By Wake Jatkins (The Crowd Assist Podcast)
I know. I know. I lied.
I said I wouldn’t highlight prospects projected to be drafted in the first three rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft. But I have a good reason for lying to you! Last night, Merekat and I recorded a Live First Round Mock Draft. If you missed it, go back and listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or watch on our YouTube page.
I want to talk about the player that we had the Buffalo Bills select during last night’s show. He’s an intriguing prospect who has all the makings of a bonafide first-round talent. In college, he was missing one thing: a 2020 season. Allow me to formally introduce Gregory Rousseau.
Greg “GR” Rousseau is finally being brought back into the fold as a possible first-round selection. Frankly, I’m shocked it took this long. We’ve talked about Caleb Farley and Micah Parsons as guaranteed day one picks. Why did opting out hurt GR more than it does them? Many argue Rousseau didn’t have enough production in college. But his 2019 season speaks for itself.
In 2019 he put up the nation’s second-highest sack total (15.5), earning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, first-team All-ACC, and Freshman All-American honors. But like all edge rushers in this draft, he has his detractions. The detractions mainly stem from him opting out in 2020.
To be clear, that’s not a dealbreaker to me. Many players who opted out are posting some of the best RAS scores in the entire prospect pool. Opting out of the college football season doesn’t mean they’re not in “football shape”. They absolutely could be, but a majority of these young men dedicated the entire past year to draft prep. You could make the argument that their stock should be higher. That’s the shape these guys are coming back in.
Sean McDermott loves guys with versatility. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it. As Merekat pointed out in his mock draft (please check it out, it’s as comprehensive a first-round mock draft that you’ll find), Rousseau played wide receiver and safety in high school. Now I’m not saying that he’s gonna be an extra DB for the Bills defense. However, I could see them putting 6 guys on the d-line showing a heavy blitz package, and having GR pop back into the zone for an occasional play. I bet McDermott and Frazier would love to get a player that has the understanding to hold his own in coverage if a play broke down, or if it was by design.
Now. That might be a bit of a stretch when talking about his versatility. But he does have the ability to line up at pretty much every spot of the defensive line. While he’s an edge rusher by trade, Miami often had him in at DT in sub-packages, and he did well. He’s got a natural instinct for getting to the Quarterback and a very high football IQ. Coaches and scouts alike have praised him for his knowledge of the game.
Like Dayo Odeyingbo, who I wrote about yesterday, GR would help sure up the run game for the Buffalo Bills. He’s at his best as a run defender when he’s disrupting plays in the backfield, and thanks to his great athleticism, that was happening pretty often at Miami.
I wanted to get away from this comp because Merekat used it in his mock draft, but it’s just so spot on. I’ve heard so many other analysts say it was well, and using the eye test, it passes… He looks A LOT like Montez Sweat, who had a monster sophomore season in the NFL for the Washington Football Team, recording 9 sacks. Their builds are very similar, and like Sweat, Rousseau could take a year to fully reach his NFL potential. And that’s fine by me. He has technique issues to work on, but so did AJ Epenesa, and he looked like a PROBLEM towards the end of the season.
After hearing that some teams may not let Gregory Rousseau get out of the first round, I feel even better about taking him in our Live Mock Draft last night. But how would you feel about it? Let us know in the comments!
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