rusher and a run defender? | Needs development in a number of areas, but flashes the core athletic traits to be successful. | Mid 4th Round |
| 14 | Maxx Crosby | Eastern Michigan | 6'4 | 255 | Decent quickness and bend but strength needs work and lacks movement skills. | Flashes the hand usage to work around blocks but lacks the athleticism to work around the edge consistently. | Pad level isn't great and needs to work on his hand usage. | Can he develop technically with NFL coaching? | Flashes nice skills on tape, but needs technical development in a number of areas. | Mid 4th Round |
| 15 | Jaylon Ferguson | Louisiana Tech | 6'5 | 255 | Good quickness with decent power but struggles for bend and wasn't asked to play in space. | Gets too upright a lot of the time and lack of bend creates issues around the edge but power rush game shows promise. | Flashes nice hand usage to work off blocks but pad level isn't great. | Can he develop technique to go with some nice athletic traits? | Pretty good athlete but game is very raw. | Late 4th Round |
| 16 | LJ Collier | TCU | 6'4 | 276 | Decent quickness, bend and strength but wasn't asked to play in space. | Does use hands effectively to work around blocks and lacks an inside game. | Flashes hand usage but is very inconsistent and pad level needs to be better. | Can he develop technically with time? | Decent athlete but technically very raw. | Early 5th Round |
| 17 | Austin Bryant | Clemson | 6'4 | 268 | Pretty good quickness but bend and strength are mediocre and wasn't asked to play in space. | Flashes hand usage to work around blocks but bend limits speed rush and inside game needs development. | Pad level needs to be more consistent and hand usage is poor. | Can he work on his technique to allow him to be a decent rotation piece? | Does some nice things, but lacks either a high ceiling or a reassuring floor. | Mid 5th Round |
| 18 | Landis Durham | Texas A&M | 6'3 | 255 | Decent strength and bend but burst is mediocre and wasn't asked to play in space. | Uses hands reasonably well to work around blocks but lacks athleticism or high-level technique to be a plus player. | Plays with good pad level but needs to do a better job working off blocks. | Is there enough upside to make him more than a depth piece? | Pretty well rounded but isn't an elite technician and lacks athletic upside. | Mid 5th Round |
| 19 | Shareef Miller | Penn State | 6'5 | 256 | Decent quickness and strength but bend isn't amazing and wasn't asked to play in space. | Hand usage is almost completely lacking and bend limits speed rush. | Pad level is really quite poor but flashes decent hand usage. | Can he work in his pad level to become a run-stuffing specialist? | Does some nice things as a run defender, but pass rush is very underdeveloped. | Late 5th Round |
| 20 | Sutton Smith | Northern Illinois | 6'0 | 234 | Good quickness but strength is a concern and bend isn't amazing while movement skills weren't really tested. | Quickness in combination with flashes of hand usage are promising but game is largely underdeveloped. | Flashes the hand usage to release early, but struggles to work off blocks and pad level is an issue. | Can he do enough as a pass rusher to earn a role as a specialist? | Lacks the size to play the run in some schemes but pass rushing ability will interest 3-4 teams as a rotation piece. | Early 6th Round |
| 21 | Carl Granderson | Wyoming | 6'5 | 261 | Decent quickness but bend isn't great and strength is mediocre while movement skills weren't tested. | Flashes nice hand usage but struggles to work around the edge and lacks real inside game. | Pad level isn't great and struggles to work off blocks. | Is he athletic enough to make development possible? | Opportunistic pass rusher who needs development to be anything more. | Mid 6th Round |
| 22 | Oshane Ximines | Old Dominion | 6'3 | 252 | Pretty good burst and decent strength but bend isn't great and wasn't asked to play in space. | Hand usage is really quite poor and isn't athletic enough to generate pressure with that alone. | Pad level isn't great and hand usage is really concerning. | Can he develop technique with NFL coaching? | Does some nice things athletically but is very raw. | Mid 6th Round |
| 23 | Darryl Johnson | North Carolina A&T | 6'4 | 232 | Decent quickness and bend but struggles for strength and wasn't asked to play in space. | Some ability around the edge and flashes hand usage to work around blocks but is lacking inside game. | Pad level is quite poor and struggles to work off blocks with slight frame creating some ugly snaps. | Can he add weight and develop technique with NFL coaching? | The basis for a speed rush is there but technique is lacking and is currently a liability against the run. | Late 6th Round |
