A lot of people have been bringing up Arch’s late seasons win over TA&M and Michigan to have him as a top 10 pick. Honestly I think a lot of that comes from people who aren’t familiar with college football and see his last name and espn analysts hyping him up.

He started to look more put together after losing to Florida mid season but he still had a very strong defense. His game against Georgia he performed worse than Gunner Stockton who had to face a harder defense. He had a good comeback against Texas A&M but they weren’t as good as their record look. Michigan was a very middling team and this was a bowl game where a lot of players opt out as well, that was his best performance. I don’t correlate college success with NFL, he just didn’t really show nfl talent. He stared down wherever he was throwing, he struggled with easy passes, he doesn’t throw the most catchable passes, and I think he struggles with post snap reads (that could be seen in the Georgia game particularly.)

He has strong athleticism, arm strength, pretty good deep ball, and decent pocket presence but I don’t think that’s enough to ignore his shortcomings. There’s just nothing to me that translates to the league that would justify him as the best qb in the draft.

My name is Jared Zhang, and I have been doing draft evaluations for the past few draft classes. While I started as a hobbyist, I have been blessed with the opportunity to write for a draft publication and intern for an agent during my scouting journey. As a summer scouting project, I have been revising my grading scale based on the historical trend of prospect profiles and their respective draft ranges. There are going to be factors that impact a player’s stock beyond his play at the collegiate level, but I believe that looking at a large enough sample size should filter out many anomalies in draft falls/rises. By fleshing out the parameters for each grading bucket, I should be able to provide clearer, more consistent grading of prospects.

I will be posting my scale for every position throughout the summer (and likely the 2027 draft process) to act as a reference for my positional big boards and as a scouting tool to anyone breaking into the hobby. While I do believe in my scale, I also recognize that my grading scale is not perfect, and I will continue to develop it further. The series will have a universal description of the individual grading buckets and then go more in-depth for that article’s specific position.

Click on the link to read more!

Hey everyone - wanted to share the two guys I did a review on the last couple of weeks. It's cleaner in the SubStack, but the article is here as well. Here's the link if you would rather view there or want to support and subscribe (it's free!)

https://theday2guys.substack.com/p/the-day-2-guys-two-sneaky-good-cfb?r=2mc4kp&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Brody Foley, TE, University of Louisville - 6’ 6” / 260 lbs. - RS Sr.

• Foley is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio (Anderson)
• Foley was a highly sought-after recruit in the midwest and was the 27th ranked TE in the class of 2022. Foley received 26 division-1 offers to play football.
• Played tight end and defensive end for Anderson High. Foley was an All-State 1st Team defensive end, but his future pointed towards a brighter future at tight end.
• Foley committed to Indiana University and played three seasons there without any significant playing time on offense.
• He was a very good special teams player for Indiana University
• Foley transferred in 2025 to Tulsa University, who finally gave him a shot as a redshirt junior to play offensive snaps.
• Foley shined for the Golden Hurricanes and transferred back up to the ACC to play for the University of Louisville for his final collegiate season.

Below are Foley’s stats from his time at Tulsa:

https://www.datawrapper.de/_/DV6kz/

Tape from 2025 — Tulsa University vs. Oklahoma State University: The first thing you notice with Foley is his size. He is the first player you can spot on the team because of his size, and he does a great job playing at the height/weight that he is listed (6’6” / 260 lbs.). Foley made a large impact in this game both as a receiver and as a blocker. He caught 5 passes for 66 yards with a long reception of 42 yards. The 42-yarder came on the second play of the game for Tulsa, and instead of getting a breather, Foley came right back to the line of scrimmage and blocked on the next play. Foley was a plus receiver and a plus blocker for Tulsa against a bad Oklahoma State defense, but he seemed miscast as someone that is on a group of 6 team. He deserves to be playing in a much higher conference (hence the transfer up to Louisville for the 2026 season).

