While the 2021 NFL draft is still a long way off, with the Senior Bowl in the rear-view mirror draft season is very much here, and though a lot will change between now and the draft the time has come to start looking at what the 2021 draft class has to offer. To this end, we will be taking a look at one position group each week between now and the draft, and while it might not be the position group that Panthers fans are most excited to discuss this offseason, we are going to start with the EDGE group. So then, what does the 2021 EDGE class have to offer?
What Do We Look For?
Before talking about the 2021 EDGE class, it is worth taking a moment to consider what it is that I look for when scouting EDGE players.
As with every position, there is some athletic component, and while there is no one athletic profile that is needed to be an effective EDGE rusher, there are certainly traits that are desirable. Ideally, players will have the quickness to generate outside leverage, the bend to get underneath the outside of offensive tackles and turn the corner back to the quarterback, the pad level to prevent their frame from getting exposed and to allow them to transfer their power laterally as well as the strength to drive blockers backwards or at least hold their own at the point of attack against the run.
From a technical perspective, there are some key pointers that it is good to see against both the run and pass for all prospects. Prospects should show some level of consistently in their knee bend and hand location when striking blockers, and these should then allow for them to consistently extend their arms to keep their frame free and so make it easier for them to disengage from blocks.
Higher level technical traits largely come in the form of either more developed hand usage or specialized pass rushing moves. While almost no prospects enter the NFL with a complete toolbox of pass rushing moves, players need to be able to win in multiple ways and so the better speed rushers will also show some form of inside counter while more power-based rushers will ideally have inside and outside counters to go with their bull rush.
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Some prospects are likely either to have a history of being asked to drop into coverage, or to be asked to do so at the NFL level – while this is far from a prerequisite for the position, those who show the movement skills to drop into underneath zones will be of interest to a wider range of teams, and those who show the movement skills to play some man coverage or who show a high level of awareness and anticipation in zone coverage are likely to elevate themselves in terms of their league-wide value.
Ultimately, scouting is not just about ticking off traits from a checklist, but ticking off a group of traits that in combination allow for an effective usage at the NFL level, with players being able to add value both through the quantity and quality of their traits.
As always, my grades are meant to reflect the distribution of talent in draft classes based on historic data, rather than being a projection of where a player will or even should be drafted.
The Board
Iowa defensive end Chauncey Golston tackles Northwestern quarter back Aidan Smith during a game against Northwestern at Ryan Field on Saturday, October 26, 2019. The Hawkeyes defeated the Wildcats 20-0. (Megan Nagorzanski/The Daily Iowan)
| Name | College | Height | Weight | Athletic Traits | Pass Rushing Hand Usage | Run Defense | Coverage Ability | Biggest Questionmark | Grade | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azeez Ojulari | Georgia | 6'3 | 240 | Pretty good quickness with decent power and plays with consistently pretty good pad level, bend is hard to judge but appears to be solid but nothing spectacular | Does a consistently good job of locating hands with good arm extension, allowing him to stay alive in plays, but while he flashes a decent speed swim he needs to add to his pass rushing repertoire | Does a consistently good job of locating hands with good arm extension and releases from blocks well, but can go backwards against more powerful blockers | Dropped into coverage regularly in both man and zone, and should be able to do both at times at the NFL level | Does he have a stand-out trait or is he just a well-rounded but unspectacular player? | Late 2nd Round | 1 |
| Gregory Rousseau | Miami | 6'7 | 265 | Isn't hyper explosive but has good speed around the edge and plays with decent-to-good power but pad level is consistently a little high and bend is hard to judge as a result but seems good though not great | Shows pretty good hand placement and plays with generally good arm extension and does a good job of working free but doesn't show developed pass rushing moves to generate leverage | Hand placement and arm extension are generally good allowing him to stack and shed but this is often limited by pad level which needs to be more consistent | Rarely asked to drop into coverage and while he can cover some space he isn't a coverage player | Can he continue to develop his hand usage to allow him to generate consistent pressure? | Early 3rd Round | 2 |
