2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Mississippi State DL Jaden Crumedy

From now until the 2023 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Mississippi State DL Jaden Crumedy.

#94 JADEN CRUMEDY, DL, MISSISSIPPI STATE – (SENIOR) 6040, 301 POUNDS

SENIOR BOWL INVITE

MEASUREMENTS

THE GOOD

— Has prototypical height, size, and length for the position
— Filled-out frame that can take on blocks and fill gaps against the run
— Has the base and hip bend to sit in gaps with leverage
— Possesses good play strength to hold his own at the point of attack
— Can stand up blockers and shed to make plays against the run
— Has a good long arm move coupled with a bull rush
— Pushes the pocket as a pass rusher
— Displays flashes of quickness off the ball and into the backfield
— Demolishes the quarterback when he gets into the pocket
— Has heavy hands to jolt back blockers on the snap
— Experienced defender who played up and down the line of scrimmage

THE BAD

— Lacks stop/start quickness to adjust to ball carriers in the open field
— Can get out of control at times on his rush
— Will stand up on occasion when taking on double teams, leading to poor leverage
— Needs to develop his hand usage to better get off blocks against the run and pass
— Gets locked onto blocks far too often
— Lacks the speed and burst to track down ball carriers in the open field
— Will be a 24-year-old rookie

BIO

— Redshirt Senior (6th year) prospect from Hattiesburg, MS
— Born July 30, 2000 (age 23)
— Boasts the nickname “Big Baby” for getting called out by his godfather in a basketball practice
— Four-star recruit per Rivals, top-five recruit in Mississippi
— Had nearly 200 total tackles, 57.5 tackles for loss, and 26.5 sacks in HS junior and senior seasons
— Saw action in two games in 2018 before redshirting
— Appeared in 11 games with seven starts in 2019 and tallied 18 tackles, two for loss, and one sack
— Started all 11 games in 2020 and tallied 31 tackles, 3.5 for loss, two sacks, three QB hurries, and two pass deflections
— Started all 12  games in 2021 and tallied 20 tackles, two for loss, one sack, seven quarterback hurries, one pass deflection, forced one fumble, and blocked a field goal
— Started five games in 2022 and finished with 15 tackles, including 5.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks, before getting shut down with a wrist injury
— Started 12 games in 2023 and had 35 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 16 quarterback hurries
— Earned his master’s in workforce education, 2x Academic Honor Role (2022-23)

TAPE BREAKDOWN

There are few players entering this draft class with more playing experience than Mississippi State DL Jaden Crumedy. The sixth-year senior has appeared in 53 career games while making 47 starts, seeing extensive action in 2019, and hasn’t looked back. The former high school all-star out of Hattiesburg has spent six seasons at Mississippi State, becoming a trusted member of the defensive front for the Bulldogs, although the state sheet may not show it. With 8.5 sacks in five seasons, Crumedy doesn’t come off as much of a pass rusher at first glance. However, when you watch the tape, you do see a player who can have an impact by pressuring the passer as well as playing against the run.

When you pop in the tape on Crumedy, you see a well-built defensive lineman who has the size, length, and strength to play nearly anywhere on the defensive front. He played up-and-down the line for the Bulldogs in college, serving as a base defensive end in a three-man front as well as the nose tackle on occasion. Crumedy’s superpower as a prospect is his run defense, being a stout defender that can take on blocks and sit in gaps, having the strength, leverage, and power to hold his own at the point of attack and fight off blocks to make plays near the line of scrimmage.

Crumedy does a great job working into gaps and holding space while fighting pressure to keep runners from getting past him. Watch this clip below against LSU, where Crumedy works into the C-gap against the tackle. He manages to hold his spot as the blocker attempts to kick him out toward the line of scrimmage, spinning off the block as the runner comes up the middle to get in on the tackle.

When it comes to his pass rush, Crumedy is a bull in a China shop, having the brute strength and force to push the pocket back and shock blockers into the lap of the quarterback with his heavy hands. Watch this rep against the Tigers as Crumedy stunts down into the A-gap, knocking the blocker off-center to get into the pocket, breaks down and squares up the quarterback, and wraps him up for the sack.

When Crumedy gets a head full of steam on the passer on his rush, watch out. He brings a lot of stopping power as he goes through his target as a tackler, as you can see in the clips below. He absolutely leveled the quarterback in both clips with huge hits when he got a running start, going through the running back on the second clip to bring down the quarterback in the pocket.

Still, when you watch Crumedy play, his lateral movement skills stick out as he tries to make tackles out in space. He isn’t the most fleet of foot when it comes to quickness, as you can see in the clip below, having to stop and start his motion, which leads to additional yards being gained.

Crumedy normally plays with great leverage on the line of scrimmage, but he can rise up and get high with his pad level when he panics or gets double-teamed. Check out this clip below where Crumedy runs into a double team by the Tigers and starts to pop up with his shoulders high, leading to him getting latched onto the block as Jayden Daniels starts to scramble, and Crumedy gets driven downfield, unable to fight off the block in an attempt to make a play.

CONCLUSION

Jaden Crumedy is a physical interior defender with the size, strength, and experience you look for at the position. His production as a pass rusher has been underwhelming during his college career, but he does flash moments of impressive closing speed and power as a rusher while also providing quality run defense to the equation as a defender that can start out in a rotational role on first and second down as a base 3-4 DE or 4-3 DT and work his way into a larger role with time.

When coming up with a pro comparison for Crumedy, his former teammate Cameron Young came to mind as a player with nearly identical size and athleticism who was drafted in the fourth round by the Seahawks last year. Crumedy will likely go somewhere on Day Three as well this coming April and would be a good target for Pittsburgh in the later rounds should they not address the defensive line earlier in the draft.

Projection:  Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 7.1 – Rotational Player (4th Round)
Games Watched: vs LSU (2023), at Arkansas (2023), vs NC State (2022), Senior Bowl