Scout Report – Rashan Gary

• Position: Defensive End (Edge, 5-Tech)
• College: Michigan Wolverines
• Pre-Draft Position Rank: 2 of 19

Age: 21 / Height: 6’4 / Weight: 277 lbs
NFL Size Comparison: Michael Bennett (Patriots)

• Average Offense Rank: 61.3
• Average Pass Offense Rank: 67.6
• Average Rush Offense Rank: 61.3
• Recorded Tackling Record: 7-1-0, 3 assists
• Recorded Block Shed Record: 14-19-16, 4 DT
  • 29% shed rate, 61% contention rate

RESUME:

• 38 total tackles (20 solo, 18 assisted)
• 3.5 sacks on the season
• 6.5 TFL
• Best game: vs. Indiana (W 31-20)
  • 9 total tackles (6 solo, 3 assisted) / 1.5 TFL / 1.5 Sacks
• Played against 3 ranked opponents (1-2)
  • @ #12 Notre Dame (L 17-24)
    • 4 total tackles (1 solo, 3 assisted) / 0.5 TFL
  • vs. #14 Penn State (W 42-7)
    • 2 total tackles (1 solo, 1 assisted)
  • @ #10 Ohio State (L 39-62)
    • 5 tackles (3 solo, 2 assisted) / 1 TFL
• Played against 2 top-25 offense teams
  • Nebraska, ranked 25th
  • #10 Ohio State, ranked 2nd
• Played against 1 top-25 pass offense
  • #10 Ohio State, ranked 2nd
• 2× First-team All-Big Ten (2017, 2018)
• 247 Sports Composite National Player of the Year (2015)
• USA Today Defensive Player of the Year (2015)
• USA Today All-American (2015)

Strengths:

• Quick on the crash down
• Shows promising agility for his size
• Good awareness of the flow of the play, easily keeps himself relevant throughout the play
• Intelligent enough to not bite on fakes too often
• Can quickly analyze the play and moves to where he is needed
• Has a solid idea of what is expected of him in containment on the edge
• Strong initial burst off the snap
• Maintains a strong, solid stance, making him difficult to take ground from on pulling guards or off-tackle runs
• Has a strong nose for the inside run, pinches in to engulf the runner, giving them nowhere to go

Weaknesses:

• Does not possess a consist jump off the snap, sometimes can be deadly on the burst and other times will lag behind
• Does not consistently gain advantageous positioning
• Hesitant to use his quick hands to shed the block, preferring to attempt to bulldoze his way through
• Does not possess a diverse moveset
• Lets himself lose positioning on the outside run often when his first target is not the runner
• Does not chasedown ball carriers once they are about 5 yards from him
• Does not possess good chasedown speed, will not catch a runner even if he wanted to
• Weak on the finesse, ends up rolling outside of the pocket like a moon in orbit rather than penetrating
• Does not have the discipline to change his approach on a losing streak against a blocker, will keep doing the same thing over and over
• can be streaky, successfully penetrating for stretches of plays, then failing for just as long afterward

Bold Predictions:

• Draft Placement: 1st round
• Plays like: Ezekiel Ansah (NFL.com)
• Ceiling: NFL backup
• Floor: 4 & out

Overview:

I’m going to come out and say it: I simply do not see what makes Rashan Gary such a hyped prospect. This is a man who has no significant stats to speak of. He is someone whose best season consists of barely double digit tackles for loss, and right above 5 sacks. In 2018 he didn’t even manage to crack into 50 tackles, or above 5 sacks. This is also a DE mind you. Recording Gary’s block shed record across two games (Notre Dame and Ohio State), he managed to have one of the lowest shed rates I have ever recorded, and the lowest contention rate of a prospect ever. By comparison, Ed Oliver (a DT Nose), posted a better block shed rate (34%) while also having 23 double teams and 4 triple teams put on his recorded snaps. Compare that to Gary’s 4 double teams, and you will see the stark difference.

Gary is no scrub either. He is ranked as the 2nd best prospect at his position behind Nick Bosa, and is among the top 10 ranked prospects on NFL’s Draft tracker at 7th. He has been named first team All-Big Ten in consecutive years, and is a consistent talking point on any game that Michigan played in.

I will say this, Gary’s strength comes from his ability to play the run, specifically the inside run. He rarely gives up ground, and is usually the player that forces the runner to change his approach and get caught up in the backfield. He is strong enough to maintain his balance and maneuver through congestion, and can get a wrap on the runner by pinching in from his position. He doesn’t bite on fakes too often, and keep his eyes moving to keep track of the play.

There is a flip side to this. While Gary does not give up a lot of ground, he does often lose his positioning on plays. An example of the difference goes as follows: A guard pulls to his side on an outside run. Gary will jump the snap and set himself right on the outside of the tackle box in order to intercept the runner as he tries to hit the outside of the OT/TE. The guard meets Gary, throwing a block. Gary does not lose ground, but he does lose his outside shoulder, giving the runner a free lane to bounce to the outside. In this instance, Gary did not lose his ground, but he did lose his positioning to contain. This type of mistake riddles his film.

Another weak point in his game is his lack of a moveset. When it comes to comparing how rushers get to the QB, or even penetrate the pocket, Gary is noticeably less effective than the others in his class. Honestly, the point that makes this especially cumbersome for him is the fact that he is such a highly recruited scout. Comparing him side by side with a player like Nick Bosa, or even Josh Allen (who doesn’t even play the same position as him) further illustrates how behind he is in terms of his use of moves to get into the backfield. What does give hope is the fact that he has on a few occasions shown his hands are quick enough to become troublesome weapons against the block, but in most of the instances, his use of hands came from a reflex rather than a trained technique. If Gary could learn to add this to his repertoire, he would become much more deadly almost overnight.

Gary’s game is too far behind at this current moment, and even at the college level he was struggling to penetrate into the backfield. Development would take time before he becomes a legitimate playmaker on any team he is drafted to, and I don’t think teams have that level of patience. Gary is the type of player that would be overshadowed by another prospect in the future.