The Ringer's 2020 NFL
Draft Guide

Gross-Matos is a tall, high-cut edge rusher with a nice get-off and the ability to set a strong edge. He’s an effective pass rusher and run defender who posted at least 8.0 sacks in each of the past two seasons and 33.5 tackles for loss in that 23-game stretch (including 20.0 in 2018). The Penn State standout has extremely long arms that give him a reach advantage against just about every opponent he faces; he knows how to keep offensive linemen at bay and boasts a massive tackling radius. He hits like a Mack truck when he gets a line on the quarterback and shows flashes of good bend to turn the corner or duck beneath a block. 

Gross-Matos should offer some positional and schematic versatility. He has the athleticism and length to play either side in a four-man front, bump inside to play the three-technique spot in nickel situations, or line up on the edge as an outside linebacker. But he may need to bulk up and refine his pass-rushing repertoire to excel in any scheme.

Gross-Matos has top-tier upside thanks to a rare blend of length and explosiveness; he’s still just scratching the surface of his potential as an edge defender.

He was named in a recently filed hazing lawsuit. The suit says Gross-Matos and others “facilitated a campaign to harass and haze the lowerclassmen.”

Baun is a highly athletic, versatile defender who brings an explosive first step as a pass rusher and fluidity and instincts in coverage. He posted a breakout campaign in 2019, racking up 19.5 tackles for a loss, including 12.5 sacks―finishing behind only Chase Young in the Big Ten in both metrics. The Wisconsin product’s background as a high school sprinter, basketball star, and dual-threat quarterback shows up in his game: His quick-twitch get-off causes problems for slower opposing linemen, he can dip and bend around the corner, and he has a burgeoning spin move. 

Baun is tough and physical when setting the edge against the run, and he anticipates route combinations when dropping back off the line. He reads the quarterback’s eyes to jump into passing lanes, too―as he did on this pick-six against Michigan State in 2019. Baun may lack the size and power to play as a full-time NFL edge rusher, but his athleticism, schematic versatility, and three-down skill set should make him an intriguing wild-card piece for an innovative defensive coordinator.

Baun has the athleticism, savvy, and versatility to shine in multiple roles for a defense.

Some teams may see him as a tweener who’s too small to play as a full-time hand-in-the-dirt pass rusher. He posted just one season of elite college production.

Lewis has an angular, trim build with extremely long levers and a massive 83.5-inch wingspan. The former five-star recruit took a circuitous route to his breakout 2019 campaign for the Crimson Tide, missing 10 games in 2017 with an elbow injury and the entire 2018 campaign with an ACL tear. Yet Lewis played a versatile role for Alabama last season, alternating between a two- and a three-point stance while notching 11.5 tackles for a loss, including 6.0 sacks, and two passes defensed to go with one of the top third- and fourth-down pressure rates in college football (27.6 percent), per Pro Football Focus. His overall pressure rate (19.8 percent) ranked third among edge rushers with 100 or more pass rushing snaps. 

Lewis covers a lot of ground with long strides, boasts plenty of first-step quickness to stress the edge against offensive tackles, and features deadly inside countermoves to beat opponents who overcompensate. He uses a long-armed stab to lift offensive linemen off their feet and into the pocket, and he’s always trying to get his hands into throwing lanes. In coverage, he’s fluid while dropping back and natural while moving around in space.

Lewis has the length and athletic traits to develop into a dominant edge rusher in any scheme.

His injury history and lack of experience are red flags that could give teams pause.

Uche is a compact and explosive linebacker–edge rusher hybrid with excellent play speed and the versatility to perform multiple roles for a defense. He rushes from a two-point stance, mixing time between a traditional weakside linebacker spot and up on the line as an edge threat. Explosive traits are his calling card: He brings a quick first step and easy change-of-direction skills, and flashes the ability to convert speed to power. Uche brings an effective long-arm stab, has a forceful initial jolt in his punch, and his first-step burst off the snap can get opposing tackles to cross up their feet. He flashed the ability to dip and rip around the edge, and notched a 27.0 percent pass rush win rate in 2019, second only to Chase Young among draft-eligible edge players, per Pro Football Focus.

