2025 NFL Scouting Report: Jack Sawyer

Prospect Summary:

Sawyer is a former No. 1 recruit that was expected to be a star Ohio State defensive end like the Bosa brothers or Chase Young. In 2022, he recorded 24 tackles, one pass defended and 4.5 sacks. In 2023, Sawyer had 48 tackles, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and two passes batted. He was not a big presence or dominator for Ohio State. In 2024, Sawyer had 59 tackles, three forced fumbles, nine sacks, one interception, and five passes batted. Sawyer dominated Tennessee and was excellent against Oregon in the first two college football playoff games. He then came up with some huge plays to beat Notre Dame and win a National Championship with Ohio State.

In the pass rush, Sawyer fights hard with a non-stop motor and relentless effort. He has active hands to scrap and fight with tackles with developed technique to battle them. Sawyer has good vision and instincts to adjust to the offense and is dangerous running games with the tackle next to him. Sawyer has a quality bull rush that can cause disruption when he doesn’t get sacks. As a pass rusher, Sawyer has some limitations as he is not explosive off the ball, is not fast to blow by tackles around the edge, and is not overpowering with his strength. Sawyer also has some stiffness and is not a twitchy edge defender. Hence, he may never be a big-time sack producer at the NFL level.

In the ground game, Sawyer does a really nice job of setting the edge. He has the strength to hold his ground and is reliable to maintain his gap. Sawyer is able to get off some blocks and make some tackles. He has good play recognition and will make tackles out of his gap. Sawyer should be a solid run but not completely dominant run defender in the NFL.

In the 2025 NFL Draft, Sawyer could go as high as the second round. Multiple team sources say that Sawyer is a third- or fourth-round talent, but his tremendous finish to the 2024 season could prompt the team that likes him enough to draft him to pull the trigger in the second round.