DL: 2026 Draft Class

Originally posted by adrianlesnar:
The bold still doesnt add strength the argument made in your OP.

I think Pearce (assuming you mean James Pearce) was stiffer than Malachi, I remember you and I were in agreement about his stiffness and went to war defending that take . And he was smaller. And shorter arms. And less explosive. And less diverse with his pass rush plan. And with weaker hands. And he went pick 26. And used a future 1st on top. And that was with character concerns.

But hey, id take his production from last year on this team right now even tho a lot was cleanup sacks. But if 10.5 cleanup sacks opposite Bosa is the floor, but with the ceiling of the superior traits, why wouldn't that be worth pick 27?

And it turned into a bad pick for ATL. IMO with a healthy DL we can stick a handful of different pass rushers in this draft that can get 8+ sacks, especially if their main role is to come in on those money downs

Originally posted by NYniner85:
And it turned into a bad pick for ATL. IMO with a healthy DL we can stick a handful of different pass rushers in this draft that can get 8+ sacks, especially if their main role is to come in on those money downs

Bad pick because of character. Not really relevant to our discussion.

Aside from Floyd's 8.5 sacks opposite Bosa's 9 in 2024, we havent had a secondary rusher with 8+ sacks since Arik Armstead in 2019.

Players capable of 8+ sacks don't grown on trees.

Originally posted by adrianlesnar:
Bad pick because of character. Not really relevant to our discussion.

Aside from Floyd's 8.5 sacks opposite Bosa's 9 in 2024, we havent had a secondary rusher with 8+ sacks since Arik Armstead in 2019.

Players capable of 8+ sacks don't grown on trees.

I watched all of Pearce's sacks this past yr, half of them were either unblocked or coverage sacks. Toss in the fact he tried to kill his GF. Sure as s**t wasn't worth 2 1sts, horrible pick.

Ford if not injured would have had it no problem. Hyder had 8.5 sacks in 2020. Constant injuries have hurt that DL more than lack of overall talent.

look at don't hate Lawrence. I won't be upset if he's the pick. I don't have high expectations with this draft as a whole. I don't view him as a top 27 talent end of the day, but it is what it is given this talent pool and where we're picking.

Originally posted by adrianlesnar:
Bad pick because of character. Not really relevant to our discussion.

Aside from Floyd's 8.5 sacks opposite Bosa's 9 in 2024, we havent had a secondary rusher with 8+ sacks since Arik Armstead in 2019.

Players capable of 8+ sacks don't grown on trees.

yup
we've needed that Dee Ford replacement since '19

and I don't see it at 27
maybe Lawrence and Howell are the closest - they had the two fastest 10 yd splits at the combine after Reese
but Howell has the short arms and Lawrence is kinda good at a lot of things, but not great at anything

the FO knows we need that Ford replacement too
20 sacks last year as team - minus 4 because Huff is gone

also why we're connected to every pass rusher who could be available for trade

imo:
best case scenario is Bailey or Bain drops into the teens and we move up (unlikely)
most likely scenario - Howell or Lawrence at 27, then maybe trade from someone like Nolan Smith or Hebrig
worse case scenario - we delay DE until 2 or 3 and end up with Sam Okuayinonu as our #3 DE

but DE is blatantly our biggest need - Huff gone, Bosa returning from ACL, Mykel ACL

I don't understand pundits saying WR, OT or TE... we had 20 sacks last year

Originally posted by NYniner85:
I watched all of Pearce's sacks this past yr, half of them were either unblocked or coverage sacks. Toss in the fact he tried to kill his GF. Sure as s**t wasn't worth 2 1sts, horrible pick.

Ford if not injured would have had it no problem. Hyder had 8.5 sacks in 2020. Constant injuries have hurt that DL more than lack of overall talent.

look at don't hate Lawrence. I won't be upset if he's the pick. I don't have high expectations with this draft as a whole. I don't view him as a top 27 talent end of the day, but it is what it is given this talent pool and where we're picking.

