EDGE Will Anderson Jr. Scouting Report: The Best Defensive Prospect This Year

Will Anderson Jr. isn’t just all hype, he genuinely would’ve been the first overall pick last year if he was eligible, and he has about as good of an upside as you could picture in a defensive prospect. While he’s still certainly raw, his immediate impact as a run-defender and schemed-up Blitzer will be highly coveted. What he can do dropping into coverage and playing as an off-ball linebacker also makes him more desirable as he has the flexibility to play multiple roles. However, you’re ultimately taking this guy to one day be a dominant pass-rusher which is a big question, but you at least have insurance with drafting him.

He may not seem like the ideal size at 6’4, 251, but his arm length is more than enough for the NFL and he has a rocked-up frame. The physical traits are obviously there, but his intangible skills and how he needs to grow will all be broken down here. What he needs to improve upon isn’t anything to worry about for a prospect like him. He showed a natural feel for the position and has just too good of an upside to pass up.

Two games from his Sophomore year, as well as three games from his Junior year, were evaluated. This scouting report includes grades on all relevant traits which were based on his film. Stats and analytics, such as PFF grades, were also factored into his scouting report. Thank you to both TFG and PFF for inspiring this draft content. Please leave your feedback on Twitter, @FBIntellect.

Grades

Traits/ Skills (see bottom of the page for scale)

Each trait/attribute is graded 1-7.

Clip Analysis

This clip above shows why Anderson is such a dominant athlete. The violence in his hands is evident and he shows a little bend as well. He didn’t even need to use a real pass-rush move as he just overwhelmed the Tackle with strength and speed.

Here he makes an impressive run stop against Jamaree Sayler who’s been a solid NFL player. To be able to stack-and-shed this good of a 320 lb Tackle is really hard to do, and he’s only 243 lbs.

Anderson has a very nice swipe move in this one. He did a great job of using a stutter move to make the Tackle punch toward his chest, which allowed him to swipe his hands away to throw the Tackle off-balance. This move takes great finesse and he showed how lighting quick his hands are.

In this one, he executes a nasty bull on the inside playing as a stand-up linebacker. It takes high-level get-off and raw power to be able to push a guard back that quickly.

D-line Stats

2022 (through WK 12):

Player Notes

Will Anderson Jr. Bio

• Anderson is a modern do-it-all EDGE with outstanding all-around athletism. He currently ranks as the third-highest player on the FBI draft board and is ranked second when accounting for positional value.

Pros

• He has world-class acceleration paired with as good of raw power as you could get from someone his size.
• He is an extraordinarily versatile player – plays the run well and is a forceful pass-rusher as an EDGE and also has the traits to excel as a true off-ball linebacker.
• Would be able to play multiple roles at a high level in a Belichick-hybrid style defense or can just play as traditional EDGE in any scheme.
• Pairs an explosive get-off with ultra-violent hands – is the worst nightmare for an undersized Tackle.
• Not many things in football are scarier than him lining up as a mugging off-ball linebacker.
• Has the elite speed to chase down runners and be a threat on stunts and schemed-up blitzes.
• Has a good feel for when to set up certain pass-rush moves; he just needs to get better at executing them and becoming more well-rounded.
• Has flashed the ability to pull off club moves, rip-moves, and spin moves as well.
• His lateral quickness and fluidity allow him to develop elite ‘bend’ potentially; has already shown good flashes.
• He’s the perfect player to call on stunts as he ferociously knives through O-lineman in pursuit of the QB.
• Consistently had high run defense grades throughout his career.

Cons

• He needs to clean up his tackling and cause fewer penalties – has 13 missed tackles and six penalties in his junior year.
• Relies too much on raw power and needs to improve the timing and consistency of his hand usage at the next level.
• Lacks consistency in his play-to-play get-off; has shown flashes of timing the snap perfectly, but he often finds himself jumping a bit late – this will likely improve with more experience.
• He will over-set the edge at times, leaving big holes in the B Gap.
• Didn’t consistently play with a high motor – this is often when the game isn’t on the line and is just mostly him preserving stamina.
• You’d like to see him force more fumbles heading into the future as he only had one in his entire Alabama career.

Combine

40 yd: 4.6

10 yd: 1.61

Shuttle:

3 cone:

Broad:

Vertical:

Bench:

Arm Length: 33 7/8″

Hand Size: 9 7/8″

Scales And Keys

Grading Key

POT – Potential: players’ highest upside

IMP – Impact: player’s immediate impact

Stats Key

PR – Pressures

SK – Sacks

TKL – Tackles

TFL – Tackles for loss