3. Kwity Paye, Michigan
Size: 6-3, 261
The Good: Extremely fast and athletic with good size and a great base, he’s great off the blocks with a strong first step and the closing ability to lock down on a quarterback when he gets a chance.
He grew into the job, coming up with 6.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss in a strong junior year, and he did what he could in the lost 2020 with two sacks and 16 tackles in four games.
As much as he became a factor on the field over his four seasons, he grew just as much as one of the team’s leaders – he’ll always bring the energy and fight.
Kwity Paye's mother fled Liberia to give her family a better life.@UMichFootball DE @OfficialKwity wants to return the favor by fulfilling his @NFLDraft dreams. 💙
📺: 2021 #NFLDraft — April 29 – May 1 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/B0luG9bU7y
— NFL (@NFL) April 8, 2021
The Not-So-Good: The knocks are all about the production. He was just okay-to-very-good at Michigan.
He was a good college player and he had his moments when he came up with big sacks and strong plays, but he disappeared a bit too often and he wasn’t a dominant force.
He great against Minnesota to start last year, and then that was about it. He was fantastic in the middle of the 2019 season, but didn’t do enough to get into the backfield over the finishing kick.
NFL Draft College Perspective Thought: All the tools are there to be terrific, and again, the leadership and character will stand out as he’ll work to make himself into a better player. But he’s still a work in progress to be a star for a defensive line, and considering he’ll probably go in the first round, the big production isn’t guaranteed.
And that’s the thing about this year’s draft of defensive ends and edge rushers. If you’re going to to on tools, go all the way, like with the No. 1 guy on the list …
Projected Round: First