Javontae Jean-Baptiste NFL Draft 2024: Scouting Report for Notre Dame EDGE

HEIGHT: 6'5"

WEIGHT: 239

HAND: 10"

ARM: 33¾"

WINGSPAN: 80½"

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40-YARD DASH: 4.66

3-CONE: N/A

SHUTTLE: N/A

VERTICAL: 34.5"

BROAD: 10'7"

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POSITIVES

— Good frame with long arms and good athletic testing numbers.

— Wins as pass-rusher with solid quickness, cross-chop and spin moves.

— High pass-rush motor to get coverage sacks. Hustle player overall who plays snap to whistle.

— Has solid upper-body strength and can get extension with his long arms.

— Slippery to help escape blocks.

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NEGATIVES

— A tick late off the ball and stands up out of his stance.

— Lack of explosion and pad level off the line hurts his ability to win with power as a pass-rusher.

— Use of hands as a pass-rusher needs work in general, as his timing is off and he often ends up chest-to-chest with offensive linemen.

— Tight hips and ankles, lower half is a little stiff to bend and turn a tight corner at the top of the rush.

— Bad pad level and a lack of lower-body strength can lead to him struggling to hold the point when setting the edge versus offensive tackles.

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2023 STATISTICS

— 13 G, 49 TOT, 5 SK, 10.5 TFL, 1 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR

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NOTES

— Born May 16, 2000

— 4-star recruit in the 2018 class, per 247Sports

— No major injuries

— Transferred from Ohio State to Notre Dame ahead of the 2023 season

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OVERALL

Javontae Jean-Baptiste certainly looks the part of an NFL edge-rusher at 6'5" and listed at 260 pounds. He weighed in lighter than that at the combine, but he was rumored to have suffered from food poisoning, leading to the drop in weight. If he is closer to the 250- to 260-pound range, his combination of size and athletic testing numbers should intrigue teams.

On the field, Jean-Baptiste is a solid pass-rusher who has a few moves he can win with, including a spin move or cross chop. He also has decent quickness to take advantage of tackles with bad feet. However, he shows some tightness in his lower half, which makes it difficult for him to bend and turn a tight corner.

The Notre Dame product's pass-rush plan still needs work, as he lacks the lower-body strength to consistently collapse the pocket with a bull rush, but he tries to win with power too often. The lack of sand in his pants shows up against the run, as he'll get widened when trying to set the edge.

Overall, Jean-Baptiste has a combination of size and movement skills that are worth taking a chance on late in the draft. He'd be a good fit as a standup outside linebacker in odd fronts. That being said, some teams might lose interest since he'll be a 24-year-old rookie.

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GRADE: 5.6 (Backup/Draftable — 6th-7th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 219

POSITION RANK: EDGE21

PRO COMPARISON: Tashawn Bower

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder

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