NFL Stock Exchange: An NFL Draft Podcast - 12. EDGE Position Rankings for the 2022 NFL Draft

Episode Date: February 17, 2022

Hosts Trevor Sikkema and Connor Rogers give you the “need to know” for the edge rush class in the 2022 NFL Draft. The duo bring you their Top 5 edge players (pre-Combine), as well as who just missed the cut, and plenty of other names to shoutout — as this group will dominate the Top 50. 0:00 - Intro, 2:25 - Connor’s #5 EDGE, 8:05 - Trevor’s #5/#4 EDGE, 10:00 - Connor’s #4 EDGE, 17:10 - Connor’s #4 EDGE, 20:25 - Trevor’s #3 EDGE, 25:30 - Connor’s #2 EDGE, 28:50 - Trevor’s #2 EDGE, 33:35 - Connor’s #1 EDGE, 36:30 - Trevor’s #1 EDGE, 42:35 - Who just missed?

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I got it this year. It's awesome. Sign up now at youtube.com slash BS, device and content restrictions apply. Local and national games on YouTube TV NFL Sunday ticket for out-of-market games excludes digital only games welcome to the NFL Stock Exchange podcast in this episode we're breaking down the edge rush group for the 2022 NFL draft we're going to give you our top five players going from five to one from this group but also talk about

some players that just missed the cut because man there, there are a lot of names to get to, a lot of different style pass rushers, players that I might like, players that Connor might like. There's a ton of guys to get to that we know we're going to litter to the first round, the top 50, the top 100, and just overall the entire 2022 NFL draft. I am Trevor Sikama. With me as always is my co-host, Connor Rogers. Let's get after it. What's going on, everybody? Welcome to the opening bell of the NFL Stock Exchange Podcast.

I am Trevor Sikama. That is Connor Rogers. So glad that you guys are here with us. We have an exciting episode here for you. Connor and I are giving you guys our top five edge rush players. Well, I guess it's more than just the top five, Connor, because we're going to give you our top five going from five to one in the 2022 NFL draft class. But also we're going to give a shout out to this edge class as a whole. We're going to be talking about guys that just missed the top five, some mid-round gems, some late round guys, some skill sets that we really enjoy from this edge class as a whole. We're going to be talking about guys that just missed the top five, some mid-round gems, some late-round guys, some skill sets that we really enjoy from this edge rushing class. I'm excited, man.

This is another positional breakdown for us, and it's a big-time position that we know is going to rule the 2022 NFL draft when it's all said and done. Yeah, this is a good group. There's no way around it. This group has some star talent at the top. Obviously, everybody knows about Hutch and KT at this point. And then it has some guys that have star potential in the middle, whether it's a Karloftis and a Jabo.

And then a lot of everything sprinkled in between with some day two guys that truly could be 8-10 sack players in the right fit. So I've been excited for this show and, you know, full clarity. This is probably one of the only Thursday shows that you and I see eye to eye on many things with this group. Or it's a maybe I don't want to say cut and dried group, but there's definitely tears that are pretty clear cut. But where it gets very interesting is when you and I will get into who just missed the cut guys outside the top 50 that you know could be stars and edge is notoriously a group that the hit rate outside of round one is very poor when you look into the numbers so this is a fun class because I think it's a rare year where there are multiple day two picks that should be productive pass rushers people are going to notice as we go on five through one and I'm glad that you brought it up there we have a lot of the same names in our top fives but what i'm excited to get to because i didn't ask you this before we started this this podcast episode where your tears are how you break

this up which guys you would put in certain buckets in this class and then also we really start to differ i i did see the sheet in the rundown sheet that we have here for this podcast episode a couple of names that you're going to bring up later in the podcast are not the same names that i'm going to bring up so like the guys that just missed the cut some shout outs that we want to give to for some of these guys they're all different names there so i promise we're not just going to go full group think on this podcast even though some of the names are going to be familiar at the beginning of it you want to kick us off you want to start with number five in your edge rush rankings?

Yeah, man, let's get right into this. Number five for me is David Ajabo. I would say the biggest overall riser in this position group this year, and that is still counting Jermaine Johnson, because David Ajabo had really done almost nothing at all up until this season to the point where when he started to break out this year, I think a lot of people within the Michigan program were holding out hope that he would return to school, go back, build up his stock into a top five pick because his game is

far from complete, be a yet another superstar Michigan pass rusher. And they've had some really good ones over recent time, whether it's Rashawn Gary, whether it's Quiddie Paye, Aiden Hutchinson, who was at the Heisman Ceremony this year. But Ajabo opted to declare for the NFL, which probably tells you he got a really good grade from the advisory board. I think he's round one destined, despite the fact that this is a Michigan team that you could tell when watching their film, they were afraid to have him on the field in very run-heavy situations. He needs to put on more strength and mass in his lower half of his body.

I've gotten to talk to some people that have gotten to scout a Jabo in person, and they'll say it's the first thing you see. And I think that is something that will come with him over time on an NFL weight-straining program, the right coaching. And the reason he is in this discussion to be drafted so high, Trevor, is that he just has great pass rush traits as a speed rusher, right? And it's really all stand up right now. He's not going to put his hand in the dirt at this moment. He's going to stand up. He's going to try to beat you really with a ghost move, right? Where you can't even get hands on him. He'll throw a spin move in there. He has shown,

you know, the ability consistently to try to win that outside corner and swipe at the ball when the quarterback is sitting in the pocket so for a jabo if you're a team that feels like you have the brawn the power and the strength and you're looking for somebody that can take the tackle wide really run that arc maybe even turn into the corner a little bit while he develops the rest of his game, he's going to be the guy for you. I think it's a little rich to take him, you know, in that top eight conversation, but maybe in the second half of the first round. I love the Bills as a fit personally.

Ajabo has a lot of exciting ceiling potential in his game. Yeah, no sacks going into this season. 11. A lot of snaps. Coming after this season, right? And there just weren't a lot of snaps coming after this season right and there just weren't a lot of snaps and when you look at that and kind of i like the way that you kind of brought up his scouting profile there and what you emphasized was this is a guy who has all the tools in the

world if you will he's just very raw and that makes a lot of sense when you learn more about his background he's born in nigeria moved to scotland lived in scotland when he was growing up and he didn't actually start playing football until he was a sophomore junior in high school when his family moved over to the United States. And so this guy just doesn't have a lot of snaps, period. Like, not just like a defensive end or not just as a starter or like at a big level, like period. He just hasn't played football that long.

