Kyle Kennard’s transfer to South Carolina in the 2023/2024 offseason led to a major breakout and elevation into early draft consideration. Here is a 2025 NFL Draft Early Scouting Report and film analysis on him.
Overview, Film Analysis, And Early 2025 Scouting Report Of South Carolina EDGE Kyle Kennard
Measurables:
- 6’5”
- 254 lbs
Player Background:
A three-star EDGE prospect in the 2020 class, Georgia native Kyle Kennard started his college career with Georgia Tech. He fought his way into the starting rotation as the season progressed, recording 2.5 sacks and 10 tackles in six games; five of which being the last of the season. He saw action in 12 games during his sophomore campaign, racking up 3.5 tackles-for-loss and two sacks.
The following season was an almost identical campaign for Kennard, picking up another two sacks and 4.5 TFLs in 12 contests. He began his upward trajectory in 2023, accumulating six total sacks with 11 TFLs as one of the team’s defensive leaders. He entered the portal after the season, ending up at South Carolina to bolster their defensive line. His final collegiate season was by far his most dominant, putting up 12.5 sacks and 21.5 TFLs in an All-American campaign.
Accolades:
- SEC Defensive Player Of The Year (2024)
- First Team All-American (2024)
- Nagurski Trophy Winner (2024)
Strengths/Pros:
Kennard’s rise to one of the premier pass rushers in college football came on the back of his elite speed-to-power transitions. His leg drive is impressive in straight-line pursuit toward the ball carrier with the strength to drive through tackles when he gets leverage. He’s versatile enough to succeed in multiple defensive alignments and has the traits to take advantage of offensive linemen in many ways. At the start of plays, he’s a twitchy athlete and explodes off the line to take early angles.
He plays with a high motor, fighting through plays and extending his period of impact. Kennard has solid length on the outside and uses it well to work the edge and maintain his power. He extends extremely well when laterally closing rushing lanes and finishes off plays that many others wouldn’t be able to. His wrap-up technique is solid in the backfield and utilizes weight distribution and his frame advantage well.
Weaknesses/Cons:
Kennard’s biggest area of concern is simply a pass-rushing bag that’s too thin in quantity and quality. He struggles to work the inside as a pass rusher and has very few moves to use when his first fails. A cause for counter-move ineffectiveness could be his lower body’s noticeable lack of fluidity. He’s much slower when working laterally against OTs and struggles with maximizing his length because of his stiff hips.
His hand placement and violence need to become more consistent at initial contact. Often he gets caught using them just to use them instead of attacking with a true plan. Another area of visible weakness is his finesse against the run, starting with his consistently late recognition of run plays. Kennard lets himself get moved off his spot too early and often and struggles to hold the edge.
Potential Team Fits:
NFL Projection:
Kennard’s stiffness and lapses against the run could give some teams pause about playing him in heavy doses right away, but his pass-rush ability is impossible to keep off the field. He gets after it every single play and just needs to increase the nuance in his approach to be a dangerous NFL pass rusher. Going to a defense with a need for sack production and aggressive tendencies would let him flash his abilities and work out his flaws in live game action.
Prospect Grade:
- Late 2nd Round To Early 3rd Round
Film Exposures:
- 2024 vs. Alabama
- 2024 vs. LSU
- 2024 vs. Texas A&M
Main Photo Courtesy of Scott Kinser – Imagn Images
