Rashad Weaver NFL Draft 2021: Scouting Report for Tennessee Titans Edge

HEIGHT: 6'4 3/8"

WEIGHT: 259 lbs

POSITIVES

—Hand placement is a positive for him, and his ability to win with his hands in general is his biggest selling point.

—His balance can make up for his lack of bend after winning with his hands.

—Dip and rip moves are not always present because of how he plays hand games, but he has flashed the ability to do so when he is not playing with a high pad level.

—Already comes from a college system built for him to focus around being a half-man schematically, which is what he will be doing in the NFL.

—Has a high football IQ and does a great job of reading the backfield before committing to a path of action.

—Plays assignment football instead of over-penetrating when left unblocked on the back side.

—One blocker is not enough to stop him in the pursuit of the ball.

—An effort player who might make the most impact as a slow churner to the slide side of pass protections.

NEGATIVES

—Overall athleticism is not above average for a contributing edge-rusher at the NFL level.

—Foot speed could be an issue for him in turning pressure into sacks.

—Developing explosion off the ball will be crucial to his upside as a professional.

—For his length, he is a finesse player who uses his hands to swipe free more than he delivers blows and resets the line of scrimmage.

2020 STATISTICS

34 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 2 pass deflections, 1 fumble recovery, 3 forced fumbles

NOTES

—Had a season-ending ACL injury in 2019 training camp.

—Started all but seven games of his college career, not including his injury-ravaged 2019 season and his redshirt year.

—Declared for the NFL draft before Pittsburgh played its final game of the year on the road against Georgia Tech.

OVERALL

Weaver is a quality pass-rusher who at worst will immediately contribute in a three-man rotation on the edge. How teams will view his upside will depend on how much they believe he can add onto his hand-technique-based skill set by developing more explosion with his first step. That will be the difference between Weaver maxing out as a Derek Barnett type of player, a fine pass-rusher, and a Chandler Jones, a perennial Pro Bowler with advanced hand fighting as his primary method to victory.

GRADE: 7.8/10 (Round 2)

OVERALL RANK: 40/300

POSITION RANK: EDGE3

PRO COMPARISON: Derek Barnett

Written by B/R NFL Scout Justis Mosqueda