| 24 | Malik Reed | Nevada | 6'1 | 237 | Decent quickness with some movement skills but bend is mediocre and strength is a concern. | There are some nice athletic traits but is lacking any proven technique. | Hand usage and pad level are both really quite poor. | Is he able to learn technique, and to what level? | Was essentially used as a blitzer and while there are some nice athletic traits the technique needed is almost completely absent. | Early 7th Round |
| 25 | Nate Harvey | East Carolina | 6'0 | 225 | Decent quickness but lacks power and bend is mediocre with no proven movement skills. | Was largely just used as a blitzer and technique is almost completely lacking. | Pad level was ok but hand usage is almost non-existent. | Can he develop technique with NFL coaching or is this it? | Wasn't really used as an edge and technique is almost complete absent despite some nice athletic traits. | Early 7th Round |
| 26 | Jalen Jelks | Oregon | 6'5 | 244 | Decent quickness but power, bend and movement skills are largely absent. | Flashes hand usage at times but bend limits outside rush and inside game is poor. | Pad level is poor and hand usage is highly underdeveloped. | Is there any real development value? | Some athletic traits but technique is really quite poor. | Mid 7th Round |
| 27 | Joe Jackson | Miami | 6'5 | 258 | Pretty good burst but bend is concerning and power is mediocre. | Flashes an inside counter but lack of consistent outside threat and poor hand usage limits value. | Pad level is poor and struggles to work off blocks. | Is there development value as a pass rusher if nothing else? | He can rush with speed but lack of bend limits even that. | Mid 7th Round |
| 28 | Andrew van Ginkel | Wisconsin | 6'3 | 236 | Burst and bend are quite poor and movement skills aren't noticeable but power is decent. | Flashes some nice hand usage but complete lack of outside game is a near deal-breaker. | Pad level is poor and hand usage isn't much better. | Can he find value on special teams? | Nice college player but lacking in most desired traits. | Late 7th Round |
| 29 | Wyatt Ray | Boston College | 6'3 | 257 | Mediocre burst and strength and struggles to bend with no experience in space. | Generally poor hand usage with occasional flashes with limiting athleticism. | Struggles to work off blocks though pad level is decent. | Is he more athletic than he appears? | Limited athlete with unremarkable technique. | Undrafted |
| 30 | Ben Banogu | TCU | 6'3 | 240 | Struggles for strength with mediocre bend and burst without experience in space. | Lacks really any value as a pass rusher. | Hand usage is actually ok, but pad level isn't great. | Can he find a role as a depth run snuffer? | Long shot to find a depth role as a run defender in a 3-4. | Undrafted |
| 31 | Porter Gustin | USC | 6'4 | 267 | Mediocre bend and burst with poor strength and no real experience in space. | Lacks pass rushing value other than shear effort. | Pad level is quite bad and hand usage is poor. | Does he have a chance as an effort player on special teams? | Generally limited athlete without the technique to make up for it with effort alone. | Undrafted |
| 32 | CeCe Jefferson | Florida | 6'1 | 241 | Strength and bend are concerning while burst is only mediocre. | Flashes hand usage on occasions but without the athleticism to do much with it. | Pad level is poor and hand usage isn't much better. | Is there a role on special teams for him? | Limited athlete without the necessary technique. | Undrafted |
The fact that Josh Allen and Nick Bosa are the top two on this board should hardly come as a surprise – but having Allen over Bosa might be. For me, Allen is both the more complete player and the one with the higher ceiling, as he is a more consistently good run defender than Bosa, particularly in terms of his pad level, and while he lacks Bosa’s technical refinement as a pass rusher, he offers more of a threat as an outside rusher and flashes enough of an inside game to have confidence in his ability in this regard. Also, he has the ability to drop into coverage at times, giving him greater scheme flexibility than Bosa.
That being said, Bosa is an excellent player, and while he might struggle against more athletic tackles, he uses his hands very well to make the most of the quickness he has and allows him to win inside with consistency. As a run defender, he needs to sort his pad level out as he can be victimized at the point of attack at times, but in general, he is probably the most technically developed player in this class – even if he doesn’t quite have the ceiling of some of the others. Either way, it is very unlikely that either Allen or Bosa make it out of the top five let alone the top ten, so what about the players who stand a chance of still being there when the Panthers pick?
