By Charlie Campbell.
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This page was last updated March 20, 2020. Follow me @walterfootball for updates.
Position Review: Defensive Ends
Defensive End Class
Early-round talent: B
Mid-round: B
Late-round: B-
Overall grade: B
2020 prospects vs 2019
Chase Young
Nick Bosa
Brian Burns
K’Lavon Chaisson
Montez Sweat
Yetur Gross-Matos
A.J. Epenesa
L.J. Collier
Jon Greenard
Terrell Lewis
Marlon Davidson
Zach Allen
Chase Winovich
Jaylon Ferguson
Bradley Anae
Oshane Ximines
The 2020 NFL Draft is not banner year for edge rushers, but it isn’t devoid of talent either. That was the same in the 2019 NFL Draft. This year could offer a little more depth than last year, but there is not as much first-round talent. Four defensive ends went in the first round last year, while this year there could be as few as two ends selected. This year, however, has more talent for Day 2 than last year did.
If you were to merge the two classes together, Chase Young would be Nick Bosa are about equal, although I would give the slight edge to Young given his bigger stature. K’Lavon Chaisson would go behind Brian Burns and Montez Sweat, but Sweat slid because of medical concerns. Chaisson will probably end up going higher than Sweat did. I think Yetur Gross-Matos and A.J. Epenesa are better prospects than L.J. Collier, but Gross-Matos and Epenesa are both on the bubble between the first and second rounds. Jon Greenard, Terrell Lewis and Marlon Davidson are solidly in the second round, ahead of where Zach Allen went as a high third-round pick last year. Bradley Anae is on a par with Jaylon Ferguson and Oshane Ximines.
Safest Pick: Chase Young, Ohio State
Previous Picks:
2019 Nick Bosa
2018 Bradley Chubb
2017 Myles Garrett
2016 DeForest Buckner
2015 Dante Fowler
2014 Jadeveon Clowney
2013 Bjoern Werner
Looking back at the previous picks, I’m pretty strong. Chubb got off to an excellent start with a strong rookie year before getting injured in 2019. Garrett is on his way to being one of the best edge players in the NFL, and Buckner has been a phenomenal pro. He is one of the best young defensive linemen in the NFL. An injury and the Jaguars held Fowler back, but he he has become a dangerous edge defender. He has upside to be even better over the next year or two. Clowney is a Pro Bowler who has been dominant as a run defender and a solid pass-rusher. He’s become one of the top edge defenders in the NFL. Werner was drafted into a 3-4, which was a terrible fit for him as he was a 4-3 defensive end. He was a huge bust, so I was way off on him, but the 2013 NFL Draft was awful and had a lot of first-round busts.
This was an easy choice as Young is a safe prospect to develop into a good NFL pro. He looks like a potential franchise defensive player as an edge rusher capable of producing double-digit sack seasons on an annual basis. Young could be a player who goes to multiple Pro Bowls and is one of the most dangerous pass-rushers in the NFL. He would be worthy of being a high first-round pick in any draft class.
Biggest Bust Potential: Terrell Lewis, Alabama
Previous Picks:
2019 Jachai Polite
2018 Arden Key
2017 Takk McKinley
2016 Kevin Dodd
2015 Owa Odighizuwa
2014 Kareem Martin
2013 Barkevious Mingo
Overall, I have a good track record here. Polite is already a bust for the team that drafted him, and he may not last much longer in the NFL. I loved Arden Key as a player, but his off-the-field issues made him a risky pick. I could be wrong about Takk McKinley, who has been solid for Atlanta. I was right on Dodd, Odighizuwa and Mingo, as they were busts for the teams that drafted them. Kareem Martin is not a good pro, although he has managed to stick in the league.
This was a tough decision. I chose Lewis because of injury and durability concerns. He has a first-round skill set with size, length, speed and strength, but he has had a ton of injuries already and I’m not confident he can stay healthy in the NFL. Even this year at the Senior Bowl, it looked at times like he was dragging the leg that cost him the 2018 season. If he stays healthy and heals up, he has the potential to be a good pro, but I think he could be the riskiest pick of the early-round defensive end prospects.
Defensive End Rankings by Attributes
Pass Rush:
NFL prototype: Chandler Jones, Cardinals
- Chase Young
- K’Lavon Chaisson
- Jon Greenard
- Yetur Gross-Matos
- Terrell Lewis
- Bradley Anae
- A.J. Epenesa
- Marlon Davidson
Recap: The NFL is a passing-driven league, and coaches will tell you that an elite pass-rusher is the most important position on the defensive side of the ball. Unless a team has a defensive tackle like the Rams’ Aaron Donald or Bengals’ Geno Atkins, it has to have edge-rushers who can consistently pressure the quarterback.
