Pass rush is one of the most important pieces to a successful defense in today’s NFL. Fortunately for the Panthers, former first-round pick Brian Burns is progressing nicely and is quickly developing into a top-tier edge rusher. However, the Panthers do not have much stardom behind him.
This year’s second round pick, Yetur Gross-Matos, has underperformed thus far, Stephen Weatherly and Marquis Haynes are decent rotational pieces but by no means long term solutions, and fan favorite Efe Obada seems to be on a short leash. Gross-Matos still has plenty of time to develop, so by no means should we write him off. With the help of Burns, Kawann Short, and Derrick Brown, he should be able to get his feet under himself and pick up the production a bit.
But what if the Panthers used their first-rounder on a three-down pass rushing specialist to compliment Burns? This would give Carolina a feared pass rush and a valuable rotational piece in Gross-Matos, who can even play the two or three technique along the defensive front when Short or Brown need a breather. Let’s take a look at Miami’s Greg Rousseau and how he compares to the other top edge rushing talent in this year’s draft class.
Profile:
6-foot-6, 265 pounds
Projected 40 yard dash: 4.65 seconds
Rousseau is a tremendous talent who pairs excellent first-step explosiveness with power. He has all the pass rush moves in the book, powerful hands, long arms, and a solid ability to bend around the edge for a player his length. Rousseau is also great at defending the run, containing the edge on stretch plays and penetrating his corresponding gap. Miami lines him up mostly at the 3 and 5 technique, but Rousseau projects well as a strong-side 4-3 end in the NFL. He has amazing length and uses it right, mostly shown in his bull rush and rip moves. He still needs to refine his pass rush moves, but overall Rousseau is a Week 1 impact player with incredible potential.
Highlights:
Rosseau vs. Virginia
Rosseau vs. FSU
2019 highlights
How he compares:
Rousseau is a man amongst boys in the 2021 edge rusher group. His combination of power, explosiveness and length is totally dominant and has as much upside as any player in the class. Miami teammate Quincy Roche, Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson, Wake Forest’s Carlos Basham Jr, and Texas’ Joseph Ossai are all top edge rushing talents in this class. However, Rousseau out-duels them in nearly every category. Even with Rousseau sitting out the 2020 college season, scouts see him as the top edge defender in this year’s class. As long as he has a respectable combine and pro day, look to see Rousseau’s name called in the first five picks in the draft.
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