| Joseph Ossai | Texas | 6'4 | 253 | Pretty good quickness and bend with decent-to-good power but pad level could stand to improve as he tends to bend with his waist rather than his knees | Shows consistently good hand placement though arm extension is sometimes limited by pad level but flashes some nice outside rip moves though he needs to add to this | Hand placement is consistently pretty good but pad level leads to some leverage issue and causes problems in terms of arm extension | Wasn't really asked to drop into coverage and this likely isn't going to be part of his NFL game either | Can he improve his knee bend as this would improve all aspects of his game? | Early 3rd Round | 3 |
| Quincy Roche | Miami | 6'3 | 245 | Decent-to-good quickness with pretty good power, pad level and bend though none of these triats are in the elite tier of prospects | Hands tend to drop a little and while hand location is generally decent it could improve and arm extension is quite poor but flashes some pretty good inside and outside hand moves | Plays with pretty good leverage and locates hands reasonably well but arm extension allows blockers to swamp him and this needs to improve | Was very occasionally asked to drop into space but did not move very well when doing so | Can he improve his arm extension and hand placement to keep him in more plays for longer? | Mid 3rd Round | 4 |
| Chris Rumph | Duke | 6'4 | 235 | Pretty good quickness with flashes of good pad level though this is very inconsistent. Power is fairly unremarkable and bend, while not bad, isn't a positive either | Flashes the hand placement and arm extension to keep his frame free throughout plays but this needs to be more consistent and lacks developed pass rushing moves | Hand placement and arm extension are good at times, especially when he gets pad level right, but this is quite inconsistent, especially when working as a stand-up rusher | Was asked to drop into coverage a fair amount and has pretty good movment skills but lacks polish in this regard | Can he be an effective piece in a defense than asks him to line-up on the edge on a consistent basis? | Early 4th Round | 5 |
| Kwitty Paye | Michigan | 6'4 | 272 | Decent-to-good quickness with decent bend and at times very good pad level but power is only mediocre and has a tendency to get very upright if not engaged immediately | Shows generally pretty good hand placement and arm extension is nice at points but needs to be more consistent. Flashes decent outside swim but needs to continue to develop in this regard | Gets decent hand placement but has a tendency to get far too vertical which creates real issues in effecting power and limits arm extension. It a borderline liability if this isn't fixed | Wasn't asked to drop into coverage and this really isn't going to be something he should be asked to do in the NFL either | Can he get his pad level at a consistent level as this is going to make him a run defense liability otherwise? | Early 4th Round | 6 |
| Chauncey Golston | Iowa | 6'5 | 270 | Burst is decent but nothing spectacular with pretty good strength and bend but pad level is consistently quite high | Shows pretty good hand placement but pad level makes arm extension difficult and gets swamped too often. However, he does flash nice rip counter as well as some more nuanced hand usage to work around blocks | Hand placement is consistently pretty good with decent-to-good arm extension at times but is limited by pad level a lot though shows good hands to release from blocks | Wasn't really asked to drop into coverage and will likely not add value in this regard | Can he get his pad level under control to make the most of what is a promising power game? | Mid 4th Round | 7 |
| Jaelen Phillips | Miami | 6'5 | 266 | Pretty good power and quickness though pad level is quite inconsistent and could be better as a whole while bend is hard to judge but seems fairly unremarkable | Shows good hand placement and arm extension is good given the limits of pad level but while there are odd flashes of a rip move he needs to have a more developed pass rushing routine | Pad level causes him trouble at times, and does have a tendency to leave his gap looking for the ball, but arm extension and hand placement are consistently pretty good | Was occasionally asked to drop into coverage but this is not where his future lies in the NFL | Can he get his pad level under control as currently this really limits him? | Mid 4th Round | 8 |
| Carlos Basham | Wake Forest | 6'5 | 285 | Decent-to-good quickness and good power but pad level isn't great and really doesn't show much bend around the edge | Shows flashes of decent hand placement and of the ability to use hands to keep frame clean but pad level really limits arm extension and while he flashes some reall nice hand usage it is often limited by pad level | Has good powerful hands and when he gets his location and extension right he can be a factor despite his pad level but needs to play lower and be more disciplined with hands early in plays | Wasn't asked to drop into coverage and this really isn't going to be something he should be asked to do in the NFL either | Can he get his pad level under control as this really holds him back at the moment? | Mid 4th Round | 9 |