Young is dominant in the pass rush. He displays an innate ability to get after the quarterback. Young has a quick first-step with a nice get-off that puts offensive tackles on their heels. Young has quickness around the edge and is able to close on the quarterback quickly. Young shows functional athleticism to sink his hips and dip under tackles to beat their blocks. He also is effective at working to the inside, as he has some strength to execute a rip move to the inside and also is able to knock tackles off balance with a hard shove and then cut to the inside to collapse the pocket. As a pass-rusher, Young shows nice vision to keep his eyes on the quarterback, and that along with his athleticism, allows him to redirect for chasing down scrambling signal-callers. Young is a balanced pass-rusher and should continue to improve as he gains experience.
For today’s NFL,Chaisson is a valuable commodity because he is a lightning-fast edge rusher and is a twitchy athlete. Chaisson is quick off the ball with a fast first-step. He has a burst to run around the corner and a second gear to close on the quarterback. On top of being a pure speed rusher, Chaisson has an impressive arsenal of pass-rushing moves. With a wicked spin move, Chaisson is able to get back to the inside, where via his loose hips, he can dip underneath offensive tackles while getting turned to the quarterback. Chaisson has active hands and is able to use them at the same time as his feet. With his dynamic skill set and rare speed off the edge, Chaisson has the potential to be a double-digit sack-producer in the NFL.
Greenard is a dangerous, natural pass-rusher with a nose for the quarterback. He has a nice repertoire of moves and is smart about how he attacks offensive tackles. As a student of the game, Greenard is keen to pick up on tells from the tackles and the offense to make him a more effective pass-rusher with his good instincts.
In the pass rush, Gross-Matos is dangerous. He has nice club move, using his strength to knock tackles off balance. Once he has them on his heels, he uses a burst to fire by blockers and shows real quickness to close on the quarterback. With his active hands and quality technique, Gross-Matos shows a nice ability to use his hands and feet at the same time. While Gross-Matos is not blindingly fast off the edge, he has enough quickness to give tackles problems with speed.
Lewis has the makings of a highly impactful pass-rusher. He has good size and some quickness. At the Senior Bowl, Lewis showed that his excellent length is an asset to keep tackles from getting into his chest and allowing him to get off blocks. Lewis has some speed and power to his repetoire of moves and a lot of athletic upside.
In the pass rush, Anae is a hard-charging edge defender who doesn’t quit. He is not overly fast or strong, but he has a knack for fighting through blocks and enough quickness to make him a threat to turn the corner. He has some strength and is able to use his hands and feet at the time to shed blocks. Frequently, Anae is initially blocked, but through his second effort, he is able to make things happen for his defense. He is the epitome of a “try hard” guy who notches some sacks off effort. Anae is not a speed demon off the edge, and he does not have the size or strength to overpower tackles. Team sources also say Anae has bad eyes. Thus, his collegiate sack numbers probably won’t be duplicated in the NFL, and that is why he is rated lower than some of these other prospects.
Epenesa flashes an ability to get after the quarterback. He has a strong bull rush and can ride tackles straight back into the signal-caller. With his strong hands, Epenesa also is dangerous to grab a hold of the tackle and then toss them to the side to get free of his blocker. Once he gets free, Epenesa has a burst to close on the quarterback. However, Epenesa has some real stiffness in his hips that is going to limit how effective he can be as a pass-rusher in the NFL. He has issues redirecting and sinking his hips to get underneath tackles. Thus, he could be more of a contributor to the pass rush rather than a leader.
Davidson is a solid contributor to the pass rush but not a world beater. He does not have elite speed and athleticism off the edge. He has a powerful bull rush and some quickness out of his stance, but he is stiff and can struggle to dip his hips to redirect to the quarterback. As a rusher, Davidson has versatility to move inside and go against guards. Davidson will probably never be a prolific sacker of the quarterback in the NFL, but he could be a really good complement on the other side from an elite edge rusher.
Run Defense:
NFL prototype: Jadeveon Clowney, Free Agent
- Marlon Davidson
- A.J. Epenesa
- Yetur Gross-Matos
- Chase Young
- Terrell Lewis
- Jon Greenard
- Bradley Anae
- K’Lavon Chaisson
Recap: Defending the run isn’t as in demand as it used to be with NFL coaches, but they still watch it closely when evaluating prospects and teams need some tough run defenders at the point of attack. This class features four good run defenders.
