The Ringer's 2019 NFL
Draft Guide

Bosa is a plug-and-play defensive end with a prototypical NFL frame. Rushing off either edge—and at times, heads-up with a tackle—he combines elite first-step explosiveness with pistonlike feet that churn all the way through the whistle and powerful, relentless hands that continually chop, swipe, and punch to shed the grip of offensive linemen. The former Buckeye often leaves opposing tackles looking like they’re trying to fend off an opening-bell salvo of body blows from Mike Tyson.

Bosa has excellent ankle flexion to plant his foot, get low, and bend around the corner in pursuit of quarterbacks, but he does more than just attack the edge. He can also slice back inside and has the ability to convert speed to power, using burst off the line to get a tackle off-balance and overcommitted outside before bull-rushing him straight into the pocket with a forceful punch to the chest. In the run game, Bosa can grapple with even the most physical offensive linemen, using his long arms and strong upper body to hold them at bay while setting the edge.

Bosa is a rare pass-rush prospect. He should be an instant-impact playmaker in either a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme, and comes with the physical tool set to quickly become a double-digit sack producer and Pro Bowler.

A core muscle injury in 2018 limited him to just three games, so medicals could be a factor in teams’ evaluations. And, fair or not, some decision-makers may question his choice to leave his Ohio State team so early last season to prepare for the draft.

Allen’s decision to come back for his senior season at Kentucky paid off: He won AP first-team All-American honors and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top defender after racking up 17 sacks (14 of which came against FBS Power Five teams, most in the country by a long shot), 88 tackles—including 21.5 for a loss—four passes defensed, and five forced fumbles. The former Wildcat looks and runs like a 4-3 strongside linebacker but has the pass-rush skill set of a 3-4 outside linebacker: He is an explosive, powerful athlete with a thick lower half and long arms who’s just as comfortable moving up field as a rusher as he is dropping back into coverage. Allen is explosive in his first few steps as a pass rusher—he closes on the quarterback in the blink of an eye and has the flexibility in his lower half to get low and bend around the corner. He drops back into space fluidly with a clear grasp of his landmarks and the pass lanes he’s responsible for taking away. He’s a do-everything playmaker against the pass.

Against the run, he brings size and length to set the edge, and is physical and aggressive at the point of attack. He will let plays get outside him, though, and he can overrun plays at times. He’ll also miss some tackles, so he’ll have to develop more discipline in those areas at the next level.

Allen combines top-tier athleticism and production with a rare deploy-him-all-over-the-field playmaking skill set. He’s a plug-and-play starter at outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

He’s still relatively raw as a pass rusher. While he’s got the size and speed profile to play a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end role in a 4-3 defense, he rushed predominantly from a two-point stance in 2018.

Sweat is a tall, athletic prospect with a massive wingspan and immense upside. The AP second-team All-American strikes at the chest of opposing tackles early in his rush, establishing leverage to rip through off the edge or bullrush straight into the pocket. He’s got an explosive first step and plenty of speed to chase down quarterbacks who break the pocket. And while he lacks the Von Miller–esque bendy athleticism to change direction on a dime, Sweat does use his length well to rake the arm of the quarterback, hit him, and, at times, bring him down with his outside arm. He’s got a good hump move (rushing outside before pushing the tackle upfield and breaking inside) and shows potential to improve his ability to convert speed to power. Against the run, Sweat is tough to block at the point of attack; he keeps himself clean with his long arms and sets a hard edge with a wide base. His length works to his advantage, and he can get a hand on ballcarriers even when he’s being engaged by a lineman. He racked up 29.5 tackles for a loss in the past two seasons.

If he can add a little more bulk and grow into his frame, Sweat has the extraordinarily rare physical tools to develop into an unstoppable pass-rushing force.

His high-cut frame makes him look a bit mechanical as he turns the corner to finish, and he relies too heavily on the straight-arm bull rush as a go-to move. He needs to develop more counters and add mass at the next level.

Burns is a long-limbed pass rusher with an explosive first step and gumby-like flexibility. The former Seminole has the speed to stress offensive tackles to the edge, sharp hands to discard blocks, and the foundation to develop effective inside-counter and spin moves. He has elite closing speed and can rush from two-, three-, and four-point stances. Burns is more of a finesse rusher than a power rusher, but finished second in the country with 10 sacks against FBS Power Five teams. He’s comfortable dropping back into zone coverage, and was used to spy the quarterback at times for FSU.

Against the run, Burns lacks the mass to anchor, but he does use his long limbs to keep blockers off his body and his eyes in the backfield. He sets the edge to force runs back into the middle, and shoots gaps to bring down ballcarriers in the backfield; his résumé includes 29 tackles for a loss in the past two seasons.

Burns has as much first-step explosiveness as any pass rusher in this draft and combines natural flexibility with prototype length.

He’ll need to prove he can keep his weight up in the pros. Burns weighed in at 249 at the combine after being listed at 235 during the season, and there just isn’t much precedent for success in the NFL from pass rushers falling into Burns’s listed height/weight profile from college.

Ferrell has prototypical size for an edge rusher with a well-proportioned build, a muscled lower half, and vines for arms. The 2018 AP first-team All-American and winner of the Ted Hendricks Award for college football’s top defensive end has outstanding first-step quickness and uses that explosive, springy get-off to stress tackles off the edge. He utilizes his long arms to punch and control linemen, setting the tone and controlling the rush instead of allowing opponents to dictate terms. At times he struggles to plant his foot, bend, and turn the corner into the pocket, but he brings a smooth spin move and effective hump and club moves to counter his early speed to the outside. Ferrell’s 11.5 sacks last year ranked sixth in the nation. He rushes from two-, three-, and four-point stances, and shows awareness dropping into zones.