| Payton Turner | Houston | 6'5 | 270 | Pretty good quickness and power but pad level is consistently quite poor | Locates hands reasonably well and arm extension is limited by pad level and lacks developed pass rushing moves | Locates hands reasonably well with pretty good arm extension given his pad level but pad level does make him too easy to move off the ball | Wasn't asked to drop into coverage with any frequency and this is not where his value lies in the NFL | Can he get his pad level under control as he has a lot of athletic talent if he can do this? | Late 4th Round | 10 |
| Patrick Johnson | Tulane | 6'3 | 250 | Pretty good quickness with decent power, especially for his size, but pad level is consistently quite high which makes bend hard to judge but this also seems decent but not amazing | Uses inside arm along with changes in speed well to get around tackles and packs good power counter with flashes of an inside and outside swim but could stand to add yet further to his pad rushing repertoire | Locates hands well on a consistent basis but plays really quite upright and this both hinders leverage and also makes it hard for him to extend his arms fully | Dropped into coverage fairly regularly and while he isn't going to play man he moves fairly well in zone with solid range | Can he improve his pad level to aid his bend around the edge and his leverage in the run game? | Late 4th Round | 11 |
| Patrick Jones | Pittsburgh | 6'5 | 260 | Decent-to-good quickness with decent power and generally pretty good pad level but this is somewhat inconsistent and bend is slightly concerning | Hands are a bit frenetic off the snap but hand location is generally pretty good with good if inconsistent arm extension but doesn't show developed hand moves to generate leverage | Hands are generally well located and with pretty good arm extension but pad level is quite inconsistent and lacks the power to do more than hold ground | Wasn't really asked to drop into coverage as part of the scheme and unlikely to be a major part of his game | Is he going to be able to tighten things up technically to make up for the lack of top tier athleticism? | Late 4th Round | 12 |
| Joe Tryon | Washington | 6'5 | 262 | Pretty good quickness and power but pad level is consistently quite poor and a lot of bend happends at the waist making it hard for him to turn around the edge | Shows pretty good hand placement with pretty good arm extension but lacks any developed pass rushing moves and is quite reliant on effort | Plays with decent leverage but plays quite off-balance though hand placement and arm extension allow him to work off blocks | Was occasionally asked to drop and movement skills are decent but this is not going to be a strength to his game | Can he be more than an effort rusher with decent athleticism and fundamentals? | Early 5th Round | 13 |
| Dayo Odeyingbo | Vanderbilt | 6'6 | 276 | Pretty good quickness and good power but does consistently play a little upright and bend isn't amazing | Shows pretty good hand placement on the whole but arm extension needs to be more consistent (Not helped by pad level) and while he flashes a pretty nice rip he needs to be more consistent in working around blocks | Good hand placement and pretty good arm extension and does a really nice job of setting his base at times but far too often bends with waist rather than knees | Rarely asked to drop into coverage and while he can cover some space he isn't a coverage player | Can he eliminate his tendency to waist bend as that would allow him to improve hugely? | Mid 5th Round | 14 |
| Daelin Hayes | Notre Dame | 6'4 | 258 | Pretty good quickness with decent power and good bend, but pad level is consistently quite high | Shows some flashes of a nice swim move to get around blocks but hand placement is inconsistent with quite wide arms which limit arm extension as well | Shows decent hand placement on the whole but pad level leads to leverage issues and makes it difficult for him to get good arm extension, though he does flashes the ability to work into gaps | Was asked to drop into coverage from time to time but movement skills are pretty limited on the whole | Can he improve his pad level to allow him to be a solid if unspectacular rotation piece? | Mid 5th Round | 15 |
| Malcolm Koonce | Buffalo | 6'3 | 250 | Pretty good quickness and bend with decent power but consistently plays very upright | Uses inside arm along with changes in speed well to get around tackles and flashes a nice outside swim but while hand location is decent his pad level makes arm extension quite poor and needs to add some form of inside counter | Plays way too upright and while hand placement is decent, arm extension is limited by pad level and this combined with lack of top tier power makes him far too easy to move | Wasn't asked to drop into coverage much but will likely be asked to do so given his physical profile | Can he improve as a run defender to the point where he isn't a liability? | Late 5th Round | 16 |