And so when you take that into account, he's he's just a junior at michigan really started playing football two three years in high school i mean this guy's barely got five six years of football under his belt and if what we saw this past year is going to be an indication of what his ceiling could be i think that's why you see a lot of people put him in the top 15 of first rounds just because the nfl is probably going to take a good chance on him because this draft class as a whole it's just it's not as good as last year's class I'm just going to be honest with you and and even at the very top you know you look at guys like Aiden Hutchinson Kayvon Thibodeau we're going to talk about those guys in a little bit but like even those guys maybe not weren't guaranteed top 10 picks if you put them in last year's draft well David O'Diabo

is kind of one of those next guys that you would have after that first tier group and i agree with you that it's the snap to snap i'll say disciplinary things with ojabo that are holding him back right now you mentioned the run fits just the early down work right not getting exposed not getting blown off the ball putting more weight in his lower half being able to anchor being able to control the point of attack in the line of scrimmage that's how you get on the field as a full-time first round worthy edge player is if you can be a three down guy and right now like if you plopbo jabbo into the nfl right now he'll give you the pass rush upside on third and long situations which is the money maker anyways that's why you take a chance on him but it would be that early

down work where you're kind of like all right well can we put this guy on the field right away and if you can't is that a first round pick well that depends what draft class he's in so you get to have all these conversations with david ojabo but you know as the year went on he talked about how he watched a lot of pass rushers from michigan while he was kind of growing up there as a freshman and sophomore. Watch Josh Uche, watch Quiddy Pay, watch these guys who are older than him, more refined pass rushers and tried to take little things from them. And as we saw this past year as a junior, was able to put it all to work and have a lot of really good success with it going into the season or maybe not just going into the season. I guess I'll say even right now, there's a lot of people

who cite lack of production and high traits. And when you think of that, you think of a guy like Odafei Owe who came from the NFL draft last year, who it's like, okay, this guy's got all the tools you could want. He's strong. He's fast. He's got powerful hands. He's got some good pass rush moves. He's creating pressure, but there's not a good pass rush moves. He's creating pressure, but there's not a ton of production to his whole career. Now, Jabo had a better single year than Odafeo ever had at Penn State. So that kind of goes in the mix. It's not a one-on-one comparison. I get the reservations on Jabo. Jabo isn't five for me. And I guess I just kind of spilled out my explanation of what I think of Jabo. He's actually number four for me. So i guess i just kind of spilled out my explanation of what i think of ojabo he's actually number four for me so i guess i'll just say that he's right there i think we see him kind of

similarly but number five i have jermaine johnson the edge rusher from florida state now i've said this on this very podcast i thought jermaine johnson was kind of like a fringe first round player would have been more comfortable with him in the second round. And then the senior bowl came around and just, he absolutely put on a show and you go back and you watch the tape and you see the things that he did well at the senior bowl, which was be able to attack the outside shoulder, be able to be used as a pass rusher, dominate one-on-one situations. And you go back to the tape and you go, okay, maybe there's not as much of that as you would have liked to see, but in the instances where he has the chance to really pin his ear back, he does show that he has that capability. So if you put that role in front of him more in the NFL, it makes me think that he's just going to continue to have more and more success.

So those are two guys that as we talk about tiers and buckets of this edge rush class, see them very similarly right when you look at david ojabo this guy's six foot five 250 pounds kind of the same thing with jermaine johnson similar build six foot five 255 pounds these are similar guys who i don't want to say have the exact kind of same skill set because i have a lot more faith in jermaine johnson to be a thumper to be a early down edge rusher than I do David Ojabo but when we're talking like tiers I'm kind of putting these guys in the same bucket it's basically like what do you want or what do you need more of an edge rusher these are guys that I think are going to be first round picks when it's all said and done but that's who I have five and four I didn't

really know how to have that conversation without just kind of like talking about both of them there so Jermaine Johnson from Florida State I have him at number five and uh david ojabo the head rusher from michigan i have him at number four yeah and i and that's it for me jermaine johnson's number four so we just had them flipped at four and five and have very similar thoughts on them and you know when you look at it when you look at jermaine johnson it comes down to that he has had more times more more snaps to develop overall. You know, Jabo is someone who will turn 22 in May. And I know Jermaine Johnson, I believe, is at least 22 right now.

You know, Juco product to Georgia to Florida State. So they are very different players in that sense. I think Jermaine Johnson has a little bit more of his mass in this lower half. And I think that's why you see him hold the point of attack and play with more power. He definitely has a better idea how to use his hands while Ajabo is still figuring it out. But there's flash potential there

where Ajabo can do things that most edge rush prospects, they lack that kind of speed and explosiveness. So that's the, you know know it's like when you're looking you know you're looking around for like a great thing and you're like okay ajabo could be that great thing he's just not there yet but everything tells me uh that it's all there just needs to be unpacked unboxed and put together and i think that there's a lot of risk in that i'll be very fair here i think for as excited as i am about David DiGiapo there are guys like this that more often than not do not figure it out because it's really hard to beat NFL

tackles you know there's somebody like it one that I missed on and this is going way way back but look at Daniel Hunter I think he had four and a half sacks in 26 games his last two years of college and that is like laughable production for somebody that turned into one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. He was someone that it was all there. The length was exceptional. You know, the body type, the explosiveness. And he was able to put it all together at the next level after not being a first round pick, after being a day two pick. But there's just not many Daniil Hunters.

So, Jabo, I like that you gave the background because that gives you hope that he figures it out. And when you look at Jermaine Johnson, it's been a little bit of the opposite. He's had that long road where he did figure it out in college. He goes down to the senior bowl. He's unblockable. Like I said, he plays with more power. He can win the corner.

He can counter inside. So I think if you're looking to put somebody on the field for a good amount of this rookie season and get instant production a little bit, know more what you're getting, that'll be jermaine johnson if you're looking for you know a three-year window and trying to get an elite pass rusher somebody will go up there taking the home run swing uh for a job oh yeah no i think that that's that's definitely fair and it's going to be really interesting to see what the nfl does with this edge rush class because there are a couple

of other guys like david ojabo is one example i think trayvon walker from georgia is another example um drake jackson i would say and these are these are guys that we're going to talk about a little bit later in the podcast but like these are players that have really high ceilings that either you haven't seen yet or are more projections than normally you might be comfortable with the first round picks. And those guys still might end up going really high just because of the overall class of 2022. Like some NFL teams might look at this overall class and say hey this isn't my favorite class this isn't the best class it's not super deep and talented at the very top let's just take a chance on guys who are going to hit the home run and I'm just very curious to see how how teams evaluate this class and I think who goes first or how far the gap is between where David Ojabo

gets drafted and where J David Ojabo gets drafted and where Jermaine Johnson gets drafted is kind of going to tell you a lot. And it might kind of tell you how the rest of the draft is going to flow because these are two guys that, like you said, kind of have those backgrounds. Is there a player comp for any of these guys? Not to put you on the spot because I have one for one of them. So if you ever have a player comp, just feel free to throw them out out do you have a player i do for eat no for these guys i don't have comps yeah i i will say uh for at for edge rushers very much so because the way they change

their bodies so much for the nfl i lean on the combine heavily it's to come up with player comps but yeah but um i mean i'm curious to hear what you got here. So I'm excited. So this is this is this is one that I thought of right when I was initially watching Jermaine Johnson. So my thoughts a little bit different than when I wrote this one down. But I wrote for Jermaine Johnson, the Jacksonville Jaguars version of Jeremy Mincy. So Jeremy Mincy was like six foot four, 255, 260 pounds. He was this like bigger edge rusher, but you watch some of the best of Jeremy Mincy when he was in Jacksonville, he was this bigger, stronger five tech four, three defensive end kind of a guy who

