Other Positions: QB | RB | WR | TE | DT | Edge | LB | CB | SAF
Ahead of the Combine, we’re doing a preview scouting of all the prospects we haven’t previewed at the Senior Bowl or East-West Shrine. We’ll grade the fresh Combine prospects and integrate them with our Senior Bowl and East-West prospects/grades into one ‘big board’, ranked with all the players invited to Indy for 2022.
After the Combine, we’ll start doing the actual numeric grades and doing the deeper dive reports on the top prospects and prospects of interest from all levels).
EDGE Travon Walker, Georgia (Pre-Combine scouting grade: B+/A-)
Measurable Estimate = 6’4”/265
Pre-Combine Notes = Boy, he’s a good-looking athlete. Really nimble…especially at his size. Can speed rush the backfield but also drops into coverage well too. I watched him against Evan Neal and Ikem Ekwonu, and he was flustered by them…but they’re both great OLs. On his other tape vs. Arkansas and Mizzou, etc., he was hard to contain…and double-teamed from time-to-time.
Oh, and he’s another edge guy WAY better than Kayvon Thibodeaux.
NFL Comp? = He might have some Josh Allen/JAX in him.
EDGE George Karlaftis, Purdue (Pre-Combine scouting grade: B+/A-)
Measurable Estimate = 6’3”/260
Pre-Combine Notes = Arguably the preeminent pass rush prospect in this draft. Excellent feet and movement skills. A little smaller than you like for a DE, but if he gets to the QB – who cares? Lower sack totals but high QB pressure/hits.
I watch a guy like Thibodeaux or even some of Hutchinson, and they have a sack in a game…and then on the other 50 plays they maybe get one or two other good pressures. Karlaftis will have a game with a sack and then have 4-5-6-7 other near miss/pressures/disruptions in the game. I see offenses planning on Karlaftis (double teams, run game at) more than they do Hutchinson or Thibodeaux (for example)
NFL Comp? = If the measurables come in close, he might have some strong Nick Bosa vibes.
EDGE Boye Mafe, Minnesota (Post-SB scouting grade: B+)
*Pre-Senior Bowl scouting grade: B
Estimate = 6’4”/260
SB Measurements: 6’3.4”/255, 9.7” hands, 33.3” arms
Post-SB Note: Came in our #1 ranked pass rusher of the SB group (and no one else’s) and left as some people’s new #1 pass rusher of this group. Mafe is a legit pass rusher – WAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY more gifted than Kayvon Thibodeaux. It’s not even close. Mafe is just a natural, athletic, gifted pass rusher. Just a bit shorter than you like in an edge guy.
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Pre-SB Note: The best raw/natural pass rusher I’ve seen in my Senior Bowl 2022 previews. He has excellent feet, but also has some technique to him – instead of these guys all either trying to speed around a blocker, or bull rush them backwards…Mafe has actual technique and moves and great usage of his hands. He’s very agile, shifty to dance and fake past blockers. He’s a real prospect for the edge for the NFL.
NFL Comp? = A way better Dante Fowler. Maybe Harold Landry is more appropriate.
EDGE Drake Jackson, USC (Pre-Combine scouting grade: B/B+)
Measurable Estimate = 6’4”/250
Pre-Combine Notes = Good-looking edge prospect…I mean that, he just has that ‘look’. Good frame, muscular/toned body with long arms and long stride legs. He looks like an NFL edge rusher, and he has the speed/acceleration to be one as well. His negatives are – no real pass rush moves, just him trying to speed by everyone…which he is pretty successful at regardless.
Didn’t have a ton of stats/sacks in college…but he drops into coverage some, and he sees some double teams. He’s one who is better than his surface stats show. If he learns his craft a little better, he could be a Pro Bowl type edge rusher.
NFL Comp? = Brian Burns…we’ll see if he has similar speed/agility to go-with.
