2019 NFL Draft: Valuation of positional tweeners in class

EDGE/Interior Defensive Line: L.J. Collier (TCU), Rashan Gary (Michigan) and Zach Allen (Boston College)

The edge to interior defensive linemen alignment transition is one that is becoming more and more common across the NFL. Especially when you consider that there are several players that are valued for their ability to play a base 4-3 edge spot on first and second down, moving inside in obvious passing situations to maximize the ability to put as many pass rushers on the field at the same time (i.e. Michael Bennett, J.J. Watt, Calais Campbell, Joey Bosa, amongst others).

There has been a giant push in recent years to become as athletic as possible along the defensive front, causing run stopping specialists (with little pass rush potential) to be on the verge of extinction. This transitional period is also making a push for larger defensive ends, who boast a power profile, to move inside; becoming more and more common occurrence.

The 2019 NFL Draft class is no shortage of options for this inside-outside pass rushing role. For me, there are three players in particular that are great candidates to fill this hybrid role as they transition to the next level (partly due to versatility and partly due to necessity).

TCU edge defender L.J. Collier, who was largely a rotational piece before the 2018 season, was able to put together a very successful senior season that has landed himself firmly on the NFL radar. Collier played the majority of his snaps lining up at the right defensive end position, using speed to power conversion ability to help to overwhelm college left tackles. The effort Collier plays with pops off of film without any problem.

The problem is that Collier has a tightness to his hips that cloud his potential transition to the edge spot in a four-man front. On top of that inconsistent bend up the arc, Collier sports a very odd body type that will even further cloud his NFL transition. He is long (34-inch arms) but at 6-2 and 283 pounds, he looks much closer to an undersized interior player than traditional edge.

His athletic testing at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine continued to provide questions about his best future projection, posting some pedestrian numbers across the board (4.91-secon 40-yard dash, 30-inch vertical, 7.71-second 3-cone, 4.78-second 20-yard shuttle).

The agility drills (3-cone and 20-yard shuttle) are the most concerning, cementing that hip tightness you see on film. To further the odd evaluation, there is almost no evidence on film of interior reps for Collier. But one thing you can’t teach is effort and motor. Collier boasts those qualities in volume. Is he a perfect fit to an edge slot? No, not at all, but I am willing to gamble on the effort transitioning to a nice rotational cog moving all over the defensive line.

Perhaps the biggest enigma of the entire 2019 NFL Draft class is Michigan edge defender Rashan Gary. While at Michigan, Gary spent just about all of his time at the left defensive end spot, taking advantage of his incredible closing burst and length… and let’s just be completely clear, Rashan Gary is going to be a top-10 pick based solely upon the large upside he possesses.

Like Collier, there are instances on film where Gary fails to corner effectively, being washed past the pocket without the ability to counter back inside/collapse the pocket. In my world, I am drafting Rashan Gary to play either a 3-tech in a four man front, or a 5-tech in an odd front to beat up on tight ends. His ability to handle tight ends in the run game, consistently defeating assumed tight end leverage in down block situations and offensive tackles attempting to reach, are by far his most appealing technical trait on film.

Gary has entered this draft season with all his efforts toward proving he can hold down an edge spot full time. Due to length (6-4 with 34.125-inch arms) combined with an outstanding combine testing (4.58-second 40-yard dash, 38-inch vert, 10-foot broad jump, 26 bench reps), Gary has made it very hard for talent evaluators to not afford him the opportunity to start out on the edge.

To take advantage of his size and ability to convert speed to power, he projects favorably as a player who will move inside on third downs, praying on guards inability to match his speed through their up field shoulder. A team like the Seattle Seahawks or Jacksonville Jaguars scream as perfect fits for Gary, as they have often taken advantage of these inside-outside players who can be versatile in ways they can get after quarterbacks.

Now enter in my father’s personal favorite “edge” guy in the 2019 NFL Draft class. Throughout his career at Boston College, Zach Allen exhibited a throwback style that could potentially be lost in a new era of football that circulates around the passing game more than ever.

What Allen does have going for him in his potential fit on the edge is the dude is definitely long at 6-4 with 34.75-inch arms, and he sets a super physical edge with a motor that never even runs warm.

Then, of course, the on field workouts began in Indy, which was not as kind to Allen across the board (5.0-second 40-yard dash, 32-inch vertical, 9-4 broad jump). Like Collier and Gary, Zach Allen has barely any reps rushing from the interior. Evaluators will be scrambling to the film to see if Allen has traits necessary to win one on one in inside situations.

The aforementioned length, coupled with explosive punch, active hands and motor allow for that transition to be plausible. I am a big fan of Allen, and have been for awhile. Expecting him to move positions doesn’t change that, or make me a hater. He is a player who will fill a huge role on the defensive line, either in an even or odd front.

Does he have a position that seems to translate smoothly to on a full-time basis? No, I don’t think so — but he doesn’t need to. Allen represents what NFL teams desires, specifically in sub package situations.

Projected Round: Collier (4th-6th), Gary (1st: Top 10), Allen (2nd-4th)