I agree that Pearces production over represents the quality of his play, but 10.5 sacks as a rookie still deserves an eye brow raise. And again, if 10.5 coverage and/or effort sacks is the floor, especially since you seem to be of the opinion our DL when healthy will help the production of who ever we add, you'd have to be happy with that. Imagine if Drake Jackson ever gave us that. And thats before considering ceiling. Unless there are worries about Mackachi killing his GF, I think were okay there.

Hyder had 8.5 as our leading rusher, not secondary. Next was Armstead with 3.5.

I just think that inflates the draft value of an edge player beyond where they may rank in a position less vacuum.

Anyway, moving on!

Originally posted by NYniner85:

Jon Ledyard explains why Cashius Howell might be the best 1-on-1 pass rusher in the 2026 class 😳

"I love him as a pass rusher... the burst off the ball, the pad level, the dip, the bend, it's elite tier. As good as probably anyone I've ever evaluated in that area." pic.twitter.com/z7DjDTXTj3

— Check the Mic with Steve Palazzolo & Sam Monson (@CTM_Show) April 10, 2026

Plus Howell plays like a man possessed. Similar to Mesidor.

Jacas also lives breathes eats football plus very productive and good testing so I like him too.

If we could just do a pick swap with a team in the 33-36 area we would get an extra late 2nd rounder which would be huge for us.

33-36. Howell / Jacas / Lawrence EDGE (starting DPR right away not a reach)
58. Keylan Rutledge G (starter right away not a reach)
65. AJ Haulcy S (starter right away not a reach)
133. Oscar Delp TE (candidly no idea where he is supposed to go - some places have him as a late 2nd rounder another in the 4th. No clue but I want him lol)
138. Kendrick Law WR
139. Landon Robinson DT

Originally posted by DoseOfBosa:
yup
we've needed that Dee Ford replacement since '19

and I don't see it at 27
maybe Lawrence and Howell are the closest - they had the two fastest 10 yd splits at the combine after Reese
but Howell has the short arms and Lawrence is kinda good at a lot of things, but not great at anything

the FO knows we need that Ford replacement too
20 sacks last year as team - minus 4 because Huff is gone

also why we're connected to every pass rusher who could be available for trade

imo:
best case scenario is Bailey or Bain drops into the teens and we move up (unlikely)
most likely scenario - Howell or Lawrence at 27, then maybe trade from someone like Nolan Smith or Hebrig
worse case scenario - we delay DE until 2 or 3 and end up with Sam Okuayinonu as our #3 DE

but DE is blatantly our biggest need - Huff gone, Bosa returning from ACL, Mykel ACL

I don't understand pundits saying WR, OT or TE... we had 20 sacks last year

I think all 3 are needs, but i dont think youre getting an edge in second round, let alone 4th. WR should have plenty of options with potential to start. Its a very low probability that McKivitz isnt starting at RT next year. I dont think the next Trent Williams is in this class. And Oscar Delp will be the best TE out of this class, imo. But if it takes a 1st to get him and we dont so be it.

Here's my list, in general order, of how id use pick 27:
Myles Garrett, DE
Dexter Lawrence, DT
Trade Down with top 44
Malachi Lawrence, EDGE
Akheem Mesidor, EDGE
Omar Cooper Jr., WR
KC Concepcion, WR/PR/KR
Cashius Howell, EDGE
Emmanuel Pregnon, LG
Kadyn Proctor, OL
Dillon Thieneman, S
Chase Bisontis, LG
Aveion Terrell, CB
Max Iheanachor, OT
Keylan Rutledge, IOL
Caleb Banks, DT
Kenyon Sadiq, TE
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S

Went back to find the Tice and McDonald podcast. I actually had listened to that one...and found myself disagreeing with so much of what they said through the entire episode. It is clear they have a type--which is fine--but their analysis was through the lense of teams that need 4 down, big, strong, heavy handed edge setting defensive ends. The Faulks and Parkers of the class. Important for every team, but not my cup of tea, especially for the current state of the team. Id bet they loved Mykel Williams last year.