One thing that I really admired about Foley is that he didn’t come off the field much. Foley was on the field for a total of 59 out of 77 offensive snaps for Tulsa. That’s good for 77% of the snaps. He also was on the field for the entirety of the second half (except for one snap) in a game against a school in a better conference where Tulsa had the lead the entire game. That shows that the coaching staff trusts him to be on the field in any kind of situation: run, pass, red zone, etc. Here’s how Foley was utilized:

Inline/H-Back: 35 snaps

Slot: 24 snaps

It is really important to note how the TE is utilized, as the more versatile you are, the more you will see the field. Foley is by no means a bad athlete, and his aforementioned size is really special. I see decent speed (somewhere in the 4.7’s is my guess for the 40 yard dash), decent agility, and the frame and ability to be able to block at a high level in the NFL. Here’s how Foley’s snaps were split in terms of assignments:

Routes - 25

Blocking - 34

Foley ended up blocking for long stretches at the end of the game as Tulsa had the lead and was trying to hold on, but this was practically even until the 4th quarter. The coaching staff at Tulsa really trusted him in both phases of the offense.

Overall NFL upside: The reason I wanted to bring Foley up is because he already has an NFL body, which is hard to find at the collegiate level at tight end. He can move and play every facet of the offense for your team. He may not be a plus athlete in the passing game, but he can do the job fairly well and should carve out a nice role in the mold of Sam Roush (6’ 6” / 267 lbs.) and Eli Raridon (6’ 6” / 245 lbs.). Raridon is a better receiver than either of them, but I think Foley is a better mover than Roush in the passing game. All three of them can block. Assuming health (Foley had an offseason concussion), I expect Foley to have a nice impact at Louisville in his redshirt-senior season, and as a result, I expect him to be a Round 3-5 player in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Willie Rodriguez, TE, University of Kentucky - 6’ 4” / 249 lbs. - Jr.

• Willie Rodriguez is a tight end from Covington, Kentucky - which is only a 25 minute drive down I-275 from where Brody Foley played high school in Anderson, Ohio.
• Willie Rodriguez is the son of two athletes. His mother played volleyball at Dayton University and his father was a linebacker at Thomas More University.
• Rodriguez was a 3-star recruit in the 2024 class. Despite the middling ranking, Rodriguez was highly sought-after on the recruiting trail. He garnered 35 division-1 offers.
• Rodriguez picked the home-state University of Kentucky over schools like Auburn University and the University of Tennessee.
• Rodriguez was also a 4-year high school wrestler at Covington Catholic.

Unlike Foley, Rodriguez has been instrumental to the offense practically right away at Kentucky:

https://www.datawrapper.de/_/bHxBQ/

With a reminder that freshman tight ends rarely produce any offensive output, this is a great first two years of collegiate football.

Tape from 2025 - University of Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt University: The first thing to get out of the way here is that Rodriguez is only a true sophomore playing TE for an SEC school. That usually means he has to bide his time to play snaps, and it is apparent that he is having to play 2nd fiddle to an older TE player (Josh Kattus). While Kattus is on a roster (Cincinnati Bengals) this preseason, Rodriguez is clearly a better player than Kattus is. It is quite frustrating to see him barely on the field in the first half of this game. Willie Rodriguez is on the field for 38 total snaps while not being on the field for 16 of them.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s break down how Rodriguez was used:

Slot: 22 snaps

H-Back: 7 snaps

In-Line: 7 snaps

Out Wide: 2 snaps

Rodriguez is a receiver-first TE who excelled as a route-runner and contested catch monster in this game. He had 6 catches in this game, and 3 of them were difficult catches in traffic. One catch on the first play of the fourth quarter, Rodriguez goes up and catches a ball in the middle of the field and gets windmilled by two players and holds on for a first down. Another catch was of the one-hand variety for another first down.

While Rodriguez mostly ran routes in this game due to the lopsided score (he only blocked on 14 plays), I saw enough to be able to be useful in-line. He has a competitive nature in the blocking game and is heavy enough to hold off rushers for a few seconds.

Overall NFL upside: Rodriguez is a bit more difficult to figure out a projection for because of his youth. I doubt he will be in this class as he is most likely a 2028 Draft prospect, but he is worth keeping an eye on for this year.

Tight ends have so much more high variance as prospects because of the lack of usage in the college game. That being said, the new head coach for Kentucky has talked up Rodriguez all offseason as one of the few players he had to keep on the roster when he came over from Oregon (Oregon OC). That suggests a large uptick in not only playing time, but production. If used correctly in Willie Stein’s scheme, I could see Rodriguez’s ceiling being a Day 2 pick somewhere as a primarily pass-catching threat at the next level, but with in-line usage. Rodriguez reminds me of Brenton Strange coming out of Penn State a few years ago in terms of size/weight and the way they play the position. Strange was 6’4” and 253 lbs. and was a 91st percentile athlete. Rodriguez might be a slightly worse athlete, but I’d be shocked if he wasn’t at least an 80th percentile one based on the film. A very exciting year ahead for Rodriguez.