would sometimes out of nowhere, just give you this burst and give you these pass rush reps that were kind of crazy. And I went back and I looked at his mock draftable profile and i think jermaine johnson's going to test a little bit better than jeremy mincey was but um i'm not like fully sticking on that comp i just wanted to throw that out there i know people love when you give kind of like comparisons of these guys and so that one was one that that came to me when i was thinking of jermaine johnson and it's a little bit different since the senior bowl but I wanted to throw that one out there because I know I know the good people love uh love anytime you can give a comparison I love me a throwback comp like I live for the throwback comp to the point where like if if I'm like just you know fiending for one I'll go down

a YouTube rabbit hole of like play NFL players from 20 years ago and be like I need I need one right now so I love to see that um and yeah it's Jabba is going to be a fascinating the comps for him are going to be fascinating yeah I didn't have a good one for him neither and it kind of goes down to like how much will he change his body for the combine what are you you know I find it interesting with pass rush player comps because and this could go for any position but especially pass rushers you can do the route of like what am i projecting him as in his fullest form or what am i seeing now going into the nfl because pass rushers change so drastically like there just aren't a lot of guys that are like the bosses or miles garrett or chase young that when

they come into the n, it's like, yeah, that's probably what they're going to be. And that's enough to be an all pro player. You know, a lot of times guys really do change their game. They work with better coaches on how to use their hands. They throw in some extra moves. So I think it's a job. I was going to be one of the hardest players to cop in this class

because some people will project him as a cop and some people will say, what is he now now and those are two very different things yep yep the combine it's funny because we're doing we're doing edge rush this week and a little sneak preview we're doing interior defensive line a week from now next thursday and uh we're doing these two positions right before the combine i don't know if that was good planning by us because edge rusher and interior defensive line are probably the ones that changed the most after the combine. So I guess you guys will get to hear a lot of stock up,

stock down segments here from these two groups. But yeah, we're putting our thoughts out there before the combine. So we're either going to look like geniuses or maybe people are going to call us out a little bit for it. Give us your number three. Who is your number three edge rusher in this class as it stands today pre-com? I'll say, I'll lead with this. This might be the player, at least defensively, that I am the most torn on in the entire draft.

And I have gone, like there's times where I'm like, I don't know if I would take him in the first round. There are times where I'm like, man, the Jets at four, if Hutchinson and KT are gone, I might have to think about this. That's very different. That's a big difference. That's a big difference. And this isn't like a, now when all said and done,

this is like more my September thinking, October thinking. Now I've come to a nice, concise decision that if, like all L.C. Falls, usually somewhere in the middle of your two spectrums of thought, the highest and the lowest forms. So for George Karloftis, number three for me, I just I almost didn't even get to the player. That's how like, you know, there's a lot going on in his brain about this player.

Karloftis is another guy that has an interesting background coming from Greece. You know, he hasn't been playing football since he was four years old or anything like that. There is a there is definitely a transformation that's gone on with him. And he was pretty good at Purdue since the second he's got there. And he's only gotten a lot better. But he's somebody that you can see over time, maybe even getting much, much better. I think, you know, in the Ajabo sense, there's a lot of untapped there.

Now, what I'll say with carloftis that has me kind of intrigued is i am fascinated by his testing numbers because while i do think the the meat and potatoes of his game is power hand usage uh really power and hand usage those are the two things to me i think he has a really nice first step i think that short area straight line explosiveness is there. I am wondering what the twitch flexibility and lateral short area looks like. There's times on film where I'm like, man, the change of direction could be better, right? And is this something that he can work on? He can get more flexible.

He can change his body. Often that's not the case. So with Karloftis, I think I like the floor because he knows how to use his hands he's a very strong player he's a relentless player and he is three down ready which makes you feel good I think he could play with his hand in the dirt I think he could stand up but is he gonna be a decent run defender and an eight sack guy, Trevor, or is he going to be a 14 sack pass rushing demon? And that's where I don't have that answer right now. He, these other four guys, I feel pretty good about what they're going to be with Carl Loftus. I am conflicted of, is there superstar potential or is he just going to be a really good player i mean his tape's so fun

man and i i do i i do know exactly what you're talking about because when you watch karlov this on tape i mean he's getting the aiden hutchinson treatment at some sure it's like why not they're double team in this dude they're triple team in this dude i mean like he is you know i love the motor he's so relentless six foot four 270 pounds he brings so much strength he knows what he's doing something i really love with george karloff this who is also my number three i'll say that that's why we're talking about so much here he is also my number three in this class right now he understands things so well he understands the hand placement he understands the leverage he understands when to when to bull rush when to get into a guy's chest when to attack the outside

shoulder he knows how to club rip he's got a mean push pull man if you aren't bringing everything that you got into him when he goes into your chest he's going to knock you so far back you're going to be in the quarterback's lap and your ass is going to be sacking your own quarterback if you don't bring if you don't bring absolutely everything you have that's how strong this dude is he's strong as an ox he understands pass rushing really well i think the biggest thing that's holding him back are those physical traits i think he's limited from a flexibility standpoint i agree with that from an arm length standpoint. Both of those things, I think,

are really what stand in the way from him being absolutely elite. Because if his arms were a little bit longer, man, I think he'd be able to long arm the crap out of you. And Karloftis with longer arms would almost be a cheat code. So maybe God was like, all right, we got to take it easy.

Hold on here. So we got to make it so these other football players survive a little bit. Because he just, he gets it. I's he's such a smart edge rusher he's such a relentless edge rusher this player is going to be a damn good pro for years and years and years and the comp that i had for carloftis and i don't know maybe i'm maybe i'm putting myself at risk of getting absolutely roasted here i have him as a more well-rounded even trey hendrickson and trey hendrickson we obviously saw him go to the saints and then um gets paid by the bengals i think he had a really nice season this past year and when you look at trey hendrickson you look at his mock draftable

and that's kind of i i thought of this comparison i was like okay let me go back and let me see the measurables let me see the testing let me see if this one fits and it actually does trey hendrickson at the combine when he was coming through six foot four 266 pounds so carloftis about six foot four 270 probably 265 is what he's going to show up out of the combine okay the arm length it fits 32 inch arm for trey hendrickson that's in the fifth percentile that was a big worry of trey hendrickson so that in the fifth percentile that was a big worry of trey hendrickson so that arm length is something that he is obviously overcoming the nfl to play really well that gives you hope that uh carloftis can be the same uh four six five 40 yard dash i'm

i i i have no idea what carloftis is gonna run but that was in the 87th percentile i could see right around there four six hundred hundred and twentyinch broad jump, 85th percentile, 7'0", 3'3", cone. The short shuttle and the 60-yard shuttle times were above the 90th percentile for Trey Hendrickson. So I really do feel like there is a path to where he could have a similar combine from what Trey Hendrickson did. And even if he doesn't have the exact kind of combine profile, I feel like they win similarly because these are due to with motor, with ability, with pass rush plan, they overcome the lack of length that you often need to play the edge spot. him at all whatsoever being worth a first round pick um and and especially i i would tell you a top 20 top 15 pick in this class i would tell you i don't know if he's gonna go top 10 who knows i don't know if the nfl is gonna be like hey give me david ojabo and his pass rush upside over a guy like carloftis that is to be seen but in this class here i'm very comfortable thinking that

