No tags yet.
Rashan Gary, Defensive Lineman, Michigan
6’5, 287 Lbs, Junior, 40 Yard Dash 4.57 s
Before starting my 2019 NFL Draft research I knew a few things, this is a defense heavy draft, Ed Oliver could be the next greatest thing in football, and Rashan Gary will be a top 5 pick, but after doing the research I might want to tweak that a bit. Gary could easily be the top guy in this draft class. When you put on the tape of Rashan Gary, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you he is 6’5, and closing in on 300 Lbs (287 Lbs). During Michigan's spring camp he clocked a 40 yard dash at 4.57 seconds, which lead all defensive lineman. Just to compare that to other speedy defensive linemen, Myles Garrett ran a 4.64 at 274 Lbs, Jadeveon Clowney ran a 4.53 40 at 267 Lbs, and Ezekiel Ansah ran a 4.56 at 271 Lbs. All of those guys are top end pass rushers who have already wrecked havoc among offensive lines in the NFL, great company to be in for Rashan. He lines up as a defensive end, and mainly will do his damage from there, but is more than capable of causing nightmares from the inside of the line as well. Every snap you can see that Rashan wants to be involved with making the tackle, even if he is on the other side of the field with the ball carrier already in the process of being tackled you will find him still racing over to finish the play off. He is nasty, and he loves to make a hit.
Throughout the 2017 season Harbaugh used his athleticism by pulling Gary around from the 5 gap to the 2 or 3 gap to confuse offenses. This is just one example of his high football IQ, being able to be one of the most versatile defenders in college football. Give credit to the coaching staff as well, but the action of Gary pulling to inside gaps makes it a lot harder for the offensive line to secure a double team on him. Combine that with his fundamentals and you can easily start to see why I think he could be the best prospect in the class. Pull up his Wisconsin tape and you will find plenty of examples of him engaging his blocker, locking him out to diagnose the play and shedding the block with ease. That motion of pushing your blocker outside to diagnose a play is something every coach dreams about! For anyone who might be lost, that allows him to clearly view the backfield and read how the play is being broke down, high football IQ moves. Throughout his tape you see the strength of Rashan Gary as he rarely will ever be pushed backwards, especially if he is one on one with his defender. With that being said, his pass rushing moves are very unpolished and tends to lean on his pure strength to break up a play. From time to time you see him bring out the swim move, but besides that he could really benefit from using his athleticism to his advantage.
This class does not lack talent on the defensive side of the ball, and that could dilute the hype around Rashan in 2019, especially with a generational talent like Ed Oliver battling for the top spot as well. As long as he continues to grow throughout the off season, stays healthy and out of trouble, I can’t imagine him falling out of the top 5 for next year's draft. If you enjoy defense keep your eye on Michigan football this year, and you can thank me later.
Pro Comp: Cameron Jordan/Michael Bennett
Big frame? Check. Multi positional athlete? Check. Always around the ball? Check. Combine those with the IQ of Gary and you get pass rushers Michael Bennett and Cameron Jordan. Like Bennett and Jordan, Rashan Gary is a knack of getting to the ball, and ruining plays, even if he isn’t really awarded the stat for it. Similar to Michael Bennett, don't expect Rashan to lead the league in sacks but he definitely won’t make it hard to find him on the field.