From now until the 2025 NFL Draft takes place, we hope to 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 Florida State defensive lineman Joshua Farmer.
#5 JOSHUA FARMER, DL, FLORIDA STATE (rJR) – 6027, 314 lbs.
Senior Bowl
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Joshua Farmer | 6027/314 | 10 1/2 | 35 1/4 | 82 1/2 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
The Good
— Good height and weight with elite length
— Played multiple spots along the defensive line
— Twitchy snap quickness
— Good push/pull, solid push on bull rush
— Good acceleration to the quarterback
— Quickness into gaps in 1-gap scheme
— Play strength to stack blocker
— Can set the edge playing defensive end
The Bad
— Motor is adequate and slows rapidly mid-play
— Bull rush halts after a few steps
— Marginal hand usage and counters when rushing the passer
— No pass rush plan
— Pursuit out of pocket or downfield is marginal; 5-steps and shuts it down
— Marginal lateral agility versus Zone scheme
— Cannot get over lateral blocks or break off of a blocker engagement
— Adequate anchor versus double team blocks
— Doesn’t make plays outside of the tackle box
Bio
— Career: 80 tackles, 32 solo, 21 TFL, 11 sacks, 2 PBU, 1 FF
— 2024: 32 tackles, 12 solo, 8 TFL, 4 sacks
— Earned teams Bobby Bowden Leadership award
— 42 games/25 starts
— Was a captain for 8 games in 2024
— 2023: second team All-ACC
— 2022: was team’s Devaughn Darling Defensive Freshman of the Year
— 2022, 2023: All-ACC academic team
– Lost father to cancer when he was two, lost mother to brain aneurysm when he was 11; raised by grandparents and members of community
— Senior Bowl invitee
— Birthday January 17
Tape Breakdown
Joshua Farmer is a defensive lineman with good height, very good weight, and elite length. He’s a multi-year starter aligning primarily as the 3-technique but also aligned at the 0-, 1- and occasionally the 5-tech. He has a good build with thickness throughout his frame.
As a pass rusher, he has a twitchy burst off the line of scrimmage with good pad level. On power rushes he uses his length, good hand placement and punch along with solid leg drive to move blockers into the pocket. His best pass rush is his push/pull using his good play strength and grip strength to move lineman from his path.
When he has a path in the pocket, he has good acceleration to close on the passer.
On twists and stunts, he is solid as a penetrator using good quickness and pad level to create a lane for a teammate. When the pass rush isn’t getting home, he is solid getting his hands up in the passing lanes.
Against the run, as a one-gap defender he displays good quickness to get into gaps and will use a rip move to get under the blocker. As a two-gap defender, he has good play strength and solid hand placement to stack blockers and can win one-on-one situations. When aligned as the 5-tech, he uses leverage and play strength to hold off the blocker with a long arm to set the edge.
His motor is adequate and only visible in small bursts. His bull rush halts consistently after a couple of steps. As a pass rusher, his hand usage is marginal, struggling to get a blocker’s hands off of him. The pass rush plan is marginal with an ineffective club or rip but not much else. Primarily relies on a bull rush. He is poor countering when the first move doesn’t work. Pursuit out of the pocket is marginal. After about five steps he pulls up. As a looper on stunts, he displays adequate agility and bend to corner on the loop.
Struggling to get off blocks.
Against Zone runs, he displays marginal lateral agility and is consistently cut off moving outside. Blocks coming from his sides were highly effective. Once engaged, he is marginal at block destruction. Against double teams, he was adequate versus double teams with adequate leverage and anchor. He does not make plays outside of the tackle box and displays marginal pursuit.
Versus a double-team block.
Conclusion
Overall, Farmer has good height, weight, and elite length with good play strength. He has experience playing from the 0-tech to the 5-tech in one- and two-gap schemes. At the snap, he has twitchy burst with solid hand placement. His best rushes are push/pull and a bull rush. With a lane he has good acceleration to the quarterback. As a run defender, he can penetrate gaps in a 1-gap scheme and set the edge in a two-gap along with stacking blockers when one-on-one.
Areas to improve include getting his motor to run hotter, improving hand usage as a pass rusher and developing a pass-rush plan. Block destruction, snap quickness on Zone runs and improving his anchor against double teams will help him in the run game.
His size and length are good fits for the odd front defensive end position. There are some positives such as his snap quickness, positional flexibility and play strength. However, there is a lot of work to be done. The pass-rush plan is nonexistent, he doesn’t get off blocks and doesn’t make enough plays. Best fit would be as a one-gap defensive tackle in an even front to use his quickness to disrupt, but with improvement he could fit the defensive end in an odd front.
For a player comp, I will give you Ta’Quon Graham. A similarly built player with 35-inch arms who showed some ability with play strength and hands but needed pass rush improvement and range.
Projection: Mid-Day Three
Depot Draft Grade: 6.7 Backup/Special Teamer (5th Round)
Games Watched: 2024 – Vs Georgia Tech, At SMU, Vs Clemson, At Miami, At Notre Dame
