Outside of those two, the 2027 class is loaded with prospects who look the part but relatively short on prospects who play the part. The good news is that this far out from the draft, the former is often more important than the latter. It will be a very fun class to track this fall for just that reason.
Positional rankings: IOL • S • LB • DT • TE • OT • RB • CB • EDGE • WR • QB Note: ⭐️ represents each player's 247Sports star rating as a high school recruit Dylan Stewart's absurd physical talent has been on display since the first time he stepped on a college field. how in the world is this is a true freshman pic.twitter.com/6Jq9qghsbQ His combination of bend and burst looks closer to that of a cornerback than a 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive end. He's the closest physical specimen to Myles Garrett since Garrett came out of Texas A&M in 2017. While Stewart's strength hasn't progressed the same way Garrett's did after his freshman year -- Garrett gained 30 pounds at Texas A&M to reach 270 by his junior year, while Stewart is listed at 250 -- even 90% of Garrett is still an elite edge rusher in the NFL.
He doesn't need to show any more to be a top-10 pick. Colin Simmons is the modern prototype speed rusher, the kind who can get by in the 240s because he's so athletic and overtly physical. With how much defenses use stunts and slanting blitzes, those kinds of athletes are incredibly valuable.
If you're slow out of your stance against him, you're toast. He's yet another prospect who doesn't have to play another down to go top 10. Texas EDGE Collin Simmons has insane traits for a true junior pic.twitter.com/CnxMAgsc0F There were a couple of defensive linemen on Clemson last year who entered the season with a lot more hype, but by the end of the year, no one was more effective than Will Heldt.
At 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds, it's hard not to see some pre-breakout Aidan Hutchinson when watching Heldt's tape. That's because at that size, he doesn't so much win with pure power but rather bend and agility. He's got a whirlwind spin move that he deploys in obvious passing situations that will be even more of a weapon in a defense without so many schemed rushes.
I'd like him to get better as a pure bull rusher, but as someone who's relatively young for a senior (he turned 21 in February), there's still time for improvement in that regard. I got to Sahir West's tape late in the summer and most certainly did not expect a James Madison transfer to UCLA to be one of the most physically impressive defensive ends in the class. At 6-foot-3 and 279 pounds, Sahir West can move.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