For me, Brian Burns is the best of the rest, and is possibly the best pure pass rusher in the draft class with the speed and bend to pose a real threat around the edge, something that he combines with nice hand usage and even a reasonably developed inside game. He also has the potential to be a legitimately good player in coverage, something that could be appealing in the Panthers more-3-4 defensive scheme for 2019.
With that all said, there are concerns about his run defense – while he’s not bad technically in this regard, he looked even slighter on tape than the 250-odd pounds he weighed at the combine, and given his 6-5 frame, this means he can struggle for strength at times, and teams were able to have success running at him when they made doing so a focus. In terms of the edge rushers the Panthers could pick at 16, Burns is the best – but he isn’t without issues.
There are a couple of players who have attracted some first round buzz who I have lower down on my board; while Clelin Ferrell does do some nice things – and don’t get me wrong, he is probably a top 60-70 player in this class – his issues bending his hips limit his ability as an outside rusher and while his hand usage and quickness are nice, without a consistent outside game of some form, it is going to be difficult for him to provide a consistent pass rusher against more disciplined blockers. With that said, he is likely to be able to offer an immediate impact for whomever drafts him, even if his ceiling isn’t super high.
The opposite end of the spectrum is Montez Sweat, as while his speed around the edge is evident on tape, his bend isn’t amazing, limiting the impact he is able to make with speed alone and his hand usage and general inside game could really do with some time to develop. As a run defender, his hand usage is actually quite good, but here he needs to work on his pad level as better run blockers will likely be able to move him without much difficulty at the point of attack; Sweat’s ceiling is undeniable, but his immediate impact could be limited unless teams are highly confident in his ability to improve rapidly with coaching – for a team like the Panthers that needs production in 2019, he might not be the best fit, one of the reasons I have him comparatively low on my board.
The next player on my board is somebody who has an outside chance of falling to the Panthers in the second round – and while he lacks the upside of the three players above him, he is arguably the most complete player in the class. While he doesn’t have elite quickness, he has enough that combined with good hand usage and bend, he was able to win outside with consistency. When combined with flashes of an inside game and a really nice bull rush, you have a legitimately good pass rusher; his good pad level and hand usage also makes him arguably the best run defender in the class. Chase Winovich would be a reach at 16, but he would be excellent value at 47.
After Winovich, there are a handful of players who are likely to be possible options for the Panthers at 47 – if not at 77 – and while at this point in the class they would likely have to sacrifice either ceiling, floor or well-roundedness, there are possibly more legitimate day two edge rushers in the 2019 class than any in recent memory. Anthony Nelson is sneakily quite athletic – while he isn’t ever going to be an elite speed rusher, he offers enough speed around the edge to then allow him to work back inside with a couple of nice inside moves and a good bull-rush; he’s also one of the better run defenders in the class, making the most of his length to work off blocks.
D’Andre Walker is one of the harder players to evaluate as Georgia really moved him around and used him in a variety of ways, but he has good-but-not-elite burst and bend with good strength, allowing him to threaten the edge with flashes of being able to work back inside, though he could do with focusing on actually playing as an edge rusher and working on his technique accordingly. He is also one of the best run defenders in the class, with good pad level and hand usage and he has some ability to play in space.
Polite is one of the more divisive players in the draft class – there are legitimate concerns about his focus and work ethic – but on tape, he does a lot of nice things as a pass rusher, with a good outside rush, nice hand usage and a couple of fairly well-developed inside moves. With that said, he is also a borderline liability as a run defender and whoever drafts him will have to try and work on this while knowing that there is a chance that there are going to be times when they simply have to take him off the field on obvious rushing downs.
Christian Miller is another player who has been linked with the Panthers, and while he is in need of some development, he has a good outside rush game and flashes the hand usage and inside game to be a well-rounded pass rusher – even if his run defense is still a work in progress. Given the Panthers are presumed to move to more of a 3-4 scheme, he would probably be the best fit should the Panthers go elsewhere through the first two rounds.
What should be clear from this is that the Panthers are certainly not short of good edge options in the upcoming draft – even if they don’t target this position at 16, they are likely to be able to find quality prospects well into the second day of the draft, with players like Justin Hollins even offering some developmental value in the middle rounds if the Panthers look to double-down at the position.