you're gonna get a multi-year pro that is just going to be a steady Eddie for you as a 4-3 defensive end for a really, really long time. You can kick him inside on some long-distance third downs because he has that strength profile. He has that higher weight to him. So I think he's a versatile defensive lineman. He's going to be a great 4-3 defensive end. He brings so much to the table. And even without that arm length that makes him, say, a guaranteed top-10 pick, he's going to be a great 4-3 defensive end he brings so much to the table and even without that arm length that makes him say a guaranteed top 10 pick is going to be a damn good pro

i'm with everything you said there i think he's somebody that while as conflicted as you can be on how good is he going to be at the end of the day it feels good to watch a player and come to the conclusion i think he's going to be good i don't think he's there's any bust chance there and with karl loftus i don't i don't see a lot of bust potential like with it like to be good. I don't think there's any bust chance there. And with Karloftis, I don't see a lot of bust potential. Like, to be fully clear, like, a Jabo has bust potential because he's such an incomplete player right now, but he has so much promise. And I think with Karloftis, you'd look at him and go,

man, he doesn't have the special speed and flexibility that no Jabo has, but he does every little thing so right right now that i can't see him making it past the vikings at 12 like that was the floor i came to with him where it's like i i don't see him going i think he's a great fit for the giants early i think the ravens at what are the ravens pick 14 ravens are 14 i think that's like the the floor floor for uh for for carloftis like he's not getting he can't get out of the top 15 no way i'm with you all right well it's fun this is this is where it gets fun

wondering who might have hutchinson one who might have hutchinson two and vice versa with cave on tibido before we get to that i gotta remind you guys that uh pff.com edge subscription elite subscription that's where you can find all of your premium PFF data. And as you were listening to this podcast, you can get our NFL draft guide as well by going over to pff.com. If you don't have a subscription, use the promo code NFLSE for this podcast, NFL Stock Exchange,

and you will get 25% off anything. So you get that draft guide. You'll also get a fantasy football draft guide. When fantasy football season rolls around, you'll get the premium stats. You'll get the premium content. You'll get the premium content. You'll get all the betting tools. So much stuff.

You can check out what comes with an elite and an edge subscription. There's different price points for both of them, but either one, you get 25% off when you use the promo code NFLSE. Head on over to pff.com and do it. Conner's moment everybody's been waiting for. Are you going to have Hutchinson number one? You're going to have Kayvon Thibodeau number one. Let's get to it. Whonors moment everybody's been waiting for. Are you going to have Hutchinson number one?

You going to have Kayvon Thibodeau number one? Let's get to it. Who you got number two? I'm shocked we agree on this. And I'm glad. This is like a big, this might be a big unifying point of the pod right here. I'm going to have Aiden Hutchinson at number two. And this was a windy road to get here.

I will say there was a time during the season where i was watching him and i was just like this season is so good from him that it's going to be hard to not have him as the number one player number one player in the draft and when it's all said and done when you collect yourself you bring your you reel yourself back in you revisit the three years of tape with kt i still lean with tibideau is number one and let's just talk about the good with hutchinson let's not make this a him there is a lot of good with hutchinson there's a lot of good with aiden hutchinson and and i think he is going to be a real, I'm actually surprised how many times I do see people questioning his NFL potential or doubting his NFL potential.

Number one, I think he's going to have a really good combine in terms of Twitch, in terms of short area, the cone, the explosiveness. I wrote down best game at this, you know, Nebraska 2021.

He just was unblockable in that game. The scouting report for me, explosive with high energy and rounding out his pass rush plan, has the burst and speed to win the corner as a rusher. Strong hands help him gain leverage and play the run. Slowly showing power rush ability, speed to power, moves very well laterally for his size. So I think with Hutchinson, what he started to master really in the middle to the end of the season was he was starting to use his explosiveness off the ball, getting off the ball and rushing wide to make tackles over set. And then once he had them doing that, he knew how

to counter in. And that led to massive second half wins. And that is something that will carry over to the NFL level. So I look at Aiden Hutchinson and I think he's a no brainer for the Lions at two. Like I really do. I know that there's going to be a lot of debate between him and KT. They are a little bit different players. But with Hutchinson, there is a lot there that you know what you're getting. He's going to be really productive. He did take over a lot of games down the stretch big games down the stretch yeah you know for all the questions about him against georgia go watch the tape those are false narratives he was double teamed against georgia he had good reps against georgia this guy's the real deal and should be a top three pick hutchinson was awesome this year no doubt

about it and i have the same order i have hutchinson at two i have cave on tibideau at number one hutchinson measurements show six foot six 260 pounds maybe 265 pounds and so um it'll be interesting to see exactly what he comes into the combine but i wouldn't think that he's anything shorter than six five and i think that his weight's probably going to be somewhere in the 260s you're right man i mean 14 and a half sacks this past season for michigan uh one is was one of the best players of the year no doubt about it I mentioned with George Karloff does him getting the Hutchinson treatment what I mean by that is that you got a left you got a right tackle or a left tackle looking at you you've got the left or right guard peering his eyes in your peripheral just to see if you need help and then you probably got a

tight end or a running back looking at you to chip and help as well, because man, this guy's motor was unbelievable. And something that I'm really encouraged about when it comes to Hutchinson's pro outlook is how he has grown over the last three years. I remember watching Aiden Hutchinson three years ago, just as this long, good frame, versatile defensive lineman, didn't really have a home yet. He's playing with a lot of effort. You liked it. You were like, hey, you know, I kind of like this Hutchinson guy.

He's a really nice piece for Michigan, especially when they had, at the time, it was, you know, Quidipe was there. Josh Uche was there. I believe he was still there when Rashawn Gary was there as well. Can't remember if Maurice Hurst was there, if they overlap one year. I feel like they might have overlap one year. They might have.

Maybe if he was getting early early production so anyways i mean it was a talented michigan defensive line and hutchinson was kind of thrown in there it was like oh you know i kind of like this guy plays with a lot of heart comes in second season only plays two games last year going into this year i thought that hutchinson was probably like a fringe top 50 kind of a pick probably more of a second rounder than anything else. And then he just absolutely dominated. He looked like he took over with effort, with drive, with determination, but then so much more. I mean, he learned to put that long frame to the test.

He learned to put it to use. He went up against all sorts of offensive tackles that, you know, if they were more finesse offensive tackles, he was coming straight at your chest. If they were more power offensive tackles,, you know, if they were more finesse, offensive tackles, he was coming straight to your chest. If they were more power, offensive tackles, he was getting around. He was some sort of move, a push, pull a club, rip a swim, move, attacking on the inside, you know, something he was able to really give all sorts of offensive line benefits.

