Overview
Position: Edge defender
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 257 pounds
School: Boston College Eagles
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.83 seconds
Bench press: 25 reps (tied for third-best among edge rushers)
Vertical jump: 34 inches
Broad jump: 9 feet, 10 inches
Three-cone drill: 7.34 seconds
Wyatt Ray 2019 NFL Draft Profile
Wyatt Ray appeared in all 12 games of his freshman campaign after a decorated high school career. He won a state championship with St. Thomas Aquinas in 2014. Ray earned All-State Class 7A first-team honors as a senior along with first team All-Country. He finished with 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and 70 tackles with 20 for loss. Ray was a reserve freshman but earned playing time sophomore year and finished with 27 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks.
He started four games in the absence of Harold Landry as a junior and had 39 tackles, four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Ray had his first interception against Louisville which led to their first lead of the game in a comeback win. With Harold Landry departing to the NFL Draft, 2018 was Ray’s time to shine. It didn’t take long for Ray to show off his talent which had been buried on the depth chart. In the third game of the season vs Wake Forest, he tallied four sacks and eight total tackles and broke the BC single-game sack record. Ray finished his senior season with nine sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss with 44 total tackles.
In a draft class loaded with talent along the defensive line, Ray struggles to gain notice. He also shared a defensive line with Zach Allen who is garnering a lot of hype in the draft community. Despite being a mostly unknown player, he has traits that could translate well to the NFL. Ray displayed a lot of improvement throughout his time with Boston College which could signal to NFL front offices that he can develop into an impactful player.
Strengths
- great at converting speed to power when rushing the passer;
- has good leverage, hard to move in the run game;
- showed a lot of success when shooting inside on stunts
- great burst through the gap;
- began to employ a pass rush plan in 2018 and showed great improvement;
- showcased a lot of potential because of his major improvement in play from 2017 to 2018;
- an overall very sound run defender that showed flashes of potential rushing the passer.
Weaknesses
- showed the ability to bend when rushing the passer but consistently gets washed out of the pocket;
- doesn’t point his hips to the quarterback and dip his shoulder around the edge;
- improved mightily from 2017 in 2018 in regards to pass rush moves and plan, but still has a lot of work to go;
- slow off the ball, often the last on the BC line to react to the snap;
- lacks counter moves to the inside when the initial move fails;
- gets overpowered at times against the run;
- needs a lot of refining in the NFL to rush the passer efficiently;
- not able to disengage from blocks with hands;
- lacks power and swiftness in hand usage;
- Struggles disengaging from blocks and lacks motor on backside plays.
NFL Comparison: Eli Harold
Teams with need at position: Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks
Projection: Sixth to seventh round
Bottom Line
Ray’s value is predicated on his potential. He showed a lot of improvement at BC and he could be an impactful edge rusher in the NFL. To make an impact rushing the passer he needs to employ a pass rush plan more consistently and learn how to point his hips and toes when bending on the edge. Ray is already a good run defender and a sure tackler which means he could make an impact on special teams early on. He could be a good late-round selection who could contribute on special teams early on and develop his pass rushing with adequate coaching.