EDGE Tre Williams, Arkansas (Pre-Combine scouting grade: B)
Measurable Estimate = 6’5”/250
Pre-Combine Notes = One of my favorite sleeper/lower-rated prospects of the 2022 NFL Draft. He has some 1st-round edge rush talent, to me. He’s a big dude off the edge…aggressive, nasty, high effort (in what I saw). Could hardly be blocked one-on-one and that’s as a 3-4 DE, which is very much a disadvantage to his output.
Maybe I’m missing something on his background (4 years at Mizzou, then transfer to Ark. for his final season) but he looked good on tape in both places to me.
NFL Comp? = Has some Danielle Hunter in him? Some Brian Burns? Ross Jacobs said, at his first watch…some Demarcus Ware?
EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan (Pre-Combine scouting grade: B/B-)
Measurable Estimate = 6’5.5”/265
Pre-Combine Notes = Cut weight to play 4-3 DE in 2021, down from his 280 pounds as a 3-4 DE prior…and he looked much better doing so and had a career year 2021. I think there might be an issue with his ‘get off’ on the snap…and that’s a huge deal trying to judge elite v. good v. decent as an edge guy. He could be a Maxx Crosby…or a Carl Nassib, as an athlete. We’ll see what the Combine says.
Either way, you’re getting a hard worker, great teammate, great ‘face’ (look, speech) to represent the team with the media. He won’t bust…I just don’t know if he’s worth a top 10 pick or not. The Combine is the next/HUGE clue.
NFL Comp? Maxx Crosby or Carl Nassib.
EDGE Jermaine Johnson, Florida State (Post-SB scouting grade: B-/C+)
*Pre-Senior Bowl scouting grade: C-
Estimate = 6’5”/260
SB Measurements: didn’t get measured
Post-SB Note: Was the star of the show for many observers. I thought he was really good in flashes, but not the best of the bunch here. Maybe I’m just not seeing it – but I don’t see the star power everyone else does yet. I see hope, upside, flashes of it…but not ready to go as high as the consensus – but I’m willing to be wrong at this point. Perhaps, the Combine will change me…or not.
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Pre-SB Note: Strange scouting. 17.5 TFLs/11.5 sacks in 12 games in 2021. Had a 5.0 TFL/3.0 sack game vs. Miami, Florida. But I watched a reel of all his sacks…and nothing is all that impressive. He’s strong. He doesn’t quit on his pass rushes/plays/snaps. But many of his sacks are where QBs ran in his direction trying to escape, or Johnson just strong-armed his way in range and got hold of the QB. There were no ‘wow’ pass rush moments for me…but then he keeps making plays in the backfield…but then you watch him and he runs like he’s got a broken hip/very stiff. A lot of conflicting scouting things to process further.
NFL Comp? = Darrell Taylor?
EDGE DeAngelo Malone, W. Ky (Post-SB scouting grade: B-/C+)
*Pre-Senior Bowl scouting grade: B
Estimate = 6’4”/240
SB Measurements: 6’3.2”/234, 10.2” hands, 33.0” arms
Post-SB Note: Accounted for himself well in Mobile. Showed well as a pass rusher and athlete. The only real hit was his coming in a bit smaller than expected.
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Pre-SB Note: He’s so slippery, so slithery getting past blockers – 59.0 TFLs, 32.5 sacks, 8 FF in his college career. It doesn’t look like he’s moving fast at first, but he can cut/zig zag around blockers so easily it gives him a bit of a superpower getting to the backfield. Whether he can do that against NFL-level blockers consistently is the question. The Senior Bowl will be a big hint at it.
NFL Comp? = Some Harold Landry.
EDGE Myjai Sanders, Cincinnati (Post-SB scouting grade: B-/C+)
*Pre-Senior Bowl scouting grade: B-/C+
Estimate = 6’4”/250
SB Measurements: 6’4.3”/242, 9.5” hands, 33.3” arms
Post-SB Note: Showed he was solid enough for the NFL here. Hung in with the big boys. Wasn’t the best of the week but was definitely good/solid. The Combine will be the next clue to whether he’s a ‘B’ or ‘C’, is still my mindset.