| Joshua Kaindoh | Florida State | 6'7 | 265 | Pretty good quickness but power is fairly unremarkable and plays reasonably upright and bend doesn't appear to be anything special | Flashes some nice hand usage to work around blocks but hand location is decent but no more and pad level means that arm extension is consistently quite poor | Pad level and lack of top tier power makes him too easy to move and while his hand location is decent, his arm extension is quite poor | Was occasionally dropped into coverage and moves reasonably well for his size but this likely won't be a major part of his game | Can he turn pretty good athlecticism into a more effective pass rush? | Early 6th Round | 17 |
| Victor Dimukeje | Duke | 6'3 | 265 | Decent-to-good quickness with pretty good pad level and decent power but bend isn't great | Hand locating is decent but tends to punch a little wide and while arm extension isn't awful it could be better and lacks any developed pass rushing moves to generate leverage | Wide punch and mediocre arm extension allow him to get swamped a little too often and while pad level is generally pretty good he isn't going to do more than hold his ground | Wasn't really asked to drop into coverage and likely wouldn't fare hugely well if asked to do so | Does he have the bend to play around the edge or does he need to bulk up and move inside? | Early 6th Round | 18 |
| Adetokunbo Ogundeji | Notre Dame | 6'4 | 256 | Decent-to-good power but quickness is fairly unremarkable and pad level is consistently a bit too high with questionable bend | Locates hands well but arm extension is somewhat limited by pad level and lacks developed pass rushing moves to generate lateral leverage | Has the power to hold the point of attack despite the lack of ideal pad level and shows good hand placement though arm extension is somewhat limited by pad level | Wasn't asked to drop into coverage and this isn't going to be a major part of his game going forwards | Can he develop more nuanced hand usage as a pass rusher to make him more than just an effective run stuffer? | Early 6th Round | 19 |
| Charles Snowden | Virginia | 6'7 | 240 | Decent-to-good quickness but power is below average and tends to play really quite upright and while he hints at decent bend this is often limited by his pad level | Shows flashes of good hand placement and arm extension, but too often allows himself to get swamped and lacks any kind of developed pass rush besides a recovery spin | Does a good job of locating his hands and arm extension is generally pretty good, but plays quite upright and combined with lack of natural power this can lead to him going backwards at times | Was asked to drop into coverage a reasonable amount and has the range to cover space but movement skills aren't great | Does he offer enough as a pass rusher to make up for his vulnerabilities as a run defender and in coverage? | Mid 6th Round | 20 |
| Rashad Weaver | Pittsburgh | 6'5 | 270 | Quickness is pretty unremarkable but power is pretty good though his pad level is consistently a little too high and bend isn't anything of note | Hands get too low off the snap and doesn't show an awareness of how to consistently locate hands with extension limited by pad level, lacks developed pass rushing moves | Does get consistent enough hand placement and somewhat upright position leads to poor leverage and issues with arm extension but does flash some nice hand usage to work into gaps | Wasn't asked to drop into coverage and likely isn't going to be asked to at the NFL level either | Can he add more than effort as a pass rusher or is he going to be a run defending depth piece? | Mid 6th Round | 21 |
| Jayson Oweh | Penn State | 6'5 | 253 | Decent quickness and power but pad level isn't great and bend is a concern | Locates hands reasonably well on occasion but plays with consistently poor arm extension which isn't helped by pad level and lacks any developed pass rushing moves | Locates hands reasonably well but pad level and arm extension make him too easy to move off the ball and make it hard for him to consistently work off blocks, though he does flash a good swim | Wasn't really asked to drop into coverage and while he has potential in this regard it isn’t going to be a major part of his game | Is there reason to think that he will be able to turn decent but not athletic traits into actual production? | Late 6th Round | 22 |
| Jonathon Cooper | Ohio State | 6'4 | 257 | Pretty good quickness but power is nothing special and while pad level is decent it's mostly a lot of waist bend and bend is really quite poor as a result | Hand location is pretty good and arm extension is decent but lacks the power to rely on this alone and doesn't show higher level hand usage to create leverage laterally | Hand location is decent-to-good and arm extension is also pretty good but waist bend leads to narrow base and poor lateral control and is simply too easy to move off the ball | Wasn't really asked to drop into coverage and likely lacks the movement skills to be effective in this regard | Does he offer enough beyond effort and decent athleticism to be an effective NFL piece? | Mid 7th Round | 23 |