Davidson is a physical defender at the point of attack. He is tough as nails and difficult to move in the ground game. He holds his gap well with the strength to work off blocks. With a quality lateral anchor and good leverage, offensive linemen struggle to move Davidson. He routinely takes on and shed blocks to get in on tackles that help produce quality down-and-distance situations. Davidson has a steady motor and doesn’t quit on plays. With his strength, build, good fundamentals, and technique, Davidson should be an asset as a run defender at the next level.
Epenesa has a strong build with length to set a tough edge at the point of attack. He can hold his ground in run defense, maintaining his gap and rarely ever getting pushed back. Epenesa has the power and good hands to fight off blocks to get in on tackles of ball-carriers. Iowa generally had Epenesa holding his gap in the groud gamr rather than trying to shoot the gap and get into the backfield, so that hurt his tackles for a loss numbers, but his solid technique leads to Epenesa entering the pros as a plus run defender.
Gross-Matos has a real presence against the run, using his length to stand up blockers and then his strength to shed them. With his speed, he flows quickly to the ball and gets in on tackles. Gross-Matos shows more desire and “want to” than many college edge defenders who seem more consumed with rushing the quarterback. Gross-Matos is dangerous to fight off blocks and fire into the backfield to get a tackle for a loss, which was a consistent sight during the 2018 season. He can get pushed back on occasion and could stand to strengthen his base and also play with better leverage. Thus, he’s rated behind Davidson and Epenesa. Gross-Matos can get into trouble when he stands up too high, but his run defense is good overall.
As a run defender, Young is not a star, but he also is not a liability. He could stand to fight through blocks more, and adding more strength to shed is necessary for him to handle pro offensive tackles. Young can lose his gap integrity at times by biting on play fakes, and on other plays, he stays in containment too long. Those issues could get ironed out with more experience and pro coaching.
Lewis was a quality run defender for Alabama in 2019. He has length and strength to set the edge. He could stand to improve his ability to work through trash and get in on tackles.
As a run defender, Greenard is at his best working upfield and trying to cause disruption in the backfield. He is going to have problems taking on pro offensive lines and holding his gap against downhill runs coming straight at him. Greenard gives a good effort and plays tough, but his natural size presents limitations as a run stopper for the next level.
Anae is at his best in run defense when trying to cause havoc in the backfield by pushing through the line. He is going to have problems taking on pro offensive lines and holding his gap against downhill runs coming straight at him because he is undersized to defend the run in the NFL. He give a great effort and plays tough, but his natural size is a problem as a run stopper for the NFL.
As a run defender, Chaisson is good in pursuit, and he makes some big plays by working upfield to cause disruption in the backfield. However being below 260 pounds with a chiseled lean frame, Chaisson can struggle with downhill runs coming straight at him. Offensive tackles can tie him up with their upper body strength and push him back. He needs to get stronger for shedding blocks in the NFL and holding his ground. Given his frame, one has to wonder how much weight he can gain and if that will take away some of his rare and special speed. At his weight, he could have a hard time holding up for four quarters. Thus, Chaisson’s run defense is a point of improvement for the next level.
Motor:
NFL prototype: J.J. Watt, Texans
- Chase Young
- A.J. Epenesa
- Marlon Davidson
- Yetur Gross-Matos
- Jon Greenard
- Bradley Anae
- Terrell Lewis
- K’Lavon Chaisson
Recap: Prospects who show a lack of effort can get knocked quickly by coaches when they start evaluating players. Coaches have zero patience for players who dog it. Conversely, a great motor will help players who may be short on athletic ability. This draft class has a lot of good motors amongst the early-round prospects, and there isn’t a player in the group who I would say has a bad motor.
Young was relentless in the pass rush, and he was able to get some sacks off of effort to go along with his great physical talent. Epenesa has an excellent motor and doesn’t see take plays off. Ditto for Davidson, who never quits on a play and goes through the whistle. Those three really stand out for having good motors.
Gross-Matos showed good effort as a sophomore and junior. His final season was hurt some by Penn State playing him out of position, but overall, he gives good effort on a down-by-down basis.
Greenard, Anae, Lewis and Chaisson all give good effort. None of them are bad, but they all can have stretches where they can get quiet.