And I think he's absolutely fantastic. The comp that I have for Hutchinson, I know people have thrown a lot of these out there, and I've already seen this one. Some people have thrown this out, but I think he's a souped-up version of what Sam Hubbard was. And when you look at Sam Hubbard when he came through mock draftable, you're not going to be super impressed with the athletic testing, but the body and the frame is very similar. I think Sam Hubbard maybe had a little bit more weight on him,

but really it's all right there for him. I think Hutchinson's a little bit more lean, and with being a little bit more lean, I think he really it's, it's, it's all right there for him. I think Hutchinson's a little bit more lean and with being a little bit more lean, I think he's going to come a lot more athleticism. I mean it. When I say the words souped up, don't just tag me and say, Oh, Trevor thought he was Sam Hubbard, a third round pick. I said the word souped up. He's been in the body shop.

He's got the new engine. He's got all of that. And I think that he runs a lot more like a sports car than Sam Hubbard even does. But it's similar body profiles. And these are guys who aren't winning with a ton of twitch. But Sam Hubbard has even become a really well-rounded, I think, defensive lineman. And when you put even more athleticism into that kind of a player, you get what you've seen with Hutchinson over the last year.

So that's my comp there. And we can talk about Kayvon Thibodeau more in a second, but those are my Hutchinson thoughts with me having him number two. Yeah. I mean, listen, you just feel really good about what you're getting in the player, considering where he's taken his game. The fact that he's really athletic, especially in the short area, he's twitched up. He's got a fire that takes over in the second half. He's played in big games. He looks like he's spent summers with the bosses, with the handwork that he's done. The handwork for sure, man.

Michigan guys just have the handwork. I mean, like, Quinny Paye, Josh Uche, David Ojabo talked about how that's the main thing that he worked on. Hutchinson and how great his hand usage is now three years in. I mean, they're teaching the right stuff when it comes to the importance of hand usage there at Michigan. Yeah, I think they are. And you could see it.

And Hutchinson has talked about how, you know, when they got that Baltimore scheme, you know, implemented into it, he felt more comfortable playing in that a little bit more pin your ears back and go. Less thinking. But I think there are times where he does show really good ability

to contain when they ask him to really smart sideline to sideline player. Soinson man he's I mean don't know nobody's really overthinking him at this point I think everybody kind of sees him and KT in their own tier and I do I think that's KT and and Hutch in their own tier and then you have Karloftis and everyone after I don't think they're within these guys but let's get to number one. It's Kayvon Thibodeau. And he's kind of been the story lately in the draft world. You know, if he's not going number one or number two overall, everybody's freaking out for different reasons. It seems like Jacksonville knows they need help for the quarterback, but the Lions might want to take the local Michigan

player in Hutchinson, keep him in Michigan. You know, with Thibodeau, man, there's a lot to unpack here. One, let's just start at the baseline. Former top overall recruit produced instantly. Stepped on campus as a true freshman. Had dominant stretches as a true freshman. Used as a stand-up rusher and hand-in-the-dirt player. Good get-off. I think there's some bend and ankle flexion there.

I know that's been a talk that he you know i think the definition of bend has gotten it's a little all over the place right like there'll be one screen grab of a guy looks like he has been and everyone's like see he has been and it's like is there a consistency of that over week by week so i think that's become a hard talking point to digest is he actually bending or is he just getting pushed from the shoulder down and his his his hip is like i don't know moving like that because some people some people bring that up as well i know and now it's a dangerous world we're living in all right so tibideau he looks long and explosive to me on film like i don't really understand you know once

again there's been conversation maybe smaller than people thought these These are questions we will get answered at the Combine. But he looks long and explosive on film to me. Displayed a push pull and long arm moves. Those are, to me, I don't want to say advanced. But you're going to do that in the NFL. Like, if you're going to do a push pull or a long arm, like, you can do that and win that way in the NFL. And he's shown to be able to do that. He can win with the outside speed rush.

I mean, this guy's got it and he start he started to set up tackles with outside speed to counter later inside something I talked about Hutchinson earlier so Thibodeau to me I'll leave it like this Trevor and I talked about this a little bit on a show earlier this week with you it's because he's not Chase Young or Miles Garrett people are now now disappointed when, to me, it's Brian Burns. If he's Brian Burns, like, is that not exciting? Brian Burns is an awesome, awesome pass rusher. So I think this is, Kayvon Thibodeau has become a victim of two things. His own early success and that he is not the level of number one overall pick

we're accustomed to seeing with pass rushers in recent years. And I don't think that's fair to Kayvon Thibodeau because you cannot invent something in a draft class. You can't invent a Miles Garrett, and it goes to the quarterbacks. You can't invent a Trevor Lawrence or whoever it may be. This is just how the draft goes. You take what's there. And I will gladly take what Kayvon Thibodeau is for my team

if I'm picking in the top five. Yeah, I mean, you mentioned so many of the things that Kayvon does well. I think one of the issues that some people have is just the overall strength profile that he has, sometimes anchoring at the point of attack. Again, we talk about being a three-down defensive lineman. Even if he's more of a stand-up, outside linebacker type, if you want him in that role,

you still got to be able to hold the point of attack. You still got to be able to deal with strength well. There were times when I was like, okay, he's getting pushed around a little bit more than I would like a top five, top three overall guy to get pushed around. But I think that that's something that, man, it can be fixed with better hand placement or better just like consistency with leverage and things like that. It's not like I think he's weak.

I don't. And maybe you pack a couple of extra pounds on him. Maybe you get him in an NFL strength and conditioning program. And that kind of figures itself out because it's really not that glaring of a need it's just something that i noticed a little bit you mentioned some of the good things that he does you know you talked about a couple of his moves he's got a nice swim move he's got a nice push pull he knows how to use the long arm the long arm is something he goes too often which is great because he that's a that's a major move in the nfl when you can utilize having that that length

being able to create separation between you and an offense attack i think that's a that's a major move in the nfl when you can utilize having that that length being able to create separation between you and an offense attack i think that's really important something that really stood out for me with tibido and what gives me faith in him as maybe not faith validity i guess i'll say with him as my number one overall edge player is he does not have to jump the snap to get a really good first step and get even with the shoulders of the offensive tackle, just get straight around, be able to dip in bed and get to the quarterback. You know, when you look at guys like Hutchinson, there's, I, I,