| Big Kat Bryant | Auburn | 6'5 | 250 | Decent is unremarkable quickness and power but pad level is consistently a little high and bend, while somewhat hard to judge, doesn't appear to be great | Hands are far too loose off the snap and consistently struggles to get any form of hand location with no signs of good extension or developed pass rushing moves | Plays too upright with wide arms leading to consistent lack of inside hand placement or arm extension and gets swamped far too often with narrow base leading to issues staying in gap | Wasn't asked to drop into coverage with any consistency and is not well suited to this role | Does he have the athleticism to give teams reasons to work on developing his lack of technique? | Late 7th Round | 24 |
| William Bradley-King | Baylor | 6'4 | 248 | Burst is pretty unremarkable and while power is decent bend is a real concern and pad level is consistently quite high | Decent in terms of locating hands but arm extension isn't great and not helped by pad level and lacks and kind of developed pass rushing moves | Pretty good hand placement on the whole but pad level and narrow base make it hard for him to hold his ground and limit arm extension as well | Occasionally asked to drop into coverage and while not disasterous isn't adding any value in this regard either | Is there much to work on beyond decent fundamental hand usage? | Undrafted | 25 |
| Ronnie Perkins | Oklahoma | 6'3 | 247 | Decent quickness but strength is nothing notable and while pad level isn't awful he does play pretty upright with unremarkable bend | Arms are consistently pretty wide and loose off the snap making his frame too accessible and making it hard for him to locate hands effectively, lacks developed rush moves | Plays too upright and arms are too lose making it too easy for blockers to get ahold of him and is just too easily moved, though when he gets his pad level down and his arms up he can be ok | Wasn't asked to drop into coverage with consistency and lacks the movement skills to make this part of his game | Does he really do anything well enough to get playing time, or is he purely a depth piece? | Undrafted | 26 |
For me, there is no generational prospect in this edge class, and while there are a number of players who teams should be interested in early in the draft, there is no clear candidate worthy of serious top-five consideration in the way that the likes of Brian Burns and others have been in the past. There are, however, at least a couple of prospects who should get serious consideration towards the second half of the first round as well as a handful who have the talent to be selected at some point throughout the second day of the draft.
Azeez Ojulari separates himself for me, though some of the prospects who come behind him are very different stylistically.
Ojulari likely lacks the top-end potential of Rousseau but has a really well-rounded game that should be effective in any scheme though he also could stand to add further to his pass-rushing repertoire. Rousseau flashes a lot of potential, and consistently masters the core technique of the position, but he will need to develop further as he lacks developed pass rushing moves and his hand usage has room to improve in ways that would take his game to new heights.
Photo Credit: Neil Redmond- USA Today Sports
Ossai, Roche and Rumph all have the talent to develop into quality starters at the NFL level, but all could also stand to improve technically, or at least in the consistency of the technique. Roche is probably the most polished of the three but Ossai shows flashes of quality that the other two just don’t seem able to match. Rumph is more of a pure developmental option having been used in a range of different ways at Duke, but shows a lot of nice technical elements at times and should be seen as more than just a physical specimen.
After these top five, the prospects then fall into being more specialized or even more developmental. The likes of Golston, Basham and Odeyingbo all should be able to add value to teams as technical rushers with the power to hold the edge against the run and maybe kick inside at times on passing downs, though all three will need to continue to work on the consistency of their knee bend in order to maximize their effectiveness.
Photo Credit: Tulane Athletics
There are also some smaller, more pass-rushing focused prospects such as Patrick Johnson and Malcolm Koonce as well as a number who perhaps lack the quality to be long-term starters in the NFL but who have the ability to contribute in a rotational role or those who are more long-term prospects whose value is more about height-weight-speed than any current technical proficiency. For this latter group, interviews will be especially key as their value is so heavily tied to their ability to improve.
There is really something in this 2021 EDGE class for everybody – while the Panthers probably won’t be in the market for any of the names towards the top of the board, there are certainly prospects who could fit in what they are looking to build defensive who have a chance of still being on the board as the draft enters the final day.
(Top Image via Josh Halper)