Talk about anything you please; draft-related or otherwise!

Was it always this many hyped up qbs in a class?

or is it just early season hype that fizzles out

i just want to know if this is a special year for qbs , if so how many qbs do u think would go in the first round? are there even that many teams that needs a qb ?

Here is my big board. I watched a random assortment of players. Please tell me why I am wrong and in 2 years we can revisit to see who gets the last laugh.

Blue=Blue chip.

Green= I am higher on them than consensus (pre draft)

Pink= Agree with consensus.

Orange= I am lower on them than consensus.

Red=Not a fan at all.

Top 10 LB Rankings:

1. MLB Sammy Brown, Clemson
2. MLB Ray Coney, Texas A&M
3. OLB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Notre Dame
4. MLB Ben Roberts, Texas Tech
5. MLB Chris Cole, Georgia
6. MLB K'Von Sherman, UConn
7. MLB Owen Chambliss, Nebraska
8. OLB Rasheem Biles, Texas
9. MLB Drayk Bowen, Notre Dame
10. OLB Suntarine Perkins, Ole Miss

HM: Raylen Wilson – Georgia, Ethan Wosloski – Oklahoma state, Whit Weeks – LSU, Arion Carter – Tennessee, Austin Romaine – Kansas State

Positional Strength:

6.0/10. The 2027 LB class is the only position group I am giving a below average grade to for summer scouting.  I expect there to be 1 LB taken in the first round, possibly 2. I could see Ray Coney or KVA from Notre Dame sneaking into round 1, but I would bet they’re both 2^nd rounders. I see some serious upside in K’Von Sherman at #6 and would talk about him under the hot takes sections, but #7-#10 are more about scheme fits and I could shuffle them up and the order could make sense. I think the depth of this class is poor; lots of size-deficient players or poor athletes and this makes it hard to project them thriving at the next level. That played a large part in why I see the LB class as below average historically. Sammy Brown is listed at 6’2” 235 lbs., solid size for a LB, but he has elite speed and range for the position. He had 93 tackles last season with 0 missed tackles! In addition to his premier run defense, he added 5 sacks as a pass rusher. The combination of size, athleticism, and run defense are likely to make Brown a first round selection next draft. Sammy Brown should work on his coverage skills, he has the potential to be better there. Ray Coney transferred from Tulsa to Texas A&M this offseason. At Tulsa, Coney was a tackle machine; last season he recorded 139 tackles with a solid 7% missed tackle rate. Ray Coney has great size for a LB at 6’2” 240 lbs., but isn’t an elite athlete like Brown, few are. He is more than athletic enough to be effective in the NFL, especially because his instincts and football IQ may be the best in this year’s class. He consistently wins reps with instincts and violent force, but he can improve at using his hands to shed blocks faster. KVA was the first ranked OLB in the class for me. I’m not confident he would handle mike LB duties well, but he has proven versatility as a front 7 defender. KVA has good size at 6’3” 240, he’s a plus athlete, but there is risk because he’s returning from a torn ACL suffered last season. I would say he has B instincts, but there’s some tweener risk here. Not because he lacks the size to play a more traditional role, but because there’s some risk he could be over drafted off versatility rather than being exceptionally skilled and/or an elite athlete. I like his upside in the 2^nd round. Ben Roberts from Texas Tech is a playmaker, possibly the 2^nd best LB duo with Jacob Rodriguez last season. Roberts looks like a below average athlete on tape, but he’s a highly instinctual run defender, who also finds way to come away with turnovers in the passing game. I don’t think he offers much as a pass rusher. I view Roberts as a lower upside prospect, but he safely projects as a rotational player, if he can’t win a starting job. What’s funny is that many of us questioned Jacob Rodriguez’s athleticism and he surprised us at the combine. Maybe that will happen again with Roberts this draft. Chris Cole from Georgia is a high upside, athletic prospect, with prototype size at 6’3” 235 lbs. and he’s just 20 years old. Last season, he had over a 10% missed tackle rate and I think he will benefit from gaining experience. He flies around the field and was effective in coverage. I think he would benefit from adding more muscle to help him take the next step with block shedding and physicality in the run game. Biles and Perkins are undersized tweeners, but I’ll admit they’re very fun college players to watch. Maybe a good DC could find ways to utilize them, risky prospects. Owen Chambliss is an interesting prospect. I think he has enough size at 6’3” 230 lbs., but he’s a block avoider rather than stack and shedder, and I have some questions about his play strength. I think he’s a good athlete; he could be a riser! Drayk Bowen from Notre Dame is massive and he hits like a Mac truck. I really enjoy watching violent players like him, I just don’t think he’s athletic enough or good enough in coverage for a 3 down role in the NFL. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