I talked about all the things that Aiden Hutchinson does well, but if he's not jumping the snap, which sometimes is fine, I think jumping the snap gets kind of a bad rap because people go oh look he jumped the snap on that one he can't do it again okay do it again right that's not that's not against the rules it's like that's that's actually more of a positive than what some people you know right it's yeah it's it's a certified skill and you know what sometimes you know like like dude Shaq Barrett does that all the time Shaq Barrett for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers he jumps

the snap all the time he led the NFL in sacks when he had 19 and a half sacks or something 18 and a half sacks whatever it was a couple of years ago what am I gonna tell the guy he didn't have a good year because he was jumping the snap on a handful of them so I don't know what one I think that I I wasn't planning on getting that rant off of my chest but uh snap jumping snap jumping gets worse of a rap than it needs to because it is more of a skill than people give credit for but all that to say in the reps where say hutchinson is not jumping the snap where he does not get a good beat of when the ball is firing off to the quarterback's hands he is slower off the ball to explode whereas kevon tibideau at no point do you think that he's still off the ball not once even if he like even in some of the reps

where kevon tibideau might be like the last one out of his stance maybe he really just doesn't time it well boom dude's off the line scrimmage and he's even with the offensive lineman and he's still competing in a way that you could attack the outside shoulder because he has that kind of a physical athletic gift for burst off the ball so that's that is that is what really allows him to stand out for me above these other players is that burst and bend for a pass rusher are so so so important especially when you talk about guys who are drafted in the top 10 the top five the top three number one overall you have to be able to do those things you have to be athletically gifted in those areas cave on tibido is and at that point then you just get to go down the rest of the list and see what other boxes he checks for you but at the very top those are the two most important

traits for me and he checks both of those boxes. I'm with you all the way, man. You know, it was part of my summer notes. I just thought the first thing when I watched him and we do this draft cycle every year, right? We're like now we're deep, like you and I, especially because this is what we do. We're not traditional like NFL media, like going to cover the Super Bowl. And let me get a quote of like why Gerald Burroughs said like you and I live the draft tell the stories of the draft from pretty much when one draft ends we get going

on the other and Thibodeau was the guy after last year's class that you're always like god I can't wait to watch this dude like I cannot wait to watch this dude then you turn on the tape over summer and you just see insane tools and one last thing that that we didn't get to mention with traits that i've started to value more recently in scouting is you know because there's all this talk especially in analytics that you know our pressure is just as valuable as sacks and that whole conversation i think your strides to the quarterback really do matter because are you going to convert a high enough amount of your pressures to quarterback hits or sacks? And Thibodeau,

I love his long strides to close on quarterbacks. I think when he wins on a rush, he's got the long strides and bursts to finish the play. And I think that was something that was special about Brian Burns as well. So man, I, this, this pod is obviously team cave on Thibodeau. I will be the first to admit. And when you and I get home from India, the combine, I think we'll have a better read on this, a better feel on this situation. Right now it feels like he is not going to be a top two pick. And yeah, when I'm stacking a big board,

I don't know how I make my big board without him in the top two players in this draft yeah no i agree with you that's kind of where we stand right now and we're going to learn a lot of stuff from indianapolis we're going to have a lot of interesting things to report when we get to these podcasts after indy which is the first week of march by the way for everybody out there who didn't know when the scouting combine was i believe it is the for march the drills the drills the drills start march 3rd through the 6th i think is the four days that we have the drills that everybody watches on nfl network and cares about but uh the interviews with head coaches and general managers which is again where we learned a ton of stuff those start on march 1st so very very

excited about that let's give a shout out to some of the guys who we did not have in the top five. I guess I'll recap the top five. It's the same guys that we had. I had Jermaine Johnson at five, David Ojabo four, George Karloff is three, Aiden Hutchinson two, Kayvon Thibodeau one.

You had David Ojabo at five, Jermaine Johnson at four, Karloff is three, Hutchinson two, Thibodeau one. So who are some guys outside of your top five that either just missed the cut or that you want to make sure that you give a shout out to somebody you liked in film you just

didn't have in this group or who do you want to talk about first? It starts for me with Kingsley and I don't know if he'll be my edge six right like there's a lot of things I like about Arnold D. Bacchetti that could finish edge six obviously there's a lot of names and I don't I don't want to step on your toes because I know you have a lot of them and I don't I don't want to step on your toes because I know you have a lot of them as well so I'll start with Kingsley and Iqbare who might not be the most athletic might not be the most explosive guy might not be the most twitched up guy but man the dude just he finds ways to make plays and I think there was something to that in the SEC when you are strong and you know how to use your length and you know how to

keep hands off of you and that's been how Kingsley won in the SEC and that's how he went down to Mobile and won as well so when you look at the season he just had 45 total pressures four sacks 16 quarterback hits that's a lot of quarterback hits 16 uh 25 hurries and you know that that's a big time year for him he he knew how to beat tackles uh he knows how to win inside i think he he knows how to get his arms up in in passing lanes as well so i just i look at enigbare and go he's probably not a first round pick he's not athletic enough to be a first round pick but if you're looking for, you know, the Robin to your Batman on your pass rush front, he can be that guy on day two. He really can. He can come in and play across from a premier rusher, get the one-on-one matchups. And if you feel like your coverage is going to hold up long

enough, he's going to be able to keep hands off of him and keep working and close in the pocket. So Enigbare does not get the flash of the guys in the top five. He's not going to get the flash of those guys at the combine because he's not going to be at the top of the board for the testing. But just the tape test as a whole, he had some mammoth games, notably against Tennessee. I thought he held up against Georgia. So those really matter to me. And I think he's just a rock solid player on day two.

This is the player that we're going to disagree on the most on this episode because i didn't see it with the nick barry i i just didn't see it man and you know what my whole company probably disagrees with me as well because we had really we had kingsley innings bar in a bar a with like one of the highest pass rush grades in the country not not just in the SEC, not just for his own team, like in the country, we had him with a very, very high pass rush grade. We had some cupcakes on there. And so I went back and I watched his tape and you're right. I mean, he is, he is not the athlete that I thought that I was going to see.

South Carolina edge rusher for those who, who don't know exactly who Kingsley Enigbari is, six foot four, 260 pounds. So he's a little bit bigger of a defensive end. And man, I think he had a pass rush grade in the 90s. It was like an elite pass rush grade this past season. And so there were a lot of people talking about him around our building all year long.

And I finally popped on the film and I just, I didn't love it, man. Now there were times when Enigmari played well but I thought a lot of this stuff was honestly like it was a lot of cleanup production it was a lot of cleanup sacks and the hand usage was not as consistent as I needed it to be I mean the guy's got a good frame he's got good long arm potential but there were times where he just there were times when he would just run into the offensive tackle and almost like not even put his arms out. Like he just goes straight into the chest.

That's the Jeffrey Gunter. And I'm just like, you got the arm, man. Just put the arm out. Like you have the long arms to be able to do that. And that happened way more than I thought it was going to. I'll tell you what. It was either the Auburn game or the Georgia game. I cannot remember.

He was very slow out of the gate for that game which unfortunately was something i felt like was a theme in the in the four or five games i watched of him and he was just kind of like slow out of the gate and then something happened where he was finishing like the play was almost finishing and then i think somebody like shoved him super late and he got really pissed he got super pissed and he like got in this guy's face and Connor, like the next quarter and a half, he played with his hair on fire. Like he played, he woken up, he played out of his, he played out of his mind.

So I don't know if this guy needs to just get John Henderson before every game. And the trainer just needs to smack him around a little bit to get him pissed off because when he was angry, honestly, during that game, I got to go back and I got to figure out which game it was. When he got super angry, I actually really liked what I saw from him, and I could see him a little bit closer to what you were talking about. But just too many times, I did not see enough impactful snaps from him.

