It must be weird to be Will Anderson Jr., the edge rusher from Alabama. On one hand, he has probably heard for 12 consecutive months how he is either the most talented or second most talented player in the entire draft — and yet, there’s a real chance his name isn’t called until at least pick number five.
Ah, the value of quarterbacks.
In fact, the narrative has become so passer-heavy, that sometimes it can be easy to forget just how good Anderson really is — and how dominant he was in a context (the SEC) that should make his production impossible to ignore. He was recognized as the nation’s best defensive player his sophomore year (Bronko Nagurski Trophy), while also being named first-team All-American, SEC Defensive Player of the Year and finishing fifth in Heisman voting. Oh, and then he did all of that again as a junior — with a few other new trophies mixed in as well.
When you are the first name on the scouting report at Alabama and still produce, it means something.
For the Las Vegas Raiders, the fit is obvious if Anderson were to somehow drop to pick No. 7. On one side of their defensive line, they have Maxx Crosby — one of the best edge players in the entire league. On the other, they have an aging and overpaid Chandler Jones, who would probably be cut if not for the cost to do so. With Anderson, you’d get a guy who would rotate in immediately, while also giving the slightly light rusher a chance to acclimate himself to the NFL while putting on much-needed weight.
Height: 6’3.5″
Weight: 253 pounds
40-yard-dash: 4.60
Bench Press: NA
Vertical jump: NA
Broad jump: NA
College stats: 204 tackles, 34.5 sacks, 58.5 tackles for loss, 1 INT
When I turn on Anderson’s tape (and I only watched a couple of his games snap-by-snap), I kept thinking one thing: this is more of a really high floor than a really high ceiling. Now, let me clarify: I think Anderson is a double-digit sack guy waiting to happen and he’s a guy who will play for the next decade, racking up a couple of big contracts — BUT, I’m not sure I see the next All-Pro in here.
My concerns from a ceiling perspective are his size, his effort (lots of chase-down-type plays where he seems to have given up), and his poor tackling. Please don’t mishear: Will Anderson Jr. is definitely one of the best players in this draft! I’m just highlighting why I might be a tad lower on him than other folks. When I turn on Jalen Carter’s tape next to Anderson’s, I see far more disruption and dominance on Carter’s part than I do with Anderson’s.
VERDICT: PICK
You might be surprised to see this after what I just said, but it goes to show how highly I regard Anderson despite some flaws. If your drafting strategy is to hit doubles and triples instead of always swinging for the fences, then Anderson is your guy. There’s a near-zero risk of a bust here — I just don’t see a future DPOY on tape either. In reality, there’s an incredibly small chance that Anderson makes it to No. 7 so this all might be a moot point, but if he does slip — I’d be happy to grab him up and solidify Maxx Crosby’s rushing mate for the next decade.
