1. Scourton, Nic*
Texas A&M 6040 260
Two year starter, Bryan, TX. Transfer from Purdue. Second team All-Big Ten in 2023. Powerful edge defender with length and upper and lower body mass. Versatile player with ability to line up from a wide 9 to a 3 technique. Used mostly on the edge he has played from both a two and three point stance. Shoots his powerful hands into blockers at the snap and can hold the point, stack and shed. Adept at setting the edge versus the run as well as sifting inside to make plays along the line. Excellent on inside line stunts with quick penetration into a gap. As a pass rusher he has a variety of moves including an outside and inside spin move. He turns speed to power coming from a wide alignment and also shows a push pull into a move such as an arm under and various chops to get free. He’s effective adjusting to oversets and can be extremely hard for tackles to keep him out of the backfield. Sometimes gets too tied up with a tackle and is stuck on the line. There is inconsistency and some quiet streaks during games.
2. Pearce Jr, James*
Tennessee 6050 243
Two year starter, Charlotte, NC. First team All-SEC in 2023. Plays the Leo or Sam on the ball outside linebacker spot in the Tennessee defense. He’s versatile aligning in both a two and three point and playing wide 9 down to 5 technique. He’s primarily a rush linebacker in the scheme but has been used to drop in flat coverage occasionally. With his length and athletic ability he’s been effective in that role. As a run defender he shows quick change of direction skill with speed to run a quarterback or ball carrier down across the field. As a pass rusher he’s primarily a speed to power player but flashes various hand swipes to complement his speed. He’s quick at the snap and can get a tackle off balance with initial charge. Has excellent speed and bend to get around the edge and has a burst to close. He will occasionally flash a quick out to in move to counter an overset. He’s not a consistently effective edge setter and teams have had success running at him. He has a thin lanky frame and a powerful blocker can move him out.
3. Umanmielen, Princely
Mississippi 6040 255
Three year starter, Austin, TX. Transfer from Florida after the 2023 season. Second team All-SEC in 2023. Umanmielen is an athletic edge defender who excels in the pass rush. He shows a very quick first step and incredible bend and squeeze coming around the corner working versus a tackle. He’s primarily a speed rusher who wins working around the edge and is effective against most tackles with speed and quickness. He flashes an inside spin move against oversetting tackles and shows a closing burst. As an outside linebacker he’s solid in flat coverage and can flip his hips to find the throwing lane. Shows agility and quickness reacting with the ball in the air. Can make plays in space with solid tackling skill. Excellent chase player with a closing burst. He can chase down athletic quarterbacks. Does not show a great power element to his game at this point. Tends to take a side rather than take on a blocker. He’ll need to be more versatile in his pass rush arsenal and not overly rely on pure speed in the NFL. Tools are there for a 3-4 outside linebacker.
4. Carter, Abdul*
Penn State 6030 252
Three year starter, Philadelphia, PA. First team All Big Ten in 2023 along with mention on several All-America teams. Versatile defender who has played off the ball and on the edge in the Penn State defense. He has been an effective chase linebacker with solid coverage skills. So far in 2024 he has primarily lined up on the edge to take advantage of his pass rush skill. As an off the ball linebacker Carter shows incredible reactions and quick change of direction. In chase mode he can quickly accelerate with a closing burst coming across the field. He can fill and alley from a distance and make a play before a ball carrier turns upfield. He displays solid cover skill dropping to underneath zones or matching a back. Has an improving pass rush arsenal with the ability to win with speed or stack moves. He has developed an effective spin move as a counter. Has an extra gear closing on a quarterback. Carter is inconsistent taking on blocks and tends to play high. He sometimes overruns tackles by not gathering allowing a cutback. Has Swiss army knife potential in any defense.
5. Jackson, Landon
Arkansas 6053 271
Three year starter, Texarkana, TX. Transferred from LSU after the 2021 season. First team All-SEC in 2023. Jackson has the length teams are looking for on the edge to go with solid athletic ability. He is versatile and has lined up from a wide 9 all the way inside to a 0 technique. He’s explosive at the snap shooting powerful hands in to a blocker to create separation. Shows a violent stack and shed and can quickly get off a block and make plays inline or on the edge. Adept at holding the point. Huge tackle radius allows him to set the edge and limit perimeter runs. As a pass rusher he has a variety of moves using powerful hands on his get off. He has enough speed to turn the corner and chase. He also shows hand swipes and a bull rush into a move. He could use more consistent technique to increase production. He has a tendency to play tall at times losing leverage. Jackson is a high upside player who can fit as a 4-3 or 3-4 end that can kick inside in the nickel.
6. Sawyer, Jack
Ohio State 6042 265
7. Gillotte, Ashton
Louisville 6023 266
8. Tuimoloau, JT
Ohio State 6041 268
9. Williams, Mykel*
Georgia 6050 265
10. Ezeiruaku, Donovan
Boston College 6030 240
11. Payton, Patrick*
Florida State 6050 256
12. Rucker, Kaimon
North Carolina 6021 257
13. Dennis-Sutton, Dani*
Penn State 6050 266
14. Oben, RJ
Notre Dame 6031 261
15. Overton, LT*
Alabama 6050 280
16. Bailey, David*
Stanford 6030 250
17. Moore, Derrick*
Michigan 6030 256
18. Jones Jr, Marvin*
Florida State 6050 255
19. Baron, Tyler
Miami 6050 260
20. Linton, Steve
Baylor 6036, 235
21. Burch, Jordan
Oregon 6060 280
22. Weaver, JJ
Kentucky 6043 250
23. Davis, Jasheen
Wake Forest 6030 254
24. Stewart, Josaiah
Michigan 6010 245
25. Joyner, Jah
Minnesota 6042 256
26. Davis, Jasheen
Wake Forest 6030 254
27. Ivey, Jared
Mississippi 6055 279
28. Moore, Trey
Texas 6030 245
29. Ugwu, Brian
Miami (O) 6022 243
30. Bogle, Khris,
Michigan State 6027 244
31. Foreman, Korey*
Fresno State 6040 245
32. Diggs, Fadil
Syracuse 6043 264
33. Jacas, Gabe*
Illinois 6031 271
34. O'Toole, Connor
Utah 6033 244
35. Lawrence, Malachi
Central Florida 6047 248
36. Batty, Tyler
BYU 6054 261
* Denotes Underclassman