EDGEs | 3-4 OLBs
There were eleven EDGEs taken in the 2020 draft. Six of those selections were in Round 3, showing that there was some strong depth of guys who weren't great, but pretty darn good. At this juncture, it looks like the 2021 draft class is weaker by comparison.
1) Joseph Ossai | 6'4 | 245 | EDGE | Texas
9/12 - UTEP - Ossai was adept in all facets, showed his value as a rusher and off-ball LB. He notched 8 tackles.
9/26 - Texas Tech - Ossai only posted 2 tackles, 2 PDs on the stat sheet, but he had a solid outing. He swarmed the LOS well and played with a frenetic pace. He kept Tech honest and appeared to be a guy they routinely accounted for in their offensive scheming.
10/3- TCU - Ossai looked the part in this one. He had 11 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 1 sack. He showed good bend running the arc, but his motor is what really stood out. He fought through blocks all night, kept opposing blockers honest.
10/24 - Baylor - Ossai had a solid game. While he posted just 3 tackles, he was bothersome at the LOS and showed off some good tenacity and ability as a pass rusher. Against the run, he stood ground well and didn't get washed out.
10/31 - OK State - Ossai did have a very good game in one respect, but not so much in another. On the plus side, he played with frenetic intensity and was a bear to handle when he was free of the block. One can't ignore that within his eye-pooping 12 tackles, 6 were TFLs, 3 sacks. When given some capacity to roam, he worked through traffic and closed in on the ball very well. That said, when he had to go head up against RT Teven Jenkins, he simply couldn't handle the power and mauling ability of the monstrous OT. Ossai had to operate in a "jack" role to really effective.
2) Azeez Ojulari | 6'3 | 240 | EDGE | Georgia
10/10 - Tennessee - Ojulari shined. He posted 5 tackles, 2 sacks. He first step and quickness through his turn was amazing. He was simply too athletic to keep at bay.
10/17 - Alabama - Ojulari had a very nice game. He showed very good bend when running the arc, used his hands well to fight blocks while keeping his outside shoulder free when in a contain assignment. He played at a frenetic pace and was a challenge to block. He had just 2 tackles, but his talent was easy to see.
11/7 - Florida - Ojulari showed some good edge bend couple with a good motor, but he failed to make an impact in this game overall.
3) Shaka Toney | 6'3 | 252 | EDGE/DE | Penn State -
10/24 - Indiana - Toney had an impressive game. He lead his team in tackles with 7, all of which were solo. He notched 2 sacks, and while they came late in the game they showcased just how dangerous he can be. He ran the arc with fantastic bend and technique, looked very polished as a rusher. He was stout against the run, rarely gave up much ground to much bigger blockers.
10/31 - Ohio State - Toney showed good bend around the edge and held his own at the LOS against the run. His near sack in the 4th quarter showed what he's able to do as a pass rusher.
11/14 - Nebraska - Toney had a down game. Nebraska optioned off of him and/or ran straight his way and found success doing so multiple times. He would either knife inside too hard, or go too wide. In some instances, he should've stacked and bottled the run up, but he seldom did so.
After looking very promising as a Freshman, Toney has gotten better each season. He's put on some much needed weight through the years without losing much if any quickness.
4) Hamilcar Rashed Jr. | 6'2 | 235 | EDGE | Oregon State
11/7 - Washington State - Rashed showed good edge quickness couple with some bend, but he underwhelmed in terms of creating real pressure. While he looked better going against the LT, the RT Abraham Lucas allowed nothing.
11/14 - Washington - Rashed showed a good first step off the snap and showed some initial power when taking on blocks. However, he was hemmed up too well too often for him to really make any kind of impact. There were a few decent gains to his side, evidencing that he may be more suited to operate just on passing downs where he can pass rush.
5) Joe Tryon | 6'5 | 265 | EDGE | Washington
6) Jordan Smith | 6'6 | 250 | EDGE | UAB
9/12 - Miami - Smith was active with 9 tackles, 2 TFLs. While he did chip in, he looked lighter than his listed weight, lacked girth. He showed some bend as a pass rusher and was able to slip some blocks, but he looked one-dimensional at times. His one trait looked pretty good when on though, a player I could see big things from.