In the run game, Ferrell bullies tight ends at the point of attack, pushing them into the backfield. He takes on tackles with an aggressive mind-set, rarely ceding ground when runs come his way. He’s a slicing run defender who racked up 19.5 tackles for a loss in 2018, which ranked 10th nationally. He lacks top-end speed to chase down plays to the outside, and can get caught up in the wash trying to string plays out toward the sideline.

Ferrell is a game-ready 4-3 end who comes with a high floor as an NFL edge rusher. He’ll need to further refine his repertoire of pass-rush moves to reach his ceiling, but he’s got the frame and athleticism to be productive early in his career.

He's explosive in his get-off, but a bit rigid in his movement; he could lack that extra gear late in his rush that many of the best pass rushers possess. Some teams may look past his production because he played on a defensive line with two other top-tier draft prospects (Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins).

Collier has a compact frame with thick, muscled lower half and very long arms. He’s not twitched up as an edge rusher, but plays with excellent effort, good flexibility, and overwhelming strength, and employs a variety of power-based rush moves from both two- and three-point stances. He’s got a deadly long-arm stab, a devastating hump move, and a very good push-pull-rip to complement his go-to bull-rush. He’s versatile and has potential as an inside rusher in subpackage looks. He’s a scrapper against the run and uses his long arms to stack defenders at the point of attack and keep them at arm’s length while anchoring on the edge. There are times his aggressive play style works against him and he can lose track of the ball in run defense.

Collier is tough, physical, versatile, and reliable—and his strength and hand use give him the potential to be a disruptor on both the edge and on the inside at the NFL level.

He’s not a special athlete, lacks height, and may be viewed a tweener—too slow for the edge and too small the interior.

Winovich has a rock-solid frame and a quick first step. He springs out of his stance to attack upfield, using active hands and his revved-up motor to threaten the edge and pursue the quarterback to the whistle. He has good bend to dip and rip around the corner. He plays with a feisty, aggressive persona but can get out of control at times; he occasionally leans too far forward in his rush, allowing savvy tackles to throw him to the ground. Winovich is a very good run defender and a reliable, forceful tackler—but he can lose sight of the ballcarrier as he’s trying to make his way upfield. He’s a good athlete with plenty of agility, as illustrated by the elite 1.55 10-yard split he posted in his combine 40-yard dash and his 6.94-second three-cone time.

Winovich is a disruptive, rugged edge defender with a three-down skill set and a motor that always runs hot.

He’s aggressive to the point of recklessness, too often playing out over his skis as he shoots forward at the snap; he lacks the prototypical length.

Polite looks like he’s been shot out of a cannon at the snap, flying upfield with an explosive first-step burst. The second-team AP All-American pairs that top-tier get-off with a burgeoning spin move and excellent flexibility to turn the corner and close on the quarterback. He mixes in a sneaky spin move as a counter and always plays with a ferocious demeanor on the field, constantly fighting with his hands to rip the ball away from the quarterback or ballcarrier. He led the nation with six forced fumbles in 2018, and his nine sacks against FBS Power Five schools ranked fifth. Polite is a high-effort run defender, but doesn’t have much sand in his pants at the point of attack, making him vulnerable to getting bullied off the line by bigger tackles.

Polite has top-tier pass-rushing chops, combining quickness off the line with a few reliable pass-rush moves.

Teams could hesitate because he’s a one-year wonder who grabbed just four sacks in the previous two seasons combined, and he lacks ballast in the run game. He isn’t the prototypical height or length for the position, and tested very poorly at the combine.

Ferguson is an ultraproductive pass rusher who set an NCAA record with 45.0 career sacks, including 17.5 in 2018. He lacks an explosive first step and is stiff at the top of his rush, but his feet never stop churning and he has a reliable repertoire of moves. He employs a good push-pull-rip move, a powerful hump move, and uses his long arms and strong hands to chip away at a tackle’s edge throughout the game—wearing away at his opponent while flattening the arc and creating a straight line to the quarterback. He brings potential for scheme versatility after rushing out of both two- and three-point stances at Louisiana Tech. Against the run, his effort comes and goes, but he has the frame and strength to set the edge and projects as a three-down strong-side end or outside linebacker.

He’s big, athletic, and showed a flair for finishing. His record-setting college production is tough to ignore.

He’s not twitched up athletically and doesn’t consistently show the ability to bend around the corner. Ferguson tested very poorly in agility drills at his pro day by registering a 5.12-second short shuttle and an 8.08-second three-cone—both of which would’ve been dead last at the edge position at the combine. He was convicted of simple battery in college.

Nelson is an athletic strongside end with rare length and loads of untapped upside. The former Hawkeyes defender isn’t super twitched up but has very good functional strength and lateral agility. He uses a deadly long-arm stab move early in his rush to get offensive linemen on their heels, and flashes an effective push-pull-rip move as a counter. He can bend at the last second to finish his rush, and posted strong numbers in 2018, racking up 9.5 sacks. Per Pro Football Focus, he notched 53 pressures on the year—tied for tops among Big Ten edge rushers—and his 23.5 percent pass-rush win rate was also first in the conference. Against the run, Nelson stacks blockers while keeping eyes in the backfield, then shakes his opponent to tackle the ballcarrier.

Nelson has rare length to go with versatility, consistency, athleticism, and production.

He lacks top-tier speed, explosion, and bend; will need to prove he can shoot gaps as an interior pass rusher.