Here is Ledyards report on Malachi (if reposting is against forum rules, please delete). I bolded the part for you Zeke . The cut ups provided help to paint the picture, but alas:

In an imperfect edge class without any top tier talents, Lawrence looks like the player worth betting on to achieve the highest end outcome in the NFL. He's explosive off the ball when he times it up right, fast up the arc, changes speeds on the move and has dominant hand usage to consistently create paths to the quarterback for himself.

This isn't even Lawrence's best get-off, but watch the speed when he starts moving. Then the chop with the inside arm and drops the shoulder to avoid a square punch so he can keep moving up the arc and get his hips turned to the pocket. His inside arm never stops working to trim the angle. Even with the quarterback at 5-6 yards of depth (usually 7-8 yards) thanks to no interior rush, Lawrence (#51) is still able to turn the corner for a near sack. And he's turning this angle from inside the in-line tight end, not from a wide split!

If Lawrence can make his get-off more consistent, than the best is truly yet to come. His Combine 10-yard split was in the 98th percentile, and he's already been proven to be somewhat of a late bloomer. Lawrence's speed up the arc, closing burst to the quarterback and constant variety of hand-fighting techniques are all so good.

Flashes the long arm to draw out the tackle's punch, then pulls it back, drops the shoulder so the punch hits nothing and turns the corner with speed (left edge). Ghost rushes do not hit better than this.

For a defensive end Lawrence's size (he told me at the combine he played in the 255-260 pounds range this past season), this is what top-tier cornering looks like. It almost always involves tilting the edge, dropping the inside shoulder and hand-fighting/manipulating the apex of the arc to create a better angle to corner. Lawrence is great at getting his hips aligned to the pocket and finding various ways to slip around the edge.

Lawrence (right edge) catches the left tackle's outside hand and pushes it aside to corner fast for the QB hit.

Maybe my favorite thing about Lawrence is his ability to win inside, outside and through tackles with regularity. He's got a deep bag of tricks as a rusher, and he uses all of them throughout the course of a game. One of his go-to moves was a long arm/push-pull combo to remove offensive tackles from his path and win around the high side.

Lawrence has nearly 34-inch arms and a nearly 82-inch wingspan and he knows how to use it. That's the key part. As a pass rusher, his length and violent hands are his biggest attributes, and his functional athleticism may be his most underrated trait. He wins a lot like Danielle Hunter or Chandler Jones win - big, long rushers who aren't "run-under-a-table-at-full-speed" guys, but could tilt the edge, hand fight punches, work rush combos, vary speeds and win on all three planes as a rusher off the edge (outside, inside, through).

Despite all the finesse and teach tape pass rush technique reps, Lawrence also has plays where he just bullies opponents. He had the Texas Tech right tackle searching for answers all game, complete blood bath of a matchup. Swats him aside to erupt through and attack the QB.

Also, Lawrence is maybe the best in the class at drawing holds. His length gets tackles to lean to try and grab him, and then his quick hands knock them off balance, forcing them to hang onto him. I saw 3-4 drawn holds in the games that I watched, and a few others went uncalled. Also love Lawrence recognizing the overset here, and having the big lateral step to quickly jump the gap.

So what does Lawrence need to work on? The number one thing is snap timing. He can struggle to come off the ball the same way every time. From his best reps and the Combine testing we know it's in there. But that part of his game needs to become more consistent.

Also, he's gotten so much stronger (he talked about this before the 2025 season too) since his junior year, put on a bunch of muscle. But that will be the biggest jump from college to the NFL - the strength difference in opposing tackles is going to be big. I don't know that he will power move everyone in the NFL, even though it's an important tool to have in the bag. So he needs his burst and speed to be even more of a weapon. If he does that, it will open up the counter rush game for him as well. I've seen his spin move once in a game, and it looked good.

