Quincy Roche, EDGE, Miami
Moving away from the passers, now we can talk about some guys who spend their time getting after the guys throwing the ball. We start with Quincy Roche, who racked up 13 sacks last season for Temple on his way to being named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He left Philadelphia behind this offseason, transferring to the ACC and the University of Miami.
That paired him with Gregory Rousseau, one of the other elite EDGE prospects in the upcoming draft class. Instead of facing double-teams and protections slid his way on every pass rushing opportunity, the presence of Rousseau meant some one-on-one chances for Roche in the season ahead, opportunities to add to those sack numbers and show NFL scouts he is the guy to build a defensive front around.
Now, Rousseau has opted out, meaning if the season goes forward Roche now has to handle the bulk of the pass rush load for the Hurricanes on his own. This, still, is a great opportunity for him. If he can demonstrate that the 13 sacks were a function of his talent and prowess as a pass rusher – and not the level of competition in the AAC – that would go a huge way towards moving him to the top of the draft. However, if the season does not go ahead as planned, he’ll miss out on what could have been a big final college season.