There were certainly a handful of times where he would use his length, he would use his strength, and he could use his overall ability to. The Tennessee game is one of them, man. he just straight bull rushes a lot of guys just get straight into the to the chest of them used his legs turned his legs out walks him straight back into the quarterback and go wow what a great pass rusher he's very like this guy is this guy's super strong and he was on those reps but there were too many times when i watched him throughout the rest of the game i just i just felt like he not that he was bad he just wasn't super impactful so i don't really know what to do with that and so that's yeah i i think i think we'll we'll we'll we'll disagree on uh on enigmare there for now he was um he was one of the lower

guys he was one of the lower graded guys that i watched i've watched 14 guys so far in the address group and he was one of the uh the lower ranked guys which I did not expect to be the case but that's uh yeah that's what I thought with so who are you looking at here just missed the cut so I have two guys that I wanted to highlight that just missed the cut well and I think that we we for sure need to talk about one of them and then the other one is kind of just like my dude who I've liked a lot throughout this process who I want to give a shout out to the one that i think we both need to talk about is trayvon walker the defensive end the the defensive end slash i was just going to say defensive lineman i think is just the tag that he's going to get from georgia now this guy is i mean strong as an ox you run into this guy and

it's like you're just sprinting into concrete man six foot five 275 pounds played for a Georgia defensive line that were national champions for a reason man it was it was Trayvon Walker it was Jordan Davis it was Devante Wyatt it was Jalen Carter it was just so many beasts on that Georgia defensive line and Walker was absolutely one of them he has a strength profile that not many in this entire class can match, man. He rarely loses at the point of attack. When he hits you with his hands, you feel it. It knocks so many different offensive linemen back, whether it's pullers, whether it's offensive tackles,

whether it's guards that he's going up against on the interior, they feel his presence. And even though he's only about 270, 275 pounds, it feels like he hits like a 300 pounder man that's what that's what it certainly looks like on tape and he is somebody who brings a really high athletic profile to his game and i say athletic because i think strength goes into that now i think that he's stiff i don't think he's super flexible i think the change of direction is something that worries me with him being a full-time pass rush defensive end kind of a player

because he really didn't have a lot of pass rush reps but that's what i wanted to bring up with trayvon walker i mean a good friend of ours dane brugler he works for the athletic he's got trayvon walker at number six overall in this class i've got tray i've got trayvon walker is my like sixth or seventh edge rusher you know and so i just and and dane says hey man bet on the traits this dude's an athletic freak and he's totally right there's so many different uh plays that you can point to where you just see incredible strength and some some some crazy twitched up ability from trayvon walker you just don't see that turned into a pass rush game.

And he wasn't asked to do a lot of that at Georgia. And so I definitely see that it could definitely change the NFL. But as of right now, you know, even if you plop Trayvon Walker into the NFL, you're not going to get a guy who's overwhelmed at the pro level. Athletically, he's going to have the speed. I think he's going to have the twitch and he's going to have the strength to be able to hold up and you can put him on the field right away,

but he doesn't have that pass rush plan. And I don't know if that's in the cards for him. It might be. It's just a pretty big projection because Georgia didn't ask him to do it. And he's going to be kind of doing it for the first time in the NFL. So you look at the tools and you say, hey, we're going to bet on the trades. We're going to draft this guy high. I've seen people put Trayvon Walker in the first round. I just can't get there right now. And maybe he's going to absolutely blow me away at the combine. And maybe the things that we hear at the combine is like, wow, you better get this guy in the first round I just can't get there right now and maybe he's going to absolutely blow me away at the combine and maybe the things that we hear at the combine is like wow you better get this guy in the first round and be like okay like I get it you're betting on the traits that's where the NFL is going with these guys this is a player who I wanted to bring

up in conjunction with David Ojabo because it's going to be a similar profile if we see David Ojabo go super high in the first round I've got a feeling that also tells us we're about to get Trayvon Walker in the first round because that's how the that also tells us we're about to get trayvon walker in the first round because that's how the nfl is viewing these guys not a ton of production not a ton of a pass rush plan he doesn't have a lot of moves doesn't have counters doesn't have a lot of experience pushing the pocket but he's a hell of an athlete so he's kind of just missed the cut for me because i'm not exactly sure how to project that kind of a raw pass rusher uh into the nfl i'm with you on Trayvon Walker. Number one, I couldn't figure out what show to put him in, number one.

Oh, this one or the interior one, you mean? Yeah, and I think you lean this way because you can kind of project him more as an edge rusher at the next level. Yeah, it's much more projectable than interior D-line. Now, the first thing I wrote into my notes with a question mark like i'm ron burgundy it was rishan gary question mark like oh where michigan used rishan gary obviously as hand in the dirt kicked him around a three tech and stuff like that and walker kind of is going to have this similar transition i would assume at the nfl level and I did not like Rashawn Gary as a top 15 pick now he is he has come a long long way because it wasn't looking great there for a while he really didn't do much his first

two years and I think he has started to figure it out especially in 2021 where I thought he was a totally different player so I think are you patient enough to go through that process with Trayvon Walker? Then you could probably warrant taking him at the end of round one. If you're not, he's not going to be the player for you. So I like that you brought him up because he's one of the most intriguing players in this draft. I personally don't like taking the gamble on those players in the top 15 picks. I would have a tough time selling him as a top 15 pick, but he's got,

he's got a lot of that, like bull in a China shop mentality where it's like, I'm going to run 800 miles an hour into your chest and it's going to hurt really, really bad. And then you're like, well, what if I could teach him how to do this instead on the edge?

And it gets exciting. So Walker's got to be brought up on this show um he he's a projection pick like and you said it like a jabo in a totally different sense of based on what they're good at but he is absolutely a pure projection pick uh another guy wanted to give a shout out to and this is this is my dude man dra Drake Jackson, the edge rusher from USC. This is my guy. He is 6'4", 250 pounds. I've been waiting on this guy to blow up because I think that he has the traits to blow up, and he just hasn't yet.

When you look back at his stats, I've got to pull him up here. I had him on a tab on a different window. Okay, five and a half his first year his freshman season only two pack the the following year in 2020 barely had a season they barely they barely had a season so that was a so i so i said to myself i was like this is it this is the drake jackson season they paid in 10 games he only had five sacks so look it's still not all there for him but man i just love his ability as a speed rusher i love him as an outside linebacker type he understands how to drop back into coverage as well so he could be a true three

four outside linebacker when we talk about traits and we've talked about traits a lot in this show i think he's the best bender in this class i think drake jackson can fire off the ball really well with a long frame a lot of speed he can come off the edge he can disengage the hands and he can dip and bend right around offensive tackles consistently at his best if we were doing that exercise you know we've heard before it's like oh show me a quarterback's best five throws and i'll tell you what i need to know about him if you put drake jackson's best five pass rush reps against the rest of this class i bet he could hang at the very top i would agree

like i bet there are some people who would be like give me that guy like give me drake jackson and so you just we need to see a little bit more of that in terms of comps shoot man you mentioned brian burns uh for cave on tibido i thought about brian burns for drake jackson but jackson he's just not as strong as brian burns was coming out he's got that length profile and i think when if you watch him through a brian burns lens you'll see him do a lot of brian burns things he's just not as strong as brian burns another one that i had that came to my mind is randy gregory because, because Gregory was another guy. He kind of had the similar frame, but Gregory was an insane athlete. And his mock draft was kind of crazy because he came into the NFL as an edge rusher at 235 pounds.