Then there is Lawrence's play demeanor. He's totally relentlessly, very physical, never stops hustling, runs to the ball constantly, tries to crush everyone when he hits them. If anything, he needs to throttle down better as a tackler. He left a lot of finishes on the table this past season just because he was a little out of control as a tackler. That's a common issue in this edge class, but often due to lack of length or athletic ability in other edge defenders. Lawrence's issues are more correctable.

Still, you'd take Lawrence's effort in every phase of the game over a lot of the other one-dimensional edge rushers in the class. There are small moments of inconsistency with Lawrence as a run defender, but I would consider his tape far more good than bad in this area. He has some really high end plays and has the tools to expect this growth to continue in the league.

One area that Lawrence really impressed me is his ability to defend the perimeter. Even when he isn't necessarily the force defender, his ability to read blocking flow, stack-and-shed blocks and win his gap, even while moving out into space, was outstanding.

Lawrence often lined up as a 4i for UCF, especially on early downs. Here he stacks the guard's reach block, wins his gap, sheds the block when the RB bounces to him, draws a hold and forces the RB to keep bouncing and eventually get tackled for a loss.

A big part of run defense is coming off the ball and seeing/feeling blocks before they happen. Lawrence (left 5-tech inside the TE) punches the right tackle away and then gets through the gap to make the tackle-for-loss on the perimeter.

Lawrence fights over the crack block, finds the ball and gets all the way out into the running back's path for a diving tackle attempt. Doesn't quite finish, but trips the back up and slows up the whole play. Awesome effort here to make a play away from his gap. David Bailey might still be in the middle of the field watching!

The biggest questions around Lawrence almost all relate to his college profile. If he played in the SEC, he would be the unanimous EDGE1. I don't think he played ridiculously bad college talent, but my biggest concern with naming him EDGE1 is that there will be a big jump in competition. And that will be one of the reasons why he doesn't receive a Tier 1 grade too.

But all the edge rushers in this class faced plenty of bad competition at tackle, in and out of the SEC. The tackle talent across the college landscape was especially rough this season. As for Lawrence's production, UCF had zero other pass rush ability to help him get production, and they played him as a 4i or tight 5 on a healthy portion of his snaps. It's nice to have that flexibility in the league, but Lawrence is going to be a true edge in the NFL. And he dominated when he rushed as a true edge.

Lawrence may not have the elite sack numbers, but advanced stats tell us he's one of the most impactful pass rushers in the class. His PFF pass rush win rate was 19.2 percent in 2025, amongst the consensus top edges in the class. Perhaps more importantly, Lawrence is tied for the 10th best pass rush productivity amongst hundreds of draft-eligible edge defenders in the class. PRP is a formula that combines sacks, hits and hurries relative to how many times they rush the passer.

That's another thing to note with Lawrence - he only rushed the passer on 228 plays last season. That's 152 reps less than Bailey got, almost 100 less than Zion Young and Dani Dennis-Sutton, about 70 less than Cashius Howell, over 200 less reps than Akheem Mesidor and over 300 less reps than Rueben Bain. That's one of the many downsides of being on a bad team that doesn't get high profile games to show your stuff to the world.

But when you look at the tape, the traits, the athletic testing and the advanced stats, they all tell the story of a player who turned into a monster this season, and could have his best football ahead of him in the NFL. Lawrence could fit into a variety of schemes and has some role versatility with inside/outside rush potential, but I see a 4-down-and-go, 1v1 pass rush artist role as the one he'll primarily thrive in.

