Boise State Football: Curtis Weaver is NFL draft’s most underrated defender

Boise State football’s Curtis Weaver might possibly be the most underrated defensive player in the draft. Could we hear his name called early?

Curtis Weaver comes into the draft a year early, leaving Boise State Football as a redshirt junior. Weaver made a giant impact for the Broncos and sitting atop the Mountain West in career sacks at 34. Breaking a career record like that in just three seasons has really bolstered Weaver’s draft stock as a perennial pass rusher and edge guy.

His numbers are a sight to behold at Boise State and even more interesting the totals have gone up each year. The marked improvement year over year with a guy that is as young as Weaver could be as intriguing as any other storyline as we move into the season.

Weaver has also been able to avoid penalties and is known as one of the captains of the defense in college. NFL scouts will surely like where his head is at moving into the draft and some of the measurables could lift him ultimately into the first two rounds.

The Boise State star is from Long Beach, Calif., and went to high school at St. Anthony. In 2019, Weaver earned first-team All-America honors by CBS Sports and Walter Camp. He went on to earn All-America second-team by the AP, ESPN and USA Today. He is a three-time All-Mountain West first-team selection.

With so many accolades in college, Weaver has positioned himself as an early entrant into the draft and is widely considered a second-day choice in many mock drafts. Weaver has been a part of two Mountain West title teams and brings so much in regards to a winning culture and a player who understands his limitations and ability.

Weaver also comes with almost no injury concerns as well, playing in all 14 games last year and starting in every single one of these games. His draft profile has many thinking that they could pick up Weaver late in the draft and get a productive Defensive End for many years to come.

Strengths

A proven productive edge rusher with the track record of being able to get to the quarterback. The Mountain West career sack record holder should carry a ton of weight as he moves into the draft. Weaver has been able to use his hands effectively and gets creative with his moves during the course of a game. Weaver has underrated speed as well coming off the edge with his smaller edge rusher frame.

Weaver has also shown the ability to get off the ball quicker than anyone in the country and constantly jumps snap counts. In 2019 he took more snaps in coverage as well, being able to cover the middle of the field. This added skillset will be huge as someone who may be a tad undersized for the edge position going into the NFL.

His ability to stay healthy almost all of the way through college shows that he can be a durable option as well. Many concerns with guys that have as much experience as Weaver are based around durability concerns. Those should be squashed as Weaver has been able to stay healthy and even shed pounds his first couple of years at Boise State, getting after it in the weight room.

Weaknesses

Weaver is a bit undersized at 6-foot-2 and 265. He plays much bigger and has been able to overcome just about everything as a Mountain West leader, but the NFL could challenge Weaver to have to dedicate more time to getting a little thicker and dealing with some of the best pass blockers in the world. Only time will tell if Weaver can have his college game translate over to the NFL.

Draft Projection

Weaver is slated to go into the third round and be a second-day pick in the draft. Many have the Chiefs taking Weaver as he fits the mold of some of the revamped defense has had in the past couple of years coming off a Super Bowl win. A situation like this could be best for Weaver going into a defense where he could grow and take some time to develop. Many Boise State Football players have been able to get to the NFL with ease, will see if Weaver is the next great one.

Projection: Third round