Michigan’s top edge rusher Rashan Gary has decided to forgo his senior season and declare for the NFL Draft. How does he stack up?
There are quite a few big time names in this year’s draft in terms of edge rushers. Nick Bosa and Josh Allen headline that list, but Michigan’s Rashan Gary is making his own push toward staying relevant in that conversation.
In his freshman season, 2016, he played as a reserve and made his mark as much as he could in that capacity. He finished with 27 tackles, five for loss and a sack. However, it was 2017 that he really shined and showed the potential he has to be one of the top players in his conference and maybe in the NFL in the coming seasons. He compiled 66 tackles, 12 for loss and six sacks in 13 starts.
His junior season in 2018 wasn’t exactly the same production as the year before, but it was enough for a second straight pick to the first-team All-Big Ten group. He finished with 44 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. This time it was only 12 starts as he, along with teammate Devin Bush, sat out the bowl game for draft preparation.
Strengths
Rashan Gary is a freak athlete, there is no other way to really put that. He was a great edge rusher at Michigan, showing outstanding speed and quickness. He has an excellent combination of height, weight, length, speed and athleticism that is unmatched by many of the other guys in this year’s draft class. He has all the tools and the size to be an NFL defensive end including the closing speed and extremely active hands.
Weaknesses
His biggest weakness is that he has been streaky at times and struggled with a shoulder injury in 2018 that set him back and likely pushed him out of being in that top two group of edge rushers in this year’s draft. His lack of production in college is also a worry for many NFL teams.
Draft Expectations
With Josh Allen and Nick Bosa sitting ahead of him, it is unlikely that Gary will make his way into the first round of this draft. There are too many other players sitting ahead of him- defenders or not- for him to make that jump. However, he is a shoe in for an early second round pick and once that shoulder is completely ready to go- he will make a team very happy from the defensive end position.