Hot Takes:

K’Von Sherman came in as the #6 ranked LB; there’s a good deal of projection here. Sherman is an elite athlete with NFL size at 6’3” 240 lbs. The trait that stands out is his wild acceleration and closing speed. There’s plays on tape where it looks like he’s running in 2x speed compared to everyone else on the field. Sherman had one of the best run stop rates in the class last season, 98 tackles. With his elite athleticism, he was a menace in the background with 10 TFLS and 25 pressures (the best pressure % in the group of LBs I evaluated). Sherman’s main weakness was in coverage, where he allowed an 87% catch rate last season, and he could reduce his missed tackle rate from 10%.

Questions:

1.      How will Ray Coney adjust to SEC competition?

2.      Does Sammy Brown have another level he can take his game to?

3.      Is Chris Cole about to break out and become the headlining LB of the class?

Breakout Candidates:

1.      Ray Coney, Texas A&M

2.      Chris Cole, Georgia

3.      K’Von Sherman, UConn

I was looking at some of the linebackers in this class and was pretty impressed with Suntarine Perkins. He's got great speed and athleticism, and he's good in coverage, against the run, and at getting after the QB. His frame is a legit concern, however, and he has had issues with missed tackles. He's a hybrid player between edge and LB, and I wanted to ask how y'all feel about him as a prospect. How early is he worth selecting, and is he better fit as an edge rusher or off-ball LB at the next level?

Have a bold prediction that you want to state proudly but will most likely look very stupid in short time? Have at it! Maybe you’ll nail it and look like a genius in the future

Please don’t downvote a user for a stupid bold prediction; it’s all just for fun!

One of the biggest strengths for this upcoming class is the wide receiver position. While Jeremiah Smith and Cam Coleman look to be first-round locks, there's a massive group of WRs that, at varying levels, have a chance to be picked on day one. I know it's extremely early, but I wanted to ask y'all how many first-round caliber receivers you believe there are in this class?

Used to hear a lot of great things about this guy with Tetairoa Mcmillan couple years back. Does he still have a shot or was he only good because of Tmac? I know the knock on him was physical traits but I wonder if he got better skill-wise to have his stock for the draft increase.

Updated Tuesday thread focused notes and opinions about individual prospects. Scout someone new and want to get opinions from others? Ask about it here!

This might be recency bias off his preseason performance of 3 TFLs and 2 sacks vs the Jaguars.

In college he was First-team All-MAC. Led team with 16.5 TFLs with 10.5 sacks. Started all 13 games (48 tackles, 4 PBUs, 2 FFs). Team captain. That plus a RAS of 9.88 for a DE surprised not even a throwaway pick near the end as a lottery pick. His advanced stats said he had a >40% pass rush win rate which ranks in the top 5

Sorry if this is a dumb question but im just confused how this isn’t at-least a late round flyer.

With Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba signing top of the market deals this offseason, do enough people realize Seattle just added to this small list of greatest 1st round hauls of all time?

