From now until the 2025 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, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Ohio State EDGE Jack Sawyer.
#33 JACK SAWYER/EDGE OHIO STATE – 6’5, 260 POUNDS (SENIOR)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Jack Sawyer | 6’5/260 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 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
– Will play the passing lanes in his rush attempts, which higher the chances of an incompletion
– Used in a versatile way where he is lined up as an interior lineman and EDGE defender, and will drop back into coverage often
– Attacks blockers with solid power
– Shows to make improvements in-game based on past mistakes
– Great frame for the NFL, landing in the 88th percentile for height and 51st percentile for weight as an EDGE
– Has shown up in the biggest moments where, in the 2024 playoffs, he made a huge impact, having three sacks, five pass deflections, and a fumble recovery for an 83-yard touchdown
– Solid floor with being almost guaranteed to be a rotational edge rusher as a 3-4 outside linebacker at worst
– Creates a good amount of pressure that may not show up in the stat sheets with sacks
– Would often draw double teams, which gives his teammates better looks
– Almost always will play disciplined and hold the backside in a run play situation
The Bad
– Missed tackles have been an issue for him, only having one season below 15 percent missed tackle percentage
– Has shown to lose sense of where he is on the field, which causes him to run into teammates and take them out of the play
– Lacks effort and a desire to hunt ball carriers down the field to the point where he turns it into a light jog
– Allows tackles to get their hands inside of his chest plate and then struggles to get off those blocks
– Needs to use his hands better in order to have a deeper array of move
– Despite having massive expectations coming into college and even being compared to Nick Bosa by some high school analysts, never had a statistically explosive season
– Raw prospect when considering he will be 23 a few days after the draft, which makes me worry about his ceiling
– Clunky movement, which makes it easy for quarterbacks to avoid him in the backfield
Bio
– 22 years old (May 6th, 2002)
– 54 games played for Ohio State from 2021 to 2024
– 144 tackles, 23 sacks, six forced fumbles, one interception, and 29 tackles for loss in his college career
– 59 tackles, nine sacks, three forced fumbles, one interception and nine tackles for loss in 2024
– Torn MCL in the final game of his 2019 high school junior season
– Five-star DL in his 2021 high school class from Pickerington, OH
– Made the varsity football team as a backup tight end before moving to defensive end
– As a junior in high school played quarterback and defensive end while not playing his senior season
– Was the 6th overall prospect in his high school class only behind JC Latham, Leonard Taylor III, Korey Foreman, JT Tuimoloau, and Quinn Ewers
– Grandfather played in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system, father played football at Findlay College, and mother played basketball at Pickerington
– Played basketball in high school as well
– Two-time Second-team All-Big Ten (2023/2024), 2024 National Champion, and was named the 2024 Cotton Bowl defensive MVP
Tape Breakdown
This was the first play I watched from Jack Sawyer, and it wasn’t the best introduction to his film. Coming off the edge, he needed to show more discipline by holding his position and anticipating a backcut or play action. Instead, he charged full speed toward the ball carrier, who cut back right into the area Sawyer was originally responsible for, finding open space. If Sawyer had stayed put, he could have made the tackle for a loss, but instead, the play resulted in a five-yard gain. To put the cherry on top, Sawyer also misses his tackle attempt when the running back cuts back.
This was the type of play I expected to see more from Sawyer as I continued watching, but it was actually the opposite. After this play, he proceeded to stay disciplined on every play-action and handoff. This showed his ability to recognize errors in-game and quickly adjust. So, while this play was a rough first impression, it ultimately highlighted one of his best traits.
— Steven (@Elspedd) February 17, 2025
One of my biggest issues with Sawyer is his inability to finish a good play. This one in particular, was more of a good play from Quinn Ewers fighting off the sack rather than a knock on Sawyer but is still a slight example of what I am talking about. He constantly has either a sack or tackle for loss in his grasp but can never seem to finish the play which contributed to a lack of his statistical dominance and his noticeably high missed tackle rate.
— Steven (@Elspedd) February 17, 2025
This is Sawyer’s most impactful play of his career. On fourth down with only eight yards until the end zone, Texas is looking to score, being down seven and under three minutes left in the game. Sawyer decides to take over the game and put it away. He gets a solid get off and swats the tackles hands away which leaves a free lane towards Ewers. Sawyer then gets a strip sack which he recovers and returns 83-yards for the score which sends Ohio State to the National Championship.
As I talked about in Sawyer’s good section, he stepped up when his team needed him most, and this is a prime example of that. It also helps that on the prior play, he also had another pressure on Ewers that forced an incompletion on third down.
— Steven (@Elspedd) February 17, 2025
One thing I like about Sawyer’s game is his ability to keep his eyes in the backfield if he is not generating pressure. This is the same trait that allowed him to have seven pass deflections in 2024 alone. On this play, it helped him when Iowa’s quarterback stepped up in the pocket. Sawyer saw that, disengaged, and got another strip sack. It’s important for rushers to not just give up on plays and look for more work even when they are not generating pressure.
— Steven (@Elspedd) February 17, 2025
Since Sawyer does not have much of a finesse bag in his arsenal, he is forced to find another way to win as a rusher. His method has just been straight power and it has been very successful for him. Here, he drives the Penn State tackle straight back into Drew Allar, forcing an incompletion. Sawyer is a power first edge rusher who can raise his ceiling by adding more to that strength of his.
— Steven (@Elspedd) February 18, 2025
Conclusion
Jack Sawyer is a very talented player and has been since high school, which is what warranted him a five-star rating. Although, he hasn’t exactly lived up to those lofty expectations associated with that rating. Even though he has gotten better every year at Ohio State, he still is considerably raw going into the NFL draft when looking at his 23-year-old age. He has solid power and is disciplined in the run game but hardly offers anything as a finesse rusher which limits his ceiling. He has the floor due to frame and athleticism but needs to expand his game more than that to thrive in the NFL and potentially be a full-time starter.
As it stands right now, I think Sawyer projects as a third round pick that can offer solid production as a rotational player.
There are two controversies I think are worth keeping in consideration when talking about Sawyer. The first was his outburst after the Buckeyes lost to Michigan in November 2024. Michigan players tried to plant a flag on OSU’s logo, which caused what many described as a “temper tantrum” from Sawyer. The second controversy was during the Rose Bowl of Sawyer’s 2021 freshman season when he was ejected for targeting Utah quarterback Cam Rising. A play in which, early in the second quarter, Sawyer was behind Rising and attempted a diving tackle by lowering the crown of his helmet as Rising was going down on his own accord. These are not things that break his draft projection, but they definitely do not improve it.
My pro comparison for Sawyer is Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. Both have similar size profiles and statistical production in their final collegiate year. Going into the draft, both can be looked at as unfinished projects with starter potential if developed correctly. This raw potential can be met by working on hand usage and setting a stronger edge, but there is no denying their athleticism or solid frame.
Projection: Mid Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 7.6 – Third Round (Potential Starter/Good Backup)
Games Watched: Oregon (2024), Iowa (2024), Texas (2024), Penn State (2024)
