HEIGHT: 6-4
WEIGHT: 277
COLLEGE: Michigan
CLASS: Junior
2018 STATS: 38 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks (9 games)
CAREER STATS: 119 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble (34 games)
GAMES WATCHED (6): Notre Dame, Rutgers, Penn State, Ohio State (2018); Wisconsin, Florida (2017)
40 | BENCH | VERT | BROAD | 3 CONE | 20S | 60S |
4.58 | 26 | 38″ | 120″ | 7.26 | 4.29 |
BALL GET-OFF (17/20)
- Has good quickness up the arc but it’s typically not enough to offset his lack of flexibility
- Can be a little late to react off the snap on occasion
RUN DEFENSE (15/20)
- Capable edge-setter — can hold a gap and not get pushed around
- Very good at making plays in pursuit when his motor is running hot
- Solid tackler
- Has the ability to squeeze gaps and ragdoll blockers when his hand placement and pad level are good
- Can lose sight of the football after engaging blockers
- Doesn’t always maintain run fits — sometimes he gets too far into the backfield or overruns a gap and leaves a running lane wide open
TECHNIQUE (9/15)
- Pass rush approach is almost strictly limited to bull rush and long arm — almost always tries to overwhelm offensive linemen with pure power or outrun them around the edge
- Rarely has a counter move to go to if he’s not freed from the block by his initial move
- Generally fires off the snap with low pad level, but rises through the rep — is susceptible to getting washed out of gaps in the run game on occasion as a result
- Struggles to get off blocks with consistency
POWER (15/15)
- Elite power when he plays with leverage
- Highly effective long arm and bull rush moves
FLEXIBILITY (7.5/15)
- Doesn’t show much flexibility — especially through contact
- Struggles to turn the corner on offensive tackles at a reasonable depth
MOTOR (4/5)
- Motor generally runs hot, but there are some occasional lulls in pursuit effort
SPEED/AGILITY (4/5)
- Excellent straight-line speed
- Takes a while to build up speed again after altering direction
SIZE/PHYSICAL TRAITS (5/5)
- Prototypical size for a 4-3 defensive end at 6-4, 277
- Good length with 34 1/8″ arms
OVERALL GRADE: 76.50/100.00 — 2ND ROUND — Complimentary starter or raw player with star potential
SCHEME FIT: 4-3 DE/DT hybrid
DRAFT PROJECTION: Top-15 pick
“I think Rashan Gary could feasibly play defensive end or defensive tackle depending on the scheme that he’s placed in. In my opinion, he should be deployed like Jadeveon Clowney: move him around the defensive line based on matchups, stick him in the B-gap on the majority of obvious passing downs and let him use his quickness to overwhelm guards. His lack of flexibility will likely limit his pass rush upside on the edge, and he doesn’t currently possess the pass rush moves needed to compensate for that limitation. If presented with more linear rush angles from an interior alignment, Gary could potentially be more effective as a pass rusher than he was in college.
Gary’s floor as a two-down 4-3 run-stuffing defensive end is too low for me to justify spending a first-round pick on him. His flashes as a speed-to-power rusher are very impressive, but he’ll need to become much more diverse with his rush plan to become a top NFL pass rusher, whether that’s on the edge or interior defensive line.” — Dan Wussow