7) Quincy Roche | 6'3 | 245 | EDGE | Miami
9/12 - UBA - Roche had a very lopsided game. He manned the LDE spot and was clearly out of position playing DE vs. OLB. He was overwhelmed against the run countless times, simply didn't have the strength nor size to set the edge. As a pass rusher, he ran the arc quite well and was able to apply pressure with consistency.
9/19 - Louisville - Roche had an underwhelming game. Yes, he posted 2.5 TFLs, but those were mostly manufactured. There were too many times where he was washed out of run plays, completely leaving the "C" gap open.
10/17 - Pittsburgh - Roche came off the edge well and kept his motor running throughout this game. He had 7 tackles, 4 TFLs. He swarmed the LOS quite well.
10/24 - Virginia - Roche showed some good twitch and moved well. While he wasn't real stout at the point of attack, he fought blocks well. He posted 4 tackles.
11/14 - VA Tech - Roche was very limited in this one. He stayed on the right side, drew Darrisaw all game. The very good OT shut him down, showing that a lot of Riche's hype and praise has come from beating less than stellar guys that won't be playing on Sunday's. He's clearly and athletic kid with promise, but his ceiling is lowered by him not having a power play in his arsenal.
8) DeAngelo Malone | 6'3 | 235 | EDGE | Western Kentucky
9/12 - Louisville - Malone had a good game, played to his strengths. While he did appear to be on the small side, he did his level best against the run and wasn't easily washed out. He did a very good job of knifing through blocks and pressing edges to get into the backfield. He showed good athleticism doing so. He posted 8 tackles, 3.5 TFLs.
10/10 - Marshall - Malone showed well off the edge and swarmed the LOS well. He amassed 8 tackles, 1 TFL. However, he could do little against the great LT, Josh Ball.
9) Patrick Johnson | 6'3 | 255 | DE | Tulane
10/10 - Houston - Johnson showed some nuance as a pass rusher coupled with the ability to drop in space and cover some ground. He wasn't real explosive and wasn't great at any one thing, just well-rounded. He posted just 1 tackle, but it was a sack.
10) Wyatt Hubert | 6'3 | 258 | EDGE/DE | Kansas State
9/12 - Arkansas State - Hubert came off the edge with speed and power. While he didn't make much of an impact, notching just one tackle that was a sack, he showed his value. He occupied the edge on his size, demanding attention.
9/26 - Oklahoma - Hubert had a real solid game. He fired off the edge going 100 mph, really challenged Ealey a number of times. While he did notch a sack, he rode himself wide of the pocket too often on his arc rushes.
10/3 - Texas Tech - Hubert showed a good upfield burst off the LOS and a good motor to match. He posted 1.5 TFLs and was troublesome at times up front.
10/10 - TCU - Hubert had a somewhat quiet game, posting just 3 tackles. He showed good burst off the line though, played with strength.
11) Jeffrey Gunter | 6'4 | 260 | EDGE | Coastal Carolina
9/12 - Kansas - Gunter was up and down, but not for lack of talent. He was to quick to knife inside of the OT, but left the outside open against the run and pass on times. He played aggressively though and showed some ability to drop and cover in space as well. Overall, he got into the backfield enough to draw some serious attention.
11/21 - Appalachian State - Gunter had a very good game. He kept his motor running hot all game, gave his opponents fits. He was solid against the run while showing some good pass rush abilities. He posted 8 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks.
12) Malcolm Koonce | 6'3 | 250 | DE | Buffalo
11/4 - Northern Illinois - Koonce had a solid game. While he underwhelmed wearing the true DE hat, he flashed more than once playing out of a 2-point stance and pinning his ears back. He looked like an accomplished rusher with good moves and quickness to beat OTs, dipped around the edge well. He had 8 tackles, 1 sack.
13) Jeremiah Moon | 6'5 | 230 | EDGE | Florida
10/3 - South Carolina - Moon was in on 5 tackles, had 2 QB hurries. It didn't appear that Moon was out there on a routine basis, but he showed in flashes when he was. His quickness and ability to beat blocks was noticeable.
10/31 - Missouri - Welcome back Mr. Moon. He quietly paced his team in tackles with 6, also had 1.5 TFLs (1 sack). He showed very good quickness off the edge, able to slip blocks. He also dug his heels in on the edge and was more stout in contain than what I've seen prior.