Zack Baun | EDGE | Wisconsin
Elevator Pitch
Baun is a highly-athletic defender who broke out onto the scene in 2019. His range as a tackler, acceleration off the snap and motor with which he rushes the passer gives him a high ceiling at the next level. He’s a bit undersized, but NFL defensive coaches will have fun utilizing him in numerous different roles.
Vitals
Height | 6-2
Weight | 238
Strengths
If you’re looking for a front-seven defender with athleticism and versatility, Baun is your guy.
Baun consistently accelerates well off the snap and has great burst coming out of his stance. He has impressive lateral agility in the open field, as he changes direction very well and is able to flip his hips fluidly and accelerate coming out of his breaks. This gives him a lot of range as a tackler in space. He’s able to turn the corner very well, as his hip and ankle flexibility allows him to dip underneath offensive tackles while still maintaining sharp pursuit angles to the quarterback. His quick-twitched athleticism gives him value bouncing inside on stunts: his mobility makes him a difficult pass rusher to keep up with.
When Baun rushes the passer, he plays with a high motor and fights hard on every play. He does a good job of churning his lower body and working to get inside hand leverage. His hands have shown some potential, as he plays with good quickness and has a handful of finesse moves in his arsenal as a pass rusher. He’s also pretty quick to diagnose plays and position himself in the best possible way to make a play. His athleticism for his size also gives him plenty of value dropping back in coverage, which should help him see the field more as a rookie on passing downs.
Weaknesses
For all of his athletic talents, Baun is lacking a bit in the size and strength department. As a light and undersized edge rusher, it may be tougher for him to match up head-on with NFL offensive tackles who would be 70 to 80 pounds heavier than he is. That may kick him to an off-ball role as a 4-3 SAM linebacker. He doesn’t pack much of a punch at the point of attack, and he isn’t able to generate much force in his lower body when he goes for a power rush. His pad level could stand to be more consistent, too.
Baun is also a bit of a one-year wonder. Though his 2019 production was no doubt impressive, he wasn’t nearly as productive in 2018 and didn’t do much in 2016. His 2017 campaign was ended in the preseason due to a foot injury. Is he able to sustain that high level of play and carry that momentum into the pros, or was this past season a flash in the pan? Teams will have to figure that out when evaluating him.
Projection: Day 2
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