While the Panthers may well look to draft an edge rusher in the first round of the upcoming draft, given the depth of talent at the position compared to their other needs, they could also look to go elsewhere in the first round and then look to address edge rusher on the second day. While this is a riskier strategy in terms of addressing their need at the edge position, if there was ever a class to look for day two edge rushers – it’s this one.
I’ve already taken a look at two first day options in Brian Burns and Montez Sweat – and I’d encourage you to take a listen to the latest episode of our podcast in which we go through my entire big board:
One such player who maybe, just maybe, might be on the board when the Panthers pick in the second round is Michigan’s Chase Winovich; so what would he offer the Panthers and would he make sense at 47 if they go elsewhere to start the draft?
Pass Rush
Whereas the two EDGE players already discussed – Brian Burns and Montez Sweat – primarily derive their pass rushing ability from their speed and the result of getting around the edge, Winovich is more of a technical pass rusher. However, that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have the speed to threaten the edge, and this is the key which then opens up the rest of his pass-rushing repertoire:
He is also able to make the most of his quickness as he shows good hip flexibility to bend around the edge and maximize the advantage he is able to get from outside leverage:
He also uses his hands well to keep blockers away from his frame before using a strong outside hand to create leverage while working his inside arm up to prevent blockers from getting a hand to his frame as he turns the corner:
Though there were a couple of times on tape where he could have done a better job with that inside arm, as by being a little slow in that regard, the tackle was able to trap it by his side:
It should be noted that this happened only a couple of times in the games I watched, and his hand outside as an outside rusher was, on the whole, very good. However, as good as Winovich is as an outside rusher, in order to be effective on a snap-by-snap basis in the NFL, a player needs to be able to have a counter when his initial move is taken away, and this is where Winovich really impresses. Despite not being the biggest edge rusher in the class, Winovich flashed a really nice power rushing game, the basis of which being his bull rush:
He was then able to use this power rush, with good arm extension, to drive blockers off balance before pulling them forward and working to the side, allowing for easy release and potentially forcing holding penalties:
As with his outside hand usage, there were a couple of times on tape where he was too slow in getting his hands up and ended up getting caught on the block, but this didn’t appear to be a consistent issue – rather, just a couple of poor plays:
Winovich also has the ability to counter inside as well, sometimes using an outside step to get the blocker going one way before cutting back inside:
His most consistent inside move, however, was a really nice power swim, using a two-arm swat to create inside leverage while simultaneously working the tackle off-balance:
He even flashes something of a spin move at times:
Overall, Winovich has possibly the most complete pass rushing arsenal of any player in this class, and while he doesn’t have one elite aspect to his pass rush, his ability to generate pressure with either speed, power or technique makes it very hard for a blocker to deal with him consistently, as whatever flaw they have, he has the ability to exploit it.
The other thing that is worth noting, and now is as good a point as any, is the intelligence and effort Winovich plays with. On the following play, he initially starts to rush before recognizing the screen and works back outside the receiver, knowing he has inside help and then when the inside help misses the tackle, he runs the play down from behind:
This intelligence also plays a part in how effective he is as a pass rusher, and while there are other players who offer a number of ways to generate pressure, nobody in this class – except maybe Nick Bosa – shows the ability to use their skills as effectively as Winovich, as by understanding how his various skills are able to generate pressure, he is able to react to what the tackle does and so maximize the impact of his various skills.
In short, Winovich might not have the ceiling as a pass rusher that Brian Burns or Josh Allen do, but in terms of his ability to offer immediate value for an NFL team, he is right up there with Bosa as the best in the class.
Up Next: Run Defense