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Pre-SB Note: When I previewed Sanders in the summer, I thought he might be an ‘A’ level prospect. Watching his 2021 work, I’m taking a step back a bit. He’s billed as 6’5”/258 but I think he might be more 6’3”/250…we’ll see at the Senior Bowl weigh-ins.
He’s hard to scout because he’s miscast into a 3-4 scheme defense as a DE. He’s a 3-4 OLB, or 4-3 DE. As a 3-4 DE it takes away a lot of his opportunity, creates him more getting easily doubled by the guard-tackle combo.
Sanders is 110% energy. Great, agile feet. There’s something here but we need the measurables on size and speed to see if it is more ‘B’ or more ‘C’.
NFL Comp? = He could be like a Harold Landry, smaller but effective edge rusher…but we need the measurables more to fill-in the picture.
EDGE Sam Williams, Ole Miss (Ross J. Post-East/West Shrine Bowl scouting grade: B-/C+)
Estimate = 6'4”/260
Williams is likely going to test extremely well at the combine, and while he was a productive player at Ole Miss, his play on the field doesn't always mirror that athleticism. He's strong, fast, and can be explosive but he's also a little stiff and doesn't play with great technique. He's the kind of player that looks like a for-sure 1st rounder on paper but probably goes a bit later because he hasn't put it all together yet.
NFL Comp = Odafe Oweh
EDGE David Ojabo, Michigan (Pre-Combine scouting grade: C+)
Measurable Estimate = 6’4”/240
Pre-Combine Notes = Lightning quick, sleek pass rusher…a standup edge, probably 3-4 OLB edge guy who can cover and pursue. Not the greatest pass rusher…just fast. Wasn’t helped by Hutchinson…if anything, Hutchinson was helped by Ojabo taking on the left tackle all the time.
NFL Comp? Josh Uche
EDGE Arnold Ebiketie, Penn St (Ross J. Post-East/West Shrine Bowl scouting grade: C+)
Estimate = 6'2”/250
Not a super high-end athlete but a very solid and crafty pass rusher. Does a great job with his hands to snake his way around blockers. Might have a little trouble as a run defender in a 4-3 and will fit best as an OLB in a 3-4.
NFL Comp? = Uchenna Nwosu
EDGE Kingsley Enagbare, So. Carolina (Post-SB scouting grade: C)
*Pre-Senior Bowl scouting grade: B/B-
Estimate = 6’3”/260
SB Measurements: 6’3.6”/261, 10.3” hands, 35.0” arms
Post-SB Note: I hoped he would have stood out more in Mobile, instead he got surpassed by several edge prospects. He’s losing momentum. He’s worthy of drafting for his body/upside, and we’ll see more what the Combine says – but his 1st-round hopes are pretty well dead. His 2nd-round hopes have caught a cold too…
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Pre-SB Note: Didn’t look like he got any better 2020 to 2021 season. I thought he might be an ‘A’ potential prospect when I previewed some of his work in the summer of 2021 but looking at more preview tape here…not totally captivated as I was in my brief look last summer. He’s a very raw, very athletic EDGE rush prospect who could develop into a nice NFL pass rusher. There are nice tools here. I just don’t feel/see the greatness here yet, but it could develop.
NFL Comp? = Maybe a poor man’s Azeez Ojulari hope.
EDGE Christopher Allen, Alabama (Pre-Combine scouting grade: C)
Measurable Estimate = 6’3”/250
Pre-Combine Notes = Was the starting 4-3 DE/edge rusher for Alabama most of 2020…13 TFLs, 6.0 sacks. His 2021/senior season he was primed for a big year and likely a nice draft stock – but he fractured his foot opening day and missed his entire season.
He’s a good/legit, powerfully built, nice movement skills edge rusher that could be a 3-4 OLB in the pros…I’m just shocked he’s fallen so far in pre-Combine draft rankings (like a #200-300 prospect) just because he fractured his foot. He went to ALABAMA for goodness sakes! I thought that meant something. It should – he’s good, he has upside. We’ll see if he runs at the Combine or not…he tried and almost got back for the title game this year but didn’t make it.
NFL Comp? = Might be a better Charles Harris.
EDGE Michael Clemons, Texas A&M (Post-SB scouting grade: C-)
*Pre-Senior Bowl scouting grade: C
Estimate = 6’4”/265
SB Measurements: Did not attend
Post-SB Note: Did not attend
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Pre-SB Note: Good movement skills for his size. Very raw, very spastic pass rusher show might be something if he adds pass rush skills and technique to his physical gift. He has upside. The Combine could really give him a boost.
NFL Comp? = Maybe has some Josh Sweat erratic flashes in him.
EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon (Pre-Combine scouting grade: D+)
Measurable Estimate = 6’3”+/245
Pre-Combine Notes = He’s mostly undraftable for me…
1) I see so many other edge rusher prospects who are as or more physically talented – Thib isn’t tall or hulking or really quick…or anything amazing.
2) See my full report on him…he’s a ‘motivation’ problem, as Todd McShay first broke/leaked. Only, I don’t know that McShay went far enough. He’s not a grinder…or all that interested in football – for the money he is going to command.
3) I would never spend real money on him to find out he does (or doesn’t) have a motivation problem (on top of a talent mediocrity). Later round pick? I guess. Top 5-10-20? No way.
NFL Comp? You hope he’s a Jerry Hughes…sluggish start to a career then matured and became decent for years. Dee Ford…never lived up to his 1st-round hype.
EDGE Cameron Thomas, San Diego State (Post-SB scouting grade: D+)
*Pre-Senior Bowl scouting grade: D+
Estimate = 6’4”/270
SB Measurements: 6’4.2”/239, 9.2” hands, 33.7” arms
Post-SB Note: Didn’t catch my attention one way or the other this week. Didn’t finish the week either. No grade change.
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Pre-SB Note: Energy and passion…he’s an ‘A’ with effort. Plays with his hair on fire and could make it in the league by sheer passion and aggression. However, he’s a bit of a statistical head fake because nice output…but most of it with him lining up as a DT and being a ‘too fast to keep up with’ undersized DT. He’d get swallowed up or blown back in the NFL, but in college you can be 265-270 and play DT. When he’s playing a more traditional DE/edge, he’s not as productive, not as dominant, he’s easier to keep up with.
He’s not a high-end edge. He’s not the greatest 3-4 DE projection. He’s too small for a DT for the NFL. He’s going to have an issuer finding a spot and then being productive at it in the NFL…but by sheer ‘will’ he may hang in the NFL.
NFL Comp? = Carl Nassib, Hercules Mata'afa – a combo hybrid of them.
EDGE Tyreke Smith, Ohio State (Post-SB scouting grade: D+)
*Pre-Senior Bowl scouting grade: D+
Estimate = 6’3”/260
SB Measurements: 6’3.0”/245, 10.4” hands, 33.6” arms
Post-SB Note: Came in lighter than projected. Cut weight to boost speed. Wasn’t bad, but nothing that stood out during the week.
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Pre-SB Note: Has the look of legit edge rush prospect, but then you look at his college career and it is ‘nothing’…injuries and low output. He has the look and body, and went to Ohio State, so he gets a look in Mobile.
NFL Comp? = Chris Smith?
EDGE Amare Barno, Va. Tech (Post-SB scouting grade: D+)
*Pre-Senior Bowl scouting grade: C-/D+
Estimate = 6’5”/245
SB Measurements: 6’4.2”/239, 9.2” hands, 33.7” arms
Post-SB Note: I remember seeing him day one, but I don’t have a note on him otherwise. So, he definitely didn’t do anything to grab my attention. I’m pretty sure he left early, but they don’t like telling us those things, so we get it by hearsay, or someone has scoop…or nothing. Measurables disappointed a bit too.