Grade
Tier 2 - Very Good Starter

Originally posted by adrianlesnar:
I agree that Pearces production over represents the quality of his play, but 10.5 sacks as a rookie still deserves an eye brow raise. And again, if 10.5 coverage and/or effort sacks is the floor, especially since you seem to be of the opinion our DL when healthy will help the production of who ever we add, you'd have to be happy with that. Imagine if Drake Jackson ever gave us that. And thats before considering ceiling. Unless there are worries about Mackachi killing his GF, I think were okay there.

Hyder had 8.5 as our leading rusher, not secondary. Next was Armstead with 3.5.

I just think that inflates the draft value of an edge player beyond where they may rank in a position less vacuum.

Anyway, moving on!

Drake Jackson, while I was never a fan of the pick spent the majority of his time here hurt. Like damn near all of our guys.

For me this isn't a debate on if Lawerence sucks or not it's him vs the field and the draft value. IMO we can find a DPR that can get you that 6-8 sacks a yr (not sure where the number 8 came from to determine worth). It someone like heights/mason/Barham can get me say 6 sacks a yr and they cost me a day 2/3 pick vs Lawrence and his 8 sacks for pick 27, I'm inclined to go for the day 2/3 pick and grab a position of need elsewhere at 27 (or possibly move down).

Like I said I've always been draft EDGE above just about everything else. I think every draft is different though and this one has guys that I think can serve a purpose as that DPR only guy.

Like others said this DPR we get isn't getting on the field for 3 downs. Yes you want a rotation, but their snaps will be limited to rushing more than anything else.

Originally posted by adrianlesnar:

Originally posted by DoseOfBosa:
yup
we've needed that Dee Ford replacement since '19

and I don't see it at 27
maybe Lawrence and Howell are the closest - they had the two fastest 10 yd splits at the combine after Reese
but Howell has the short arms and Lawrence is kinda good at a lot of things, but not great at anything

the FO knows we need that Ford replacement too
20 sacks last year as team - minus 4 because Huff is gone

also why we're connected to every pass rusher who could be available for trade

imo:
best case scenario is Bailey or Bain drops into the teens and we move up (unlikely)
most likely scenario - Howell or Lawrence at 27, then maybe trade from someone like Nolan Smith or Hebrig
worse case scenario - we delay DE until 2 or 3 and end up with Sam Okuayinonu as our #3 DE

but DE is blatantly our biggest need - Huff gone, Bosa returning from ACL, Mykel ACL

I don't understand pundits saying WR, OT or TE... we had 20 sacks last year

I think all 3 are needs, but i dont think youre getting an edge in second round, let alone 4th. WR should have plenty of options with potential to start. Its a very low probability that McKivitz isnt starting at RT next year. I dont think the next Trent Williams is in this class. And Oscar Delp will be the best TE out of this class, imo. But if it takes a 1st to get him and we dont so be it.

Here's my list, in general order, of how id use pick 27:
Myles Garrett, DE
Dexter Lawrence, DT
Trade Down with top 44
Malachi Lawrence, EDGE
Akheem Mesidor, EDGE
Omar Cooper Jr., WR
KC Concepcion, WR/PR/KR
Cashius Howell, EDGE
Emmanuel Pregnon, LG
Kadyn Proctor, OL
Dillon Thieneman, S
Chase Bisontis, LG
Aveion Terrell, CB
Max Iheanachor, OT
Keylan Rutledge, IOL
Caleb Banks, DT
Kenyon Sadiq, TE
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S

No love for Boston or you just think he's more likely to be gone?

Originally posted by adrianlesnar:
Went back to find the Tice and McDonald podcast. I actually had listened to that one...and found myself disagreeing with so much of what they said through the entire episode. It is clear they have a type--which is fine--but their analysis was through the lense of teams that need 4 down, big, strong, heavy handed edge setting defensive ends. The Faulks and Parkers of the class. Important for every team, but not my cup of tea, especially for the current state of the team. Id bet they loved Mykel Williams last year.

