Which defensive ends will matter in the 2019 NFL Draft, and what’s the college perspective on all of the top prospects?
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Most of the star pass rushers and hybrid defensive ends in this class will fall into the Edge Rusher category – the tweener of linebacker and end.
Even so, the top three true defensive ends in this class are phenomenal prospects with perennial Pro Bowl talent and franchise-changing upside.
And then it all falls off the map a bit.
However, there hasn’t been this much high-end talent in the top three since 2011 when Aldon Smith, JJ Watt and Robert Quinn all went in the top 14.
15. Maxx Crosby, Eastern Michigan
6-5, 265: Very productive with the motor that’s always going, he was one of the key parts of the Eagle line in the turnaround over the last few seasons. He’s a bit lanky, and he’ll be erased by any NFL blocker who locks on, but he’ll be a tough cut in camp as he looks and plays the part of a pass rushing specialist.
Projected Round: Free Agent
14. Corbin Kaufusi, BYU
6-9, 275: With a massive frame and great length, he’s an intriguing prospect who has the frame to grow into an athletic interior pass rusher to go along with his toughness against the run. He’s overaged – he’ll be 26 by the start of the season – and his height is an issue, but there are just enough tools to take a flier and see if there’s a fit somewhere on a line.
Projected Round: Free Agent
13. Cece Jefferson, Florida
6-1, 266: The tools just aren’t there. A good college player, he’s too short, not quick enough, and underpowered for an NFL line – there’s just no position for him. He’s got everything you’d want in a lineman – other than the raw skills – with the want-to, the fight, and the attitude coaches will love. A coach will hate to cut him.
Projected Round: Free Agent
12. Michael Dogbe, Temple
6-3, 284: A strong all-around pass rusher and playmaker for the Owls, he came up with 72 tackles with seven sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss from his spot on the inside. He’s a bit too much of a tweener, but he’s athletic and just versatile enough to work on the end in any scheme.
Projected Round: Sixth
11. Jonathan Ledbetter, Georgia
6-4, 280: He’ll get a long look in a camp with good toughness for his size and the ability to hold up well against the run. He’s not an NFL pass rusher, and he’s a bit too much of a tweener to find a sure home at any one spot, but he’s a better football player than the tools – he might just be a late-round pick who’ll stick thanks to his versatility.
Projected Round: Sixth
10. John Cominsky, Charleston
6-5, 286: When a guy who checks in at almost 290 pounds rips off a sub-4.7 40, look out. He’s an athlete who bulked up big-time over the last few years, but now he needs to work into the tools. He needs a boatload of technique help, and he’ll need ay least a year to refine his game, but on straight athleticism he could and should be a playmaker right out of the box – and then he’ll figure it all out.
Projected Round: Fourth
9. Charles Omenihu, Texas
6-5, 280: With excellent speed and athleticism for a 280-pound end, he’ll get behind the line and he’ll be just good enough in any scheme to find a home. It’ll take a defensive line coach to polish him up, but there’s a whole lot to like and work with. Take him, give it a year or so, and there’s home run potential for a guy just around the edge of the top 100 picks.
Projected Round: Fourth
8. LJ Collier, TCU
6-2, 283: While he’s a bit short and squatty for a true end, and he’s not quite as athletic as many might like, he’s a tough guy run stopper who’ll do a lot of the dirty work. There’s nothing sexy about his game, and he’s not going to be a superstar for a line, but he’s purely a good football player who’ll bring the effort on every snap.
Projected Round: Third
7. Anthony Nelson, Iowa
6-7, 271: Tall, athletic, tough and productive, he’s a great pass rusher with the right athleticism despite his length, and he’s tough to get around as a tough run defender. He gets pushed around a bit too much, but he’s always bringing the effort and he still has room to get a whole lot better. There’s a chance he’s still scratching the surface.
Projected Round: Third
6. Joe Jackson, Miami
6-4, 275: Really, really tough for his size, someone will reach a bit to get him, but there’s a reason. He’s not going to be for everyone as a pass rusher – there’s little to no polish – but he’ll beat up everyone in front of him to make a play. Blow off what you think a speed rushing defensive end should be, and enjoy the production with his unique style.
Projected Round: Third
5. Zach Allen, Boston College
6-4, 281: A good athlete who came up with an ultra-productive career, he did a little bit of everything for the Eagle line over the last three seasons.
You want him to get in on every play? He made 100 tackles as a junior and generated 61 more last year.
You want him to get into the backfield? He amassed over 40 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks over the last three years as a consistently disruptive force.
You want a leader of the line? He’s a strong leader who can work in any scheme and find a way to produce.
There’s a little too much tweener in him – he’s built a bit like a tackle but can work as a 4-3 end – and there’s no real sure-thing position. His sack totals were just okay, but again, he did a little of everything else right.
There’s just enough missing from the tool belt to keep him being a superstar All-Pro, but he’s able to fill in those gaps with his instincts and motor. Expect him to slide on through into Day Two, and then be an instant starter.
Projected Round: Second
Real Value: Early Third
NEXT: The fourth-best guy on the line was still fantastic …
4. Austin Bryant, Clemson
6-4, 271: There’s a lot to nitpick over.
He was helped by being a part of an all-timer of a defensive line, and he really was the fourth-best player on the Clemson defensive front.
He came up with 17 sacks over the last two seasons, but he can get erased a bit too often and will get powered on by the bulkier linemen.
But in the NFL, he’ll be surrounded by good linemen, too, and he’s good enough to be able to generate just enough pressure to keep him on the field for that one key play needed.
There’s quickness, there’s a great motor, and he’s got the right technique to make up for several shortcomings. He’s a closer who can be an immediate third down specialist and a great part of a rotation.
Blow off all of those issues. He’ll be passed over in the first few rounds, and then someone will be ecstatic when he falls into the “great value” section of Day Three.
Projected Round: Third
Real Value: Third
NEXT: But why wasn’t he a whole lot better?
3. Rashan Gary, Michigan (DT)
6-4, 277: Absolutely all the tools are there to be devastating in any scheme. He can be a too-quick tackle, a big end, or anything in between – he might just be the team’s most talented lineman right out of the gate.
So why wasn’t he a whole lot better at Michigan?
The superstar of superstar recruits for the Wolverines in 2016, he was good – with 119 tackles with 9.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss – but he didn’t take over games like a player with his skills could’ve and should’ve.
There’s no denying the talent. He ran a sub-4.6 40, he’s ultra-explosive, and he might just be scratching the surface. There’s a chance he fits the cliché that he’ll be a better pro than a college player.
The tools are just too good to ignore. Even in what might be an all-timer draft for defensive linemen, he stands out with enough upside to think he could turn into a transcendent talent who explodes into an unstoppable disruptive force.
But it would’ve been nice if he could’ve done that on a regular basis in Ann Arbor.
Projected Round: Top Ten Overall
Real Value: First
NEXT: A prototype pass rusher in a draft full of prototype pass rushers …
2. Clelin Ferrell, Clemson
6-4, 264: Everyone is going to try selling you on Rashan Gary and Nick Bosa as the prototype defensive end talents with size, quickness, athleticism and the upside to get a whole lot better.
Ferrell is all of that, and he produced more than those other two.
Out of the four stars on the Tiger defensive front, he was the best killer into the backfield with 27 sacks over the last three seasons with over 50 tackles for loss and 165 tackles.
Yeah, he was surrounded by a ton of talent, but he made everyone around him better, too. He explodes off the ball, and he can power his way to the passer when he has to close.
It’s all there – but he’s not getting as much attention or love because everyone already knows what he is. He’s a safe, sure-thing with almost no bust potential, and he has the upside to get even better, too.
Yeah, he was able to rely on being a part of a line full of guys who required a ton of attention. Yeah, he has a little technique work to do – he’s not going to rely on his power as much at the next level. Yeah, he’s not the speed rusher compared to other blazers in this draft.
Just take him, and watch him become a perennial Pro Bowl performer.
Projected Round: Mid-First
Real Value: First
NEXT: And he has a Deadmau5 Twitter header …
1. Nick Bosa, Ohio State
6-4, 266: No, he’s not Joey Bosa.
He wasn’t even close to being as productive in college, he disappeared way too often, and he only finished with 77 tackles with 17.5 sacks and 29 tackles for loss.
But to be fair, he came out roaring last season before suffering an adductor muscle tear that required the rest of the campaign to get over. Now he’s fine, and now he must might be the best prospect in the draft.
He’s got sub-4.8 wheels. the strength of a defensive tackle, and the explosion to be a dominant force who takes over games all by himself, just like … Joey.
The only real knock might be that he doesn’t have quite the athleticism or burst of some of the amazing edge rushers in the draft, and there are better pass rushers out there to take, but he’s a true NFL end who’s been ready to be in the big league for a while.
With all that said, he has to stay healthy, he has to be more consistent, and the pressure is going to be on to be worthy of going before Clelin Ferrell, Josh Allen, Montez Sweat, Rashan Gary, Quinnen Williams, Ed Oliver, and on and on and on in this amazing class of D linemen.
Projected Round: Top Three Overall
Real Value: First