Forcing Fumbles:
NFL prototype: Chandler Jones, Cardinals
- Chase Young
- A.J. Epenesa
- Jon Greenard
- Bradley Anae
- K’Lavon Chaisson
- Yetur Gross-Matos
- Marlon Davidson
- Terrell Lewis
Recap: The art of a strip sack is a great equalizer in the NFL. Strip sacks can change games and have a big impact on the scoreboard. Overall, this group did not impress in this category aside from Chase Young. Young had six forced fumbles in 2019, which was far and away the best. Young has good instincts to go for the strip with awareness to adjust to scrambling quarterbacks and an ability to redirect.
Epenesa had one forced fumble in 2018, but he showed big improvement as a junior with four forced fumbles. He became more cognizant to go for the strip-sack.
Greenard had three forced fumbles for the Gators and came close to more. He is looks for a strip opportunity when he gets close to the quarterback.
Surprisingly, Anae has only three forced fumbles over the past two years even though he totaled 21 sacks in that time. Chaisson had one last year, and Gross-Matos had two in 2018. Both of them could stand to improve this at the next level.
Davidson picked up two forced fumbles last year but zero the in 2018, and he probably won’t be a big quarterback sacker in the NFL. Lewis did not create forced fumbles for Alabama.
Strength:
NFL prototype: J.J. Watt, Texans
- Marlon Davidson
- A.J. Epenesa
- Chase Young
- Terrell Lewis
- Yetur Gross-Matos
- Jon Greenard
- Bradley Anae
- K’Lavon Chaisson
Recap: Davidson is a blue collar-type player who is very strong at the point of attack. He can get physical and push offensive lineman around due to his a developed upper body, which is ready for the next level.
Epenesa already has NFL strength, possessing a real shock in his hands to disengage from blocks. He plays in the 280s and has serious upper body strength to hold his ground against downhill blocks. As a defenseive end, he is very strong and sets a physical edge. Young has some natural strength to him, and he should be even more powerful after spending some time in a pro strength and conditioning program.
Lewis is strong and doesn’t get pushed around. Gross-Matos has functional strength, and that could improve as he adds to his build over the next couple of years. Greenard has some functional strength, but he will never be an overpowering defender.
Anae is an undersized edge defender whose frame could be close to maxed out. Additionally, getting stronger could slow him down and he already does not have dynamic speed off the edge. A lack of strength could limit Anae for fitting in a 4-3 defense and playing on run downs.
Chaisson needs to get stronger for shedding blocks in the NFL and holding his ground. Given his lean frame, one has to wonder how much weight he can gain and it that will take away some of his rare and special speed. At his weight, he could have a hard time holding up for four quarters.
Versatility:
NFL prototype: Chandler Jones, Cardinals
- K’Lavon Chaisson
- Chase Young
- Yetur Gross-Matos
- Terrell Lewis
- Jon Greenard
- A.J. Epenesa
- Marlon Davidson
- Bradley Anae
Recap: Defensive coordinators love versatility. Edge defenders who drop in coverage and play in space are in demand. Coaches also like defensive ends who can move inside to defensive tackle on passing downs. This class of edge rushers features a lot of versatility, as all eight of these prospects could fit into a 4-3 or 3-4 defense.
One of the impressive aspects of Chaisson’s game is his ability to play in coverage, and that makes him a rare defensive end prospect. LSU lined him up at a variety of places in 2019, letting Chaisson display his rare speed and athleticism to run with receivers in the flat and tight ends off the edge. Chaisson is a fluid athlete in the open field with serious foot speed to stay with offensive players. While he could use some refinement, Chaisson has more pass-coverage skills than the typical edge defender.
Young’ versatility is such that he could fit at a 3-4 outside linebacker or 4-3 defensive end and he could even rush some from the inside in the sub package. He is a good fit for any NFL defense.
Gross-Matos, Greenard and Lewis could play end in a 4-3 defense or fit as 3-4 outside linebackers. Playing in a 3-4 might better for Greenard.
Epenese is a good fit as a 4-3 base end or a five-technique end in a 3-4. He also could move inside to tackle in a 4-3 sub package. Being a 3-4 end could be his best fit.
Davidson is a base end or three-technique tackle in a 4-3 defense. A 3-4 team could get away with him as a five-technique, but he lacks length for that position.
Anae is an undersized edge defender, and as a result, his best fit would be as a 3-4 outside linebacker. In a 4-3 defense, he would have to move rotate with a run-stuffing defensive end. Playing in a 3-4, where he would have a five-technique to help occupy offensive tackles, could be the best way for Anae to be an every-down player.
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