Here is Ledyards report on Malachi (if reposting is against forum rules, please delete). I bolded the part for you Zeke . The cut ups provided help to paint the picture, but alas:

In an imperfect edge class without any top tier talents, Lawrence looks like the player worth betting on to achieve the highest end outcome in the NFL. He's explosive off the ball when he times it up right, fast up the arc, changes speeds on the move and has dominant hand usage to consistently create paths to the quarterback for himself.

This isn't even Lawrence's best get-off, but watch the speed when he starts moving. Then the chop with the inside arm and drops the shoulder to avoid a square punch so he can keep moving up the arc and get his hips turned to the pocket. His inside arm never stops working to trim the angle. Even with the quarterback at 5-6 yards of depth (usually 7-8 yards) thanks to no interior rush, Lawrence (#51) is still able to turn the corner for a near sack. And he's turning this angle from inside the in-line tight end, not from a wide split!

If Lawrence can make his get-off more consistent, than the best is truly yet to come. His Combine 10-yard split was in the 98th percentile, and he's already been proven to be somewhat of a late bloomer. Lawrence's speed up the arc, closing burst to the quarterback and constant variety of hand-fighting techniques are all so good.

Flashes the long arm to draw out the tackle's punch, then pulls it back, drops the shoulder so the punch hits nothing and turns the corner with speed (left edge). Ghost rushes do not hit better than this.

For a defensive end Lawrence's size (he told me at the combine he played in the 255-260 pounds range this past season), this is what top-tier cornering looks like. It almost always involves tilting the edge, dropping the inside shoulder and hand-fighting/manipulating the apex of the arc to create a better angle to corner. Lawrence is great at getting his hips aligned to the pocket and finding various ways to slip around the edge.

Lawrence (right edge) catches the left tackle's outside hand and pushes it aside to corner fast for the QB hit.

Maybe my favorite thing about Lawrence is his ability to win inside, outside and through tackles with regularity. He's got a deep bag of tricks as a rusher, and he uses all of them throughout the course of a game. One of his go-to moves was a long arm/push-pull combo to remove offensive tackles from his path and win around the high side.

Lawrence has nearly 34-inch arms and a nearly 82-inch wingspan and he knows how to use it. That's the key part. As a pass rusher, his length and violent hands are his biggest attributes, and his functional athleticism may be his most underrated trait. He wins a lot like Danielle Hunter or Chandler Jones win - big, long rushers who aren't "run-under-a-table-at-full-speed" guys, but could tilt the edge, hand fight punches, work rush combos, vary speeds and win on all three planes as a rusher off the edge (outside, inside, through).

Despite all the finesse and teach tape pass rush technique reps, Lawrence also has plays where he just bullies opponents. He had the Texas Tech right tackle searching for answers all game, complete blood bath of a matchup. Swats him aside to erupt through and attack the QB.

Also, Lawrence is maybe the best in the class at drawing holds. His length gets tackles to lean to try and grab him, and then his quick hands knock them off balance, forcing them to hang onto him. I saw 3-4 drawn holds in the games that I watched, and a few others went uncalled. Also love Lawrence recognizing the overset here, and having the big lateral step to quickly jump the gap.

So what does Lawrence need to work on? The number one thing is snap timing. He can struggle to come off the ball the same way every time. From his best reps and the Combine testing we know it's in there. But that part of his game needs to become more consistent.

Also, he's gotten so much stronger (he talked about this before the 2025 season too) since his junior year, put on a bunch of muscle. But that will be the biggest jump from college to the NFL - the strength difference in opposing tackles is going to be big. I don't know that he will power move everyone in the NFL, even though it's an important tool to have in the bag. So he needs his burst and speed to be even more of a weapon. If he does that, it will open up the counter rush game for him as well. I've seen his spin move once in a game, and it looked good.

Then there is Lawrence's play demeanor. He's totally relentlessly, very physical, never stops hustling, runs to the ball constantly, tries to crush everyone when he hits them. If anything, he needs to throttle down better as a tackler. He left a lot of finishes on the table this past season just because he was a little out of control as a tackler. That's a common issue in this edge class, but often due to lack of length or athletic ability in other edge defenders. Lawrence's issues are more correctable.