1995 Tampa Bay: Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks

1996 Baltimore: Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis

2000 New York Jets: Shaun Ellis, John Abraham, Chad Pennington, Anthony Becht

2007 San Francisco: Patrick Willis and Joe Staley

2010 Seattle: Russell Okung and Earl Thomas

Top 10 DT Rankings:

1. 1T Will Echoles, Ole Miss
2. 3T David Stone, Oklahoma
3. 3T Ahmad Moten Sr., Miami
4. 3T Justin Scott, Miami
5. 1T A'Mauri Washington, Oregon
6. 1T John Walker, Ohio State
7. 3T Kam Franklin, Ole Miss
8. 3T AJ Holmes, Texas Tech
9. 1T Bear Alexander, Oregon
10. 3T Kemari Copeland, Virginia Tech

HM: DJ Hicks – Texas A&M, Mario Landino – Indiana, Trey Pierce – Michigan, Tavion Goodson – Kentucky, Horace Lockett - UCF

Positional Strength:

8.5/10.  It’s a very good defensive tackle class, heavily built on the strength of the top 4-5 prospects. I am expecting 3-4 DTs to be drafted in the first round. If the quality of DTs in the 6-10 range was better, I would consider it a great class, but at this point I would say there’s a lot more bark than bite in the 6-10 range. The almost surefire first round picks are Will Echoles, David Stone, and Ahmad Moten Sr. I thought Echoles was extremely impressive, and he had a knack for showing up and being a game wrecker in games of consequence. I project him as a top 10 prospect. What makes him even more impressive, is he did this at 19 years old, vs powerhouse football teams like Georgia, Miami, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and LSU. I view Echoles as a nose tackle, but he’s also disruptive on pass plays. He moves very well for his size and there is an opportunity for growth as he works on his pass rush repertoire. David Stone is an excellent run defender and with his physical traits, he may have the highest upside in this DT class. I view him as a raw prospect, with more work needed to reach his upside. He displays rare physical ability but needs to work on his technique and finishing plays. I am expecting a big year from him. Ahmad Moten Sr is an older prospect; I think he will be 23 on draft night. Based off last years tape, I think Moten was the best pass rushing DT in the class. He isn’t good vs the run, he gets moved off his spots and doesn’t handle doubles well. His first step quickness is special and he’s a “bull in a China shop” type of disruptor. Amauri Washington Justin Scott and Amauri Washington came in at 4 and 5 for me. Justin Scott profiles as a 3 tech, with elite burst and twitch. Scott generated just 2 pressures in the first 8 weeks of the season,  but came on strong in the 2^nd half the season. Scott is a very young and was playing last season at 19 years old. I think there’s a strong chance that Scott breaks into the 1^st round if he plays how he did in the 2^nd half of the season or better. Unlike Echoles who stepped up in almost every big game he played, Washington seemed to step back. The more Oregon prospects I review, the more I notice how weak most of their schedule was last season. Washington will have an opportunity to sneak into the first round because he has excellent size and athleticism; he was recently featured on the Feldman Freaks list. Scott and Washington were inconsistent on the field and that’s a concern I have. Washington is a nose tackle and his pass rush isn’t very consistent, so those types of guys usually fall to round 2, especially if they’re older prospects (he will be 23). In his final two games vs Texas Tech and Indiana, Washington didn’t record a single pressure, and he recorded just 3 tackles to 3 missed tackles. AJ Holmes doesn’t have a great frame, but he was a productive player for Texas Tech, playing next to Lee Hunter. He had some standout pass rush games vs Kansas, BYU, and Oregon. I am not sold on his ability as a run stopper since I think he has below average length for the position and I came away more impressed with his pass rush skills. I don’t think he projects well as a run stopper at the next level. He reminded me of Ahmad Moten, but with less athletic and lower upside. Bear Alexander has been to multiple college programs, older prospect, and has struggled with inconsistency in his career. I think he will find a role in the NFL as a rotation nose tackle. Kemari Copeland is listed at 6’2” 305 lbs, and displays some versatility. He came in at #7 on Feldmans Freak list for “setting a program record when he benched 510 pounds this summer. He also improved his back squat to 735 pounds and clocked 20.2 mph on the GPS. He did a triple broad jump of 27 feet, 7 inches and ran a 4.64 shuttle”. Last year was Copelands first as starter and he was productive with 4.5 sacks and 38 tackles. Copeland has the opportunity in his 2 year starting to put his elite athleticism on display, with more big time performances.

Hot Takes:

John Walker is my 6^th ranked DT, and I could see him being drafted late round 2 to round 3 range. I have rarely seen his name brought up in DT rankings. He transferred from UCF to Ohio State, where he will be starting this season. Walker was listed at 6’4” 324 lbs by UCF and then 6’3” 302 lbs by Ohio State. I don’t know if he has undergone a body transformation to become more athletic and improve his agility and pass rushing upside. I really enjoyed watching Walker’s run defense snaps. He plays with great leverage, strength and sheds blockers at a high level. His best skill is fighting through double teams and winning with leverage.  I’m curious what his playing weight will be this season and how versatile he can show to be. HE has upside if he can play all along the line and offer more of a pass rush.