Uche likely lacks the size to play a full-time role on the edge, though, and his pass rush can stall if his initial step doesn’t do the job. Tristan Wirfs buried him into the turf on a handful of plays against Iowa last season. He is, however, very dangerous as a blitzer from linebacker spots and has shown the hip fluidity and athleticism to drop back in traditional linebacker coverage roles. He has the awareness to play the run from off-ball looks, but lacks strength and ballast as an edge-setting run defender in the trenches. 

Uche flashed for Michigan as a situational rusher in 2018 and then won a more regular role in 2019, and could follow a similar trajectory in the pros―starting out as a situational nickel rusher who eventually develops into an every-down player that a smart coordinator can deploy all over the formation.

Uche has explosive athleticism and intriguing chess-piece versatility as both a pass rusher and off-ball blitzer.

He’s raw and some teams may view him as a tweener with an undefined position; it may take some time for Uche to find a full-time role in the pros.

Zuniga is a thick, muscular pass rusher with a spring-loaded first step, a good bend to dip under blocks and flatten to the quarterback, and incredible closing speed. Zuniga was one of the most athletic edge players at the combine, notching a 4.64 40 (second among all defensive linemen), a 33-inch vert (tied for sixth), and a 10-foot-7-inch broad jump (first) while pushing out 29 reps on the bench (tied for fifth). The Florida product lines up inside and on the edge, is capable of converting speed to power with an aggressive bull rush, and has shown effective push-pull-rip and long-arm stab-rush moves. He’s got hands like granite, stunning defenders with a strong punch and easily shedding block attempts to keep moving upfield. He brings exceptional quickness and power as an interior rusher and is slippery when shooting gaps, capable of getting skinny to scoot through small cracks in the offensive line. Zuniga relies a little too much on his bull rush, but has great upside if he can hone a more diverse set of pass-rush moves.

Zuniga plays with an aggressive, salty demeanor against the run. He ragdolls opponents who try to put hands on him and plays with a wide base to avoid getting washed out of the play. At times, he can lose sight of the quarterback or ball carrier and find himself out of position. He played in just six games in 2019 and a high ankle sprain he suffered in the third game sapped him of some of his effectiveness, but he still managed to generate a 21 percent pass-rush win rate on the year, per Pro Football Focus.

Zuniga has a prototypical frame and extraordinarily explosive traits; he brings the combination of size, speed, and flexibility that every defensive line coach is looking for.

Injuries and inconsistency nagged him at Florida and his production never matched up with his elite physical traits.

Taylor is a big, muscular edge defender with a thick lower half, long arms, and a scintillating combination of strength and athleticism. The former Volunteer’s best trait might be his explosive first-step burst: He uncoils out of both two- and three-point stances with the speed to consistently threaten the edge or convert his rush to a powerful bull rush. He shows good bend to turn the corner and flatten his rush to get to the quarterback, has mixed in flashes of a burgeoning hump move and long-arm stab, and on counters to the inside, he deploys an effective swim move. He’s inconsistent as a finisher, but has the traits to continue to develop his pass rush. 

As a run defender, Taylor brings size and length and sets a wide, firm base to take on blocks. He has good speed and reactive athleticism to chase down the play from the backside. He locks his arms out to stymie opponents and set the edge but is passive at times in his positioning, allowing offensive linemen or tight ends to dictate the angles and depth of their blocks. He lacked discipline at times. Taylor had some reps carrying running backs into the flats and could develop into an effective interior nickel rusher, showing the juice to rush on the inside or stunt around his teammates to affect the pocket. He notched 8.5 sacks in 2019 and 8.0 sacks the season prior.

Taylor has the skill set to grow into a top-tier edge menace, with a prototypical frame, explosive first-step burst, and a handful of developing pass-rush moves.

He’s still working to turn traits into consistent production, and needs to develop techniques to realize his potential.