Still, you'd take Lawrence's effort in every phase of the game over a lot of the other one-dimensional edge rushers in the class. There are small moments of inconsistency with Lawrence as a run defender, but I would consider his tape far more good than bad in this area. He has some really high end plays and has the tools to expect this growth to continue in the league.

One area that Lawrence really impressed me is his ability to defend the perimeter. Even when he isn't necessarily the force defender, his ability to read blocking flow, stack-and-shed blocks and win his gap, even while moving out into space, was outstanding.

Lawrence often lined up as a 4i for UCF, especially on early downs. Here he stacks the guard's reach block, wins his gap, sheds the block when the RB bounces to him, draws a hold and forces the RB to keep bouncing and eventually get tackled for a loss.

A big part of run defense is coming off the ball and seeing/feeling blocks before they happen. Lawrence (left 5-tech inside the TE) punches the right tackle away and then gets through the gap to make the tackle-for-loss on the perimeter.

Lawrence fights over the crack block, finds the ball and gets all the way out into the running back's path for a diving tackle attempt. Doesn't quite finish, but trips the back up and slows up the whole play. Awesome effort here to make a play away from his gap. David Bailey might still be in the middle of the field watching!

The biggest questions around Lawrence almost all relate to his college profile. If he played in the SEC, he would be the unanimous EDGE1. I don't think he played ridiculously bad college talent, but my biggest concern with naming him EDGE1 is that there will be a big jump in competition. And that will be one of the reasons why he doesn't receive a Tier 1 grade too.

But all the edge rushers in this class faced plenty of bad competition at tackle, in and out of the SEC. The tackle talent across the college landscape was especially rough this season. As for Lawrence's production, UCF had zero other pass rush ability to help him get production, and they played him as a 4i or tight 5 on a healthy portion of his snaps. It's nice to have that flexibility in the league, but Lawrence is going to be a true edge in the NFL. And he dominated when he rushed as a true edge.

Lawrence may not have the elite sack numbers, but advanced stats tell us he's one of the most impactful pass rushers in the class. His PFF pass rush win rate was 19.2 percent in 2025, amongst the consensus top edges in the class. Perhaps more importantly, Lawrence is tied for the 10th best pass rush productivity amongst hundreds of draft-eligible edge defenders in the class. PRP is a formula that combines sacks, hits and hurries relative to how many times they rush the passer.

That's another thing to note with Lawrence - he only rushed the passer on 228 plays last season. That's 152 reps less than Bailey got, almost 100 less than Zion Young and Dani Dennis-Sutton, about 70 less than Cashius Howell, over 200 less reps than Akheem Mesidor and over 300 less reps than Rueben Bain. That's one of the many downsides of being on a bad team that doesn't get high profile games to show your stuff to the world.

But when you look at the tape, the traits, the athletic testing and the advanced stats, they all tell the story of a player who turned into a monster this season, and could have his best football ahead of him in the NFL. Lawrence could fit into a variety of schemes and has some role versatility with inside/outside rush potential, but I see a 4-down-and-go, 1v1 pass rush artist role as the one he'll primarily thrive in.

Grade
Tier 2 - Very Good Starter

thanks for this!

Again don't hate Lawerence and yes when you get to the bottom of the 1st you're dealing with second rd talent.

As far as McDonald and Tice's pod, yes 3 down DL are more valuable. Yes they love a player like Williams because this league has become heavily involved with running the ball. Guys like that with length, power and the ability to play up and down the line are super valuable. Those are foundational type guys, they don't need to be 10+ sacks dudes to have a real effect on the play down to down. No he's not gonna be JJ watt or whatever, but someone like Zach Allen in Denver would be great (he just got a fat $100M contract). He's the glue that makes that DL go and allows guys like Bonitto to just play free.

