{"id":197362,"date":"2024-10-30T11:30:29","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T15:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=197362"},"modified":"2024-10-29T23:50:56","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T03:50:56","slug":"defensive-nfl-draft-risers-in-week-9-features-elite-pass-rushers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/30\/defensive-nfl-draft-risers-in-week-9-features-elite-pass-rushers\/","title":{"rendered":"Defensive NFL Draft Risers In Week 9 Features Elite Pass Rushers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of the best action in Week 9 of college football occurred in the trenches. Players around the nation dominated offensive lines, and here are some who rose to the top tier of Defensive NFL Draft Risers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Week 9\u2019s Defensive NFL Draft Risers Dominated By The Trenches<\/b><\/h2>\n

EDGE Kaimon Rucker, UNC<\/b><\/h3>\n

Kaimon Rucker forced his way into this week\u2019s PFF National Team<\/a> with a three-sack, one-interception performance against Virginia. Tacking on eight tackles and seven pressures, too, his 93.6 PFF Defense Grade surely garnered some attention from NFL scouts. Rucker missed most of the season with a knee injury, but this week, he finally put together a game that paralleled his 2023 form.<\/span><\/p>\n

His limited size and frequent lapses in coverage were almost unnoticeable this week against the Cavaliers. His skillset in the pass-rushing game includes a hefty sum of violent moves and accelerated attacks. If the fifth-year defender can continue looking as healthy and assertive as he did this week, the NFL Draft media could return to praising his name.<\/span><\/p>\n

Potential Team Fit: Detroit Lions<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

DL Yahya Black, Iowa<\/b><\/h3>\n

Yahya Black is an ideal example of \u201cstats don\u2019t show everything\u201d. The Hawkeyes’ interior defensive lineman only logged three tackles against Northwestern but was an absolute monster in the run game. The 6\u20195\u201d 317-pound senior seemed to close every potential running lane the Wildcats offense attempted to open, helping hold them to just 43 rushing yards.<\/span><\/p>\n

With similar players, such as former Western Kentucky DL Brodric Martin<\/a>,\u00a0being drafted much higher because of their run-stopping abilities, Black could ascend into a very sought-after prospect. Considering what he\u2019s asked of, his game is already polished and could break into Day 2 come draft night.<\/span><\/p>\n

Potential Team Fit: Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

LB David Walker, Central Arkansas<\/b><\/h3>\n

Forcing three fumbles in a single contest is a feat accomplished by very few, but UCA linebacker David Walker made it look easy. The FCS star has been a problem for opposing offenses this season and continued that this week. His three FFs were paired with three tackles for loss and a half-sack in an overpowering effort<\/span><\/p>\n

Garnering the attention of Reese\u2019s Senior Bowl<\/a> scouts, many have predicted Walker as the first FCS player selected next year. His effort, motor, and overall menacing play style have been showing up all season. A strong next few months could cause a team to take a chance on him in the middle rounds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Potential Team Fit: Chicago Bears<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

EDGE Derrick Moore, Michigan<\/b><\/h3>\n

Derrick Moore\u2019s 43% Pass Rush Win Rate led all collegiate players in Week 9, and it showed on tape. The highest-graded player on the Michigan defense was on a tear this week against Michigan State. He was constantly in the Spartans backfield and looked downright unblockