| HEIGHT | 6' 3 7/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 297 lbs | WINGSPAN | 81 5/8" |
| 40 TIME | 5.0 | BROAD | 112" |
Butler is a scheme-versatile DL who can operate effectively in both 1-gap and 2-gap concepts, and that makes him a valuable prospect as you project and transition him to the NFL. Butler played with both power and strength and his power and strength to control and displace OL at the point of attack showed up in every game where he made dominant plays versus the run. What also stood out watching Butler's tape was his strength to stalemate and, at times, defeat double teams and then make tackles in the run game. Butler's size and length (both body and arm) and his short-area burst out of his stance, plus his arm extension with strong hands, created the power and explosiveness that allowed him to control and displace OL. What made Butler's tape even more impressive was his deceptive lateral quickness to get into gaps working to the edges of OL, attacking and defeating half a man (this was a staple of his game) and his more than functional athleticism to redirect and change direction to make second reaction plays. Butler is one of the best interior DL prospects in the 2022 Draft with his highly desirable combination of length/strength/explosive power, his active, violent hands to displace OL, plus his lateral quickness and redirect movement and athleticism. There is room to improve as an interior pass rusher, where at this point his quickness and burst does not show up as much, but Butler is a strong prospect who can play in multiple base front schemes either as a DE (5-2 fronts) or a DT (more conventional 4-man DL fronts) and I believe he will be a rotational base defense DL early in his career, with the opportunity to develop into a three-down player with coaching and experience. Butler is a higher-level prospect whose game is built for the NFL.
| HEIGHT | 6' 4 1/4" | ||
| WEIGHT | 282 lbs | WINGSPAN | 80 3/8" |
| 40 TIME | 4.99 | BROAD | 110" |
Carter was a tough evaluation, and therefore a tough projection and transition to the next level given his overall traits profile. Overall I think he best transitions as a rotational DL with inside/outside alignment versatility whose traits at this point fit best in base defensive fronts. In base fronts, Carter would project best as 5-technique/4i/3-technique in a 5-2 or a strong side DE in a 4-3, lacking the 1-gap quickness and penetrating burst to play 3-technique as foundational position. Carter is not a naturally explosive athlete with twitch and suddenness for a DL, and he does not possess the kind of change-of-direction quickness that often results in impact plays, and all of that limits his gap-shooting ability. Rather, his game is built on power and hand usage/strength to maximize his length to play with excellent arm extension and win the leverage battles. The question with Carter as he transitions to the NFL is what he can become with coaching and experience. Will he always be a rotational base defense DL, or are there pass-rush traits to unlock as he develops? Carter showed flashes of strong pass rush both inside (club move) and off the edge (powerful one-arm stab and speed-to-power), and if he can show that and build upon it at the next level, then he could well find himself getting snaps in sub fronts.
| HEIGHT | 6' 6 3/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 341 lbs | WINGSPAN | 81 1/8" |
| 40 TIME | 4.78 | BROAD | 123" |
There is not a lot of mystery to Davis' game and what he brings to the party as you project and transition him to the NFL. Davis is a base-defense DT who has shown strong traits to play the run with a desirable combination of strength to control and displace interior OLs and short-area lateral quickness to make tackles. Davis' game is built on strength more than power, and that's an essential difference, with power being the ability to play with velocity and force and strength being much more of controlling and dominating an area. Davis did not move and jar OLs but rather he controlled space and then played off that control to make plays in the run game. At this point Davis is not a sub-front DT; keep in mind he rarely ever played on third down in Georgia's defense, which tells you the coaching staff did not see him as an inside pass rusher on the money down. Therefore, his value in a higher-percentage 11 personnel NFL will be team and scheme specific.
| HEIGHT | 6' 4 1/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 330 lbs | WINGSPAN | 77 3/8" |
| 40 TIME | 5.41 | BROAD | -- |
Farrell's 2021 tape was consistently impressive, and he presents a strong projection and transition to the NFL as predominant 0-technique/1-technique/2i DT with excellent gap penetration and disruption traits, both with feet and hand quickness off the ball and quick, active hand usage to control and displace interior OL. Farrell showed the traits needed to play in both even and odd fronts, with the ability to work effectively both as a 1-gap and 2-gap DT, with the quickness off the snap to penetrate gaps and the hands and strength to control and displace interior OLs. What consistently stood out on tape was Farrell showed the lower body strength and the strong heavy hands to play off blocks in the run game. Farrell projects to the next level with a traits profile that will in demand for NFL teams: size/length/play strength/heavy hands/plus movement. At this point Farrell is a base defense DT who can play in multiple fronts at different positions, but he did show enough as an inside pass rusher to make you think he could play in sub fronts with development and experience. The more tape I watched of LSU's defense the more I liked Farrell. He is a bigger man and built totally differently than Greg Gaines of the Rams, but just like Gaines I believe Farrell can become a three-down DT in the NFL.
| HEIGHT | 6' 2 1/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 300 lbs | WINGSPAN | 78 1/8" |
| 40 TIME | 5.07 | BROAD | -- |
Garrett based on his 2021 tape does not project and transition well to the next level, and my guess is he will not be seen as a strong prospect. He predominantly played 3-technique at Ohio State and the tape showed a player who lacked the needed traits to play that position in the NFL given his physical and athletic limitations. Garrett was an average athlete without the consistent off the ball quickness demanded to be a 1-gap penetrator in a four-man DL front or a five-man reduced front, and he did not show the needed strength and stoutness inside to play as a 2-gap 0-technique or 2-technique. The other issue with Garrett's game is that he is not an inside pass rusher, and that significantly limits hs value in today's NFL. My sense is Garrett will have a tough time making the transition to the NFL. If he is able to improve in the areas in which he struggled at Ohio State, he may have an opportunity to become a rotational DT in a base defense, but I think that would be asking a lot at this point.
| HEIGHT | 6' 6 1/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 283 lbs | WINGSPAN | 79 1/8" |
| 40 TIME | 4.88 | BROAD | -- |
Hall is a strong DL prospect as you project and transition him to the next level and it begins with his alignment versatility across the defensive front, with his ability to line up and play multiple positions both inside and outside. My sense is teams will see Hall transitioning most effectively as a 3-technique-4i with his desirable combination of length and power and athletic movement. Hall showed burst and explosiveness off the ball, both laterally and vertically, and there were snaps in which his heavy hands and natural power jarred and controlled OG, driving them back. It was the power element of his game that consistently stood out. Hall was a strong inside pass rusher with twitch and lateral suddenness off the ball and the ability to coordinate his explosive feet with active hand usage, to win both on the high and low sides of OG. Hall also was effective in the stunt game both as a penetrator, where his power was a factor, and as a looper, where his athleticism and more than functional bend and flexibility allowed him to generate closing burst to the QB. While Hall definitely possesses the alignment versatility to line up outside at times, I believe his pass rush traits are best maximized inside, where his ability to work effectively in confined space with the foundational short area explosiveness/strength-power/hand usage elements to his game really thrive. Hall is one of the best DT prospects in this Draft class and his positional versatility, especially in sub fronts, enhances his value in today's NFL.
| HEIGHT | 6' 3 7/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 283 lbs | WINGSPAN | 80 3/8" |
| 40 TIME | 5.0 | BROAD | 106" |
Leal will be a fascinating evaluation as teams project and transition him to the next level. There was a meaningfully significant discrepancy between his 2020 tape and 2021 tape. After watching his 2020 tape this was my evaluation: "Leal showed the kinds of flashes in 2020 that will get DL coaches excited, with strong active hands and quick athletic feet to both control and displace OL in the run game and rush the QB off the edge with desirable combination of quickness and power. Leal is an excellent overall athlete for a 290-pound DL with natural quickness and flexibility to his movement, and the plays that littered his 2020 tape reflected those higher-level movement traits. What the 2020 tape also showed was a DL who played multiple positions across the defensive front, with the kind of alignment versatility that is in greater demand than ever before as more NFL teams feature multiple front looks." Leal's 2021 tape was different in that he did not play to those traits with the same consistency we saw in 2020, and it raises the question of what his best fit is in the NFL. Leal did not show the kind of edge pass rush traits that would lead you to believe he could do that against quality NFL OTs. He did not play with the same off-the-ball explosiveness and burst as a pass rusher that was much more a foundation of his game in 2020, so despite the fact that we have seen it on tape, you cannot be certain of what you are getting on a snap-to-snap basis. One thing that consistently stood out was Leal showed a tendency to play too high, and that must be change for him to play at a big-time level in the NFL.
| HEIGHT | 6' 4 1/4" | ||
| WEIGHT | 310 lbs | WINGSPAN | 83 7/8" |
| 40 TIME | -- | BROAD | 109" |
Mathis is the kind of player who grows on you the more tape you watch, given the traits that he possesses and the steady, consistent execution he brings to his role and responsibilities. What you immediately notice about Mathis is he lines up in multiple positions along the defensive front, and that will make him a valuable asset as you project and transition him to the next level. He is a front and scheme-versatile DL who possesses a desirable combination of size and length to be effective in both 2-gap and 1-gap defenses as a run defender, and he flashed enough pass-rush traits, including effectiveness in multiple stunt concepts, to lead you to think he could develop into a sub front inside pass rusher with coaching and experience. At this point, Mathis will enter the NFL as a base defense run defender with powerful, heavy hands and a strong anchor who can line up inside at multiple DT positions in both 4-3 and 5-2 fronts.
| HEIGHT | 6' 2 5/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 268 lbs | WINGSPAN | 79" |
| 40 TIME | 4.77 | BROAD | 123" |
Paschal could be well be team and coach specific as you project and transition him to the NFL. Paschal lined up in multiple positions in Kentucky's defensive fronts, and his versatility to play both in 2-gap and 1-gap/odd and even front alignments will be seen as highly advantageous in an NFL in which multiple looks, especially in sub defenses, are more prevalent than ever. The question teams will have to answer is whether they see and project Paschal as an edge pass rusher in sub fronts given his length and lack of true bend and flexibility, and that could well dictate Paschal's value (Shaq Barrett could be seen as a realistic comparison coming out of Colorado State: Barrett's pre-draft measurables were 6'1 and 251 pounds with a 4.73 40 yard dash, with Paschal much more explosive with his vertical jump and broad jump. Barrett went undrafted in 2014 after a senior season with 12 QB sacks and 20.5 TFL). Paschal has traits that absolutely transition well to the NFL,with his strong, heavy hands and explosive quickness and suddenness off the ball to win early in the down, and that might project better as an interior pass rusher in sub fronts as opposed to an edge pass rusher. Overall, Paschal is a good player and a strong prospect and it will be interesting to see how he is deployed in the NF, but my sense is he will be an ascending talent who will continue to get better at the next level.
| HEIGHT | 6' 4 1/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 267 lbs | WINGSPAN | 78 7/8" |
| 40 TIME | -- | BROAD | -- |
Thomas lined up in almost every position on San Diego State's defensive front and was certainly a productive player, but that may not translate well to the NFL. I think the first question you have to have an answer for is what Thomas is at the next level, because it is clear from his tape that he is not an edge pass rusher in sub fronts, and we know the value of sub front pass rush in the NFL. Thomas rarely beat OTs as an edge rusher in the 4-5 yard metric that is the defining measure for projecting pass rushers to the NFL, with the high percentage of his sacks coming as a pursuer and not a rusher. While Thomas was position versatile at SDSU, he will not likely play outside in sub fronts, so the question becomes if he can play inside in sub fronts, and I believe that is an open question that different teams may feel differently about. Thomas is not a quick or sudden athlete, with his game built much more on advanced and refined hand usage, but there is little burst or explosiveness to him as pass rusher. Could Thomas transition as a base DE in either a 4-3 or 5-2 front? That may be his best opportunity to gain playing time early in his career. The player Thomas reminded me of was Trent Murphy coming out of Stanford as a second-round pick in the 2014 Draft.
| HEIGHT | 6' 4 7/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 266 lbs | WINGSPAN | 79 3/4" |
| 40 TIME | 4.7 | BROAD | 117" |
Thomas has a lot of work to do to develop into a quality edge pass rusher or 3-technique DT at the next level. He has extensive experience playing multiple positions along the defensive front, which is a positive given the increased emphasis on multiple front alignments in the NFL, but his athletic and physical baseline execution needs to be significantly improved for him to have meaningful success. One of the biggest issues with Thomas is his tendency to come off the ball too high, which immediately negated his quickness, leverage, and power, and that must be corrected or he will consistently struggle to find solid footing in the NFL. Yet there is something to cultivate when you watch his tape given his length, range, and his strong flashes of effective hand usage as both an edge pass rusher and inside run defender plus his speed-to-power pass rush. Thomas had some very good snaps when he slanted off the ball attacking gaps and working half man concepts, showing strong snap-to step quickness and burst. It might take some time but Thomas has the overall traits profile to develop into a rotational DL with the versatility to play both inside and outside in a multiple front scheme, and play in sub fronts as a pass rusher.
| HEIGHT | 6' 3 5/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 290 lbs | WINGSPAN | 84 3/4" |
| 40 TIME | 4.89 | BROAD | -- |
Winfrey will be one of the most intriguing DT projections to the next level, given how he was predominantly used as an interior DT who predominantly aligned at 0-technique/1-technique/2i/2-technique in Oklahoma's defensive fronts, with snaps at 3-technique as the season progressed. His game inside at DT, through the early part of the 2021 season, was built on strength and power with strong, heavy hands that resulted in control and displacement in the run game and bull-rush power as an inside pass rusher, more than quickness and burst and overall athleticism. As the season progressed, Winfrey showed more movement and range with lighter, quicker feet so the question is whether he could transition to the NFL as a 1-gap 3-technique in a 4-3 base front, or would he better suited as a 0-technique or 1-technique in a 4-3 or a 5-technique or 4i (with some 3-technique in reduced looks) in a base 5-2 front? Winfrey looked like a quicker, more dominant athlete in the latter part of the season and that was evident in his explosive first-step quickness off the ball, resulting in more gap disruption in the run game and his ability to work half a man as a pass rusher. The more tape I watched of Winfrey, the more I believe he can transition to the NFL as 3-technique DT with the versatility to play multiple positions in different front alignments. Winfrey was a force the last half of the season, showing a higher-level DT traits package with a desirable combination of power and quickness.
| HEIGHT | 6' 2 7/8" | ||
| WEIGHT | 304 lbs | WINGSPAN | 78 1/4" |
| 40 TIME | 4.77 | BROAD | 111" |
Wyatt is a player you need to really focus on in tape study before you get a defined feel for his game and what he could be as you think about his projection and transition to the NFL. Wyatt has no jump-off-the-film traits, and that is why it takes a lot of work to discern his transition and role at the next level. He is neither high-level explosive nor exceedingly strong, and he did not show the kind of pass rush traits (length and elite interior burst and explosiveness) that leads you to believe he can be an above-the-line interior pass rusher in the NFL, so you come away seeing him as a rotational DT with alignment versatility with a limited playmaking dimension to his game. What Wyatt gives you is the versatility to line up and be effective in multiple positions along the defensive front in a base defense, with limited sub defense value at this point as he enters the NFL. Wyatt's game was built on flashes, showing just enough that you feel he could develop into a three-down DT with coaching and experience, but it is not likely that he will ever be a high-level interior pass rusher who can be a dominant force. Wyatt will be one of those foundation pieces that every defense wants to have but not an impact game-changer on the money down. I think you can see similarities to Javon Hargrave's game as an NFL DT.