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Pre-SB Note: Thin frame, thin lower body forces him to struggle with big tackles to muscle past. He is sleek and has that speed to chase and reach to grab out. He’s a body that can disrupt with speed but not if anyone gets in his way, he just doesn’t have the strength/bulk to pass rush consistently off the edge. He’s a good situational speed pass rusher potential, maybe. He’s worth being drafted as a ‘project’.
NFL Comp? = Slower Leonard Floyd.
DL Isaiah Thomas, Oklahoma (Post-SB scouting grade: D)
*Pre-Senior Bowl scouting grade: D
Estimate = 6’5”/266
SB Measurements: 6’4.6”/258, 10.2” hands, 33.8” arms
Post-SB Note: Slimmed down some to be more of an edge rusher in Mobile. It wasn’t great. Not awful, but still suspect to be drafted top 200. He needs to turn heads with speed/agility times at the Combine or he could go undrafted or 7th-round.
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Pre-SB Note: Played a lot as a 4-3 DT…an undersized and quick college DT who slithered through and made some plays. But when he worked on the outside edge, he looked slow and easily blocked away. Not impressed. He’s not going to be an NFL DT, he’ll be an edge and he’s too slow, too unimpressive there for the NFL.
NFL Comp? = Weaker Jihad Ward?
EDGE Jesse Luketa, Penn State (Post-SB scouting grade: D)
*Pre-Senior Bowl scouting grade: D+
Estimate = 6’3”/245
SB Measurements: 6’2.3”/261, 10.3” hands, 33.0” arms
Post-SB Note: Don’t remember anything about his week at the Senior Bowl, if that tells you anything.
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Pre-SB Note: Not impressed with my first viewing. I think he’s getting an unfair bump for ‘being a linebacker at Penn State’. Looks like he needs to fill his frame out more…skinnier arms than you’d like for an interior LB for the NFL. Doesn’t move all the quick. Plays with good energy. My first instinct here is = not excited.
NFL Comp? = Jordan Evans
EDGE Tyree Johnson, Texas A&M (Ross J. Post-East/West Shrine Bowl scouting grade: D)
Estimate = 6'3”/235
Smaller edge rusher that is almost certainly only a 3-4 LB in the NFL. He works hard and has pretty good feet, but his pass rush moves are limited and he doesn't seem to be able to change directions well, looks a little stiff. He'll be a rotational pass rusher and special teams guy to start his career.
NFL Comp? = D'Andre Walker
EDGE Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma (Pre-Combine scouting grade: D-)
Measurable Estimate = 6’3”/235
Pre-Combine Notes = Listed with the DLs, but really only has hope if moved to OLB. He’s a bit too small for NFL edge play. He was blocked out of play easily by good/decent college tackles. He has some size/speed to rush the passer in college with quickness, but he’s not that quick…and no power to fight blocks at all. Not a fan of what I’ve seen here twice in two years now.
NFL Comp? = Joe Batchie (meaning he should move to pure linebacker to have any hope in the league)
EDGE Jeffrey Gunter, Coastal Carolina (Pre-Combine scouting grade: D-)
Measurable Estimate = 6’3”/260
Pre-Combine Notes = Very slow get off, sluggish, poor balance ‘big guy’ edge who has been decent in the Sun Belt but doesn’t look like an NFL edge rusher to me.
NFL Comp? = Former teammate Terron Jackson, 6th-round pick of Philly 2021.
EDGE Dominique Robinson, Miami, OH (Post-SB scouting grade: D-/F+)
*Pre-Senior Bowl scouting grade: D-/F+
Estimate = 6’4”/250
SB Measurements: 6’4.5”/254, 9.4” hands, 33.4” arms
Post-SB Note: Just looked out of place to me as an edge rusher. I’m surprised he measured as big as he did – because he looked and played small. He’s still very raw.
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Pre-SB Note: WR for 2 years, converted to edge rusher the past two seasons. He plays D-End like a WR…no real instincts, arms flapping all over the place. I didn’t see anything here to get excited about. We’ll see if he can do something nice at the Senior Bowl to get our attention.
NFL Comp? = Player not making it in the NFL anytime soon.