And Gregory's journey has obviously been all over the place. And we see him with the Cowboys now and he's fantastic, but he's added a lot of weight. So he's kind of transformed his body in that way. I'm not sure i love either of those things but those are the two players that kind of came to my mind when i watched drake jackson being his best so really good speed rusher if you want a player who specializes in attacking the outside shoulder who brings you those really coveted athletic traits flexibility bend burst off of the snap drake jackson can do that man so I had him kind of just

out of my top five there yeah he's someone that is fascinating he was projected to be a first round pick coming into the season like you said didn't have to break out a lot of people hoped for he probably takes on the award for me for player I most wanted to see literally on any other team like I just did the UFC team was just not what an award yeah yeah but sorry trey jackson that's why you left early um yeah i just this team it's it's hard to get a read on a guy like that where you know where was the coaching right this is someone that you said trevor when he came into the college level it's like oh it's all there now you just gotta improve the hand usage get stronger

uh play a little bit of a different game than just always being a speed and twitch guy and that never really changed you know you turn on the colorado game from that year i thought that was the best version we saw of him there's a couple reps where you can't get hands on him because the side to side quickness is so so efficient awesome yeah and that's exciting like that is something where i look at and go man tackles will have a tough time with him if he can do that at the next level but also not be as predictable so he had to be mentioned on this show because i he's another one that a lot of teams will not know what to do with him they're like okay and one more note on

him he doesn't turn 21 until the month of the draft so one of the younger players in this draft where that there's a lot to unlock there like do you want a and i need to fact check this i hate when i do this but like a jermaine johnson i think will be a 23 year old rookie and i he's great i love him or are you going to try to unlock something with a 20 21 year old drake jackson like there's these are the questions that I find so interesting with pass rushers that need to be answered. I'll give you one guy that it's not a just missed. He's not in the top 50 right now, but there's something intriguing about him, at least coming out of mobile. And that would be Boye Mafe from Minnesota. You know, it's, it's funny how week one can change your perception of a player. I watched that Ohio state game, like the rest of the world did with, you know, you're

just like, you're, you're just this big ball of electricity of college football takes and draft takes. You want it all in one game. And you watch Boye Amafe against Ohio State in that game and you're like, wow, he really did nothing. And then you almost, and this is a bad habit, but you kind of put him in the rear view for too long after that. And he picked it up throughout the year and went down to Mobile and showed that he's explosive, showed that he's starting to figure it out with his hands, starting to chop down offensive tackles hands off of him and turn his body into the pocket.

So I want to see how he tests because if he blows up the combine, and I believe he's been a Bruce Feldman's freaks list before, if he goes into the combine and I believe he's been a Feldman's uh you know Bruce Feldman's freaks list before if he goes into the combine and really blows it up for the lack of production over the total four-year stretch for Boye Mafe as much as this year was pretty solid especially after that Ohio State game I think there's a lot of intriguing traits in his game where he's not a first round pick right now for me he's not a top 50 pick although a good combine changes that really quick he kind of got lost in this crowded group of edge rushers this year you just said that he was on felbin's freak list so i i googled it while you were while you were finishing your point felbin says he has a 40 and a half inch oh it's nutty yeah what what yes if there's any validity to it uh he's going to be like maybe the guy coming out of the

combine everyone's like whoa so he so he came into the senior bowl six foot three 255 pounds yeah they had him about six four 260 listed on uh on minnesota's website so that actually checks normally you take an inch off and about five pounds off when you look at school websites, 40 and a half inch vert would be pretty crazy. Then he also has a, Feldman had recorded a 10, six broad jump, a four,

five, seven, 40 yard dash, a one, five, eight, 10 yard split, a four,

three shuttle can power clean 400 pounds, squat 653 pounds. Wait, 653? What are we just adding three pounds now? Are we just going like pound and a half? Are we just like chucking those bad boys on there? I guess he's lifting with kilos. It's the only thing I can think of.

Oh, you're right. If you're in college lifting with kilos, you're a certified psycho in a good way. I didn't touch a kilo till I was like till I was like 28 and I was like I don't need to do this math no thanks no so uh I'm glad that you brought Boye Mafia up he's a good good last dude to kind of highlight here because I liked him as well man I think that after you know Trayvon Walker and Drake Jackson we talked about the tiers that we have there in that next bucket I have guys like Arnold Ibikede I have Mike Jai Sanders and then i have boy a mafe and those those guys are all kind of right there it's a little bit of pick your preference you know if you want a leaner maybe a little bit longer guy a guy who

wins a little bit more off a burst is more of a lighter speed rusher you're probably going to go with uh arnold evocate if you want a guy who's a little bit more well-rounded guy who's got a lot of good hand usage as well i think you'll go with boy mafe and then the last guy machai sanders man he's so technical if you want a player who's more refined if you want a guy who understands pass rushing with a plan who has multiple moves who knows how to set up offensive linemen has not just pass rush moves but also pass rush counters for a lot of different situations you're probably going with uh cincinnati's machai sanders so those are three dudes who are we're in that next tier that next little bucket i wanted to make sure that i mentioned a couple of those guys but

mafe is a really good example so i'm glad that you brought him up there i don't know is uh it i'm comfortable ending on that one if you want to end on that one we'll probably have a lot more gems for the edge rusher after the combine but those are i mean we we nailed like 10 of the guys from this group man we'd be here all day if we if we want to we nailed like 10 of the guys from this group man we'd be here all day if we if we want to like do the rest of the edge class i for everybody that you know like and i i love it when you guys tweeted us like oh what about this player that you didn't mention on the show like we're gonna get there in march and april like you know we didn't talk about d'angelo malone today we there's plenty of players we didn't get to talk about this

is a deep deep deep edge class. It's loaded with a lot of different talented players. So, you know, we're going to get there, but this is a great start. This is the foundation. We gave you the top five, a lot of guys that missed the cut. The combine is going to bring up a lot of new names, but I think this is a great foundation for one of my favorite edge classes in terms of volume that we've seen in a while. Yeah, a lot of really good guys. A lot of guys that are going to litter the first round, the top 50, the top 100. Man, it's going to be dominated by a lot of these trench players.

And it's going to be a lot of these edge names that we brought up here and even more, which we're going to learn after the first week of March when we get to the Indianapolis Scout and Combine. There we go. That's the Thursday ranking episode. Enjoy the weekend, everybody, even though it's the first weekend that we're not going to have football. Hopefully you guys can enjoy it anyways. We will see you guys bright and early first thing on Monday morning. Thanks for listening to the NFL Stock Exchange podcast. Thank you.