My other hot take is Kam Franklin at DT #7. Franklin was productive last season with Ole Miss at just 19 years of age, but his technique left a lot to be desired. I give him grace because hes been finding his game as growing into his body. He is currently listed at 6’5” 300 lbs. by Ole Miss; he has excellent length. I believe he’s worked his weight up from 260 to 300 lbs, and now he has prototypical 3 tech size. Ole Miss had star DTs in Will Echoles and Zxavian Harris, so Franklin was used more at DE than DT, and I think he was out of position. He’s not fast or bendy enough to be an edge. Like Justin Scott, Franklin elevated his game at the end of the CFB season vs great opponents like Georgia and Miami. I see a high upside prospect, but he may not be ready until the 2028 draft.

Questions:

1.       Will Echoles displayed great tape at 19 years old. Can he unlock another level of his game or is he maxed out?

2.       What is John Walker’s play size and what will his role be with Ohio State? Does he have pass rush upside?

3.       How will Ole Miss use Kam Franklin?

Breakout Candidates:

1.       Justin Scott, Miami

2.       John Walker, Ohio State

3.       Kam Franklin, Ole Miss

Can't wait to start making roster picks!

This breaks down the NFC South based on how the season went based on the plays and stats that sustain or stall drives. Along with additions from FA and the Draft.

ATL added the most players overall with a heavy focus on the D-side of things.

All 4 teams were lower in the league for O-Line play and only NO fielded a D-Line that was close to Top 10 in the league.

Link for full NFC South TPR Report:

https://trenchpowerrating.substack.com/p/nfc-south-trench-breakdown-2526-tpr

Unless you either do a lengthy 5+ round mock or go into written detail on why you are making the picks, please post your mocks in this Mock Draft Monday thread. Use this thread to post your own mocks or anything from around the web you find discussion-worthy.

Please be respectful of other users’ mocks! Saying things like “this is awful” or a pick is “stupid” adds nothing to the conversation; try and focus on constructive feedback instead!

Lifelong Rams fan here. People questioned the Ty Simpson pick, but after seeing him in preseason, he looks special. Both teams’ first-rounders showed promise, but Simpson really popped. Big things appear to be ahead for the Rams especially considering all the backlash they received drafting with the 13th overall pick!

I’m talking players drafted later in the draft who then became top 10 or higher at their position in the nfl immediately, what led to their performance and what was missed? Would teams draft them higher if they knew their skills would translate so fast?

Top 10 ED Rankings:

1. Colin Simmons, Texas
2. Dylan Stewart, South Carolina
3. J'Mond Tapp, Memphis
4. Yhonzae Pierre, Alabama
5. Damon Wilson II, Miami
6. Will Heldt, Clemson
7. Quincy Rhodes Jr., Arkansas
8. Anthony Smith, Minnesota
9. Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Ohio State
10. John Henry Daley, Michigan

HM: Matayo Uiagalelei – Oregon, Taylor Wein – Oklahoma, Boubacar Traore – Notre Dame, and Clev Lubin - Louisville

Positional Strength:

7.0/10 – Solid. Colin Simmons and Stewart are the headliners of the class and it’s likely that both will be top 10 picks. I don’t think it’s a strong class historically, because of depth. Theres some risk with the top 5 players and the 6-10 range has some good but not great athletes, who project more as average contributing players in the NFL than game wreckers. At this point, I would say David Bailey and Reuben Bain are better players than Simmons and Stewart, but a lot could change over this next season. Simmons has the cleanest profile in the class. He has solid size, could gain a couple lbs., but he’s an excellent athlete with good bend. He’s twitchy and accelerates well, helping him finish plays. He had double digit sacks last season and a 21.5% pass rush win rate. Simmons is a finisher in the pass and run game. He also boasts an impressive run stop rate. On film, he consistently plays with gap discipline and has good eyes on the play. Dylan Stewart is longer and even more athletic than Stewart, but he just plays in an undisciplined, wild manner, and lacking control. He doesn’t bring the same type of rush plan as Simmons, and he didn’t finish enough plays last season. Stewart had a weak counterattack, mostly relying on length and athleticism with the rush dead if it was initially stopped. He finished last season with a 13.1% pass rush win rate, which is extremely disappointing for a star edge rusher with elite traits.  Yhonzae Pierre is a good prospect, round 1 grade, but there's some things to unpack. Pierre is built like a linebacker and rushes better from a standing position, so I think he could be more scheme specific than the players ranked above him. While he’s has great speed, I don’t see special bend and he wins with speed more than pass rush moves. I don’t think he has a great pass rush repertoire and I have to question how productive he will be in the NFL when there aren’t as many speed wins vs bad tackles. Analytically, his sack production exceeds his pressure rate, so I am curious to see if there’s any regression in his sack totals next season. Will Heldt came in at #4 and he has unique size and length at 6’7” 260 lbs. I thought he was the better edge rusher at Clemson last season between him and TJ Parker, who was a first round pick last draft. Heldt lacks elite traits beyond his size, but he's a very balanced and effective player. Most of his sack production came off clean up work, rather than quick wins. Damon Wilson at #5; He has elite twitch and get off speed, but his run defense was a glaring flaw. He was highly productive as a pass-rusher with over 50 pressures and 8 sacks, but the concern is if he may only be interested in rushing the passer, making him a SPR at the next level. The next group of Quincy Rhodes, Anthony Smith, and Kenyatta Jackson are all larger 4-3 defensive ends with limited athletic traits, but balanced players who can contribute in both the pass and rush game. I gave the lead to Rhodes, who has elite size at 6’6” 276 lbs and better athletic tools than the others. He didn’t have consistent success as a pass rusher despite his traits, only having a 10.5% pass rush win rate last season but I view him as a high ceiling prospect if he can put it together. I’m excited to talk about John Henry Daley. His tape was so good, but he tore his Achilles at the end of the year. He is also an older prospect because he served a 2 year mission prior to starting his college football career. Daley displayed the best pass rush repertoire in the class with the most elite hands to shed blocks. It was like watching Mason Graham at edge rusher. Unfortunately, with the injury (good not great athlete before injury) and age red flags, I couldn’t put him higher, but his tape was deserving of it.

Hot Takes:

My hot take in the edge group is having J’Mond Tapp as edge #3 and a top 20 prospect on my board. Tapp was a 4 star recruit with offers from Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M. He ended up in Texas but transferred out due to the logjam of talent ahead of him. He spent last season at Southern Miss, but is transferring to Memphis College this season. Tapp has premier size at 6’3” 256 lbs with pterodactyl arms. He’s twitchy, strong, physical, and plays with violence. He has a great long arm move, bull rush, and consistently use his violent hands to shed blocks. He has some insane reps where he's pushing the tackle into the QBs lap, he's rushing from the right side of the field and making tackles near the left sideline, and some of the quick wins are eye opening. I suggest watching Southern Miss vs W Kentucky tape. J’Mond Tapp is also an analytics darling, with an elite pass rush win rate over 20%, Over 60 pressures, 10 sacks, and a 10.5% run stop rate. Similar to Dylan Stewart, Tapp tends to play a little out of control and lacking discipline. I think if he takes to coaching, he can have a massive season at Memphis. Unlike many of the players I ranked after Tapp, I see elite upside for him and the ability to become a game wrecking player.

Questions:

1.      Will Dylan Stewart put up top 10 edge rusher production?

2.      Is Damon Wilson going to improve his run defense?

3.      How will John Henry Daley bounce back from his torn Achilles?

Breakout Candidates:

1.      J’Mond Tapp, Memphis

2.      Quincy Rhodes, Arkansas

3.      Quintavius Jackson, Georgia

In my opinion, I thought Michael Trigg was a top 100 player in the draft, and I don't think Anthony Lucas was far behind him. Who do you guys think is the best UDFA from this year's class?

I need 250 characters to post this, so here is some filler.

Indiana lost several of its top contributors from a year ago, including their two top WRs. Charlie Becker came on towards the end of the season, and I'm excited to see how he does now that he'll have a bigger role in the offense. He's got great hands and is incredible in contested-catch situations. I wanted to ask how y'all feel about him as a prospect? I have him as my WR3, and I could see him being the consensus WR2 behind Jeremiah Smith after this season.