SF needs that DPR, Lawrence fits the mold there. Great get off, good length, he's got a pass rush plan. He's a tight hip linear rusher who can get washed out vs bigger OTs imo.

Any EDGE we're taking is gonna more than likely be a sub package late down pass rusher. Is that worth taking at 27 given this roster and the depth at the position? In an ideal world we can move down and grab one of Lawrence/howell or Mason or use that extra pick in a trade to grab a Height or Barham.

end of the day I'm fine with him, I'm not seeing some elite level edge that John is talking about though. I'll probably be wrong as usual haha

Originally posted by NYniner85:
thanks for this!

Again don't hate Lawerence and yes when you get to the bottom of the 1st you're dealing with second rd talent.

As far as McDonald and Tice's pod, yes 3 down DL are more valuable. Yes they love a player like Williams because this league has become heavily involved with running the ball. Guys like that with length, power and the ability to play up and down the line are super valuable. Those are foundational type guys, they don't need to be 10+ sacks dudes to have a real effect on the play down to down. No he's not gonna be JJ watt or whatever, but someone like Zach Allen in Denver would be great (he just got a fat $100M contract). He's the glue that makes that DL go and allows guys like Bonitto to just play free.

SF needs that DPR, Lawrence fits the mold there. Great get off, good length, he's got a pass rush plan. He's a tight hip linear rusher who can get washed out vs bigger OTs imo.

Any EDGE we're taking is gonna more than likely be a sub package late down pass rusher. Is that worth taking at 27 given this roster and the depth at the position? In an ideal world we can move down and grab one of Lawrence/howell or Mason or use that extra pick in a trade to grab a Height or Barham.

end of the day I'm fine with him, I'm not seeing some elite level edge that John is talking about though. I'll probably be wrong as usual haha

I dont think thats true. I think the idea is to have some one we can also rotate in as well and keep Williams and Bosa fresh without sacrificing pass rush. Also if someone misses a game or two our pass rush wont fall down a cliff. I think a guy like Howell is great but he is a complete liability against the run where you may not even be bale to play him on base downs. Howell may be a guy who can get those splash plays get 8-12 sacks a year but i feel like thats all he can do and wont do the little things well. I think Lawerence isnt great against the run but can get better there but against the pass he has all the tools you look including those you cant teach (athelthicisim) and those that are hard to teach in practicality (pass rushing moves).

Originally posted by ritz126:
I dont think thats true. I think the idea is to have some one we can also rotate in as well and keep Williams and Bosa fresh without sacrificing pass rush. Also if someone misses a game or two our pass rush wont fall down a cliff. I think a guy like Howell is great but he is a complete liability against the run where you may not even be bale to play him on base downs. Howell may be a guy who can get those splash plays get 8-12 sacks a year but i feel like thats all he can do and wont do the little things well. I think Lawerence isnt great against the run but can get better there but against the pass he has all the tools you look including those you cant teach (athelthicisim) and those that are hard to teach in practicality (pass rushing moves).

I mean you were just telling that we shouldn't take WR because they won't be a full time guy? We got multiple WRs that injured all the time just the same. That position fell off a cliff all the same last yr.

How much better is Lawerance gonna get? He's 23 now and already has a pass rush package. I don't see him packing on much more muscle either.

someone like Jaishawn Barham is athletic as well and just started learning how to be a pass rusher. He's got the frame to some add muscle, his athletic profile is very similar to Will Anderson jr (not saying he will ever be that). He's long with big heavy hands, ideal fit for an odd man front (think Walker in ATL).

Why couldn't they grab him as a DPR who can also drop in coverage? He's twitchy and has some great bend. I'm just throwing out other scenarios besides just reaching for a EDGE at 27

i feel like he could a pretty dynamic piece to a defense like ours for great value who will be on the field a lot. Lawrence is for sure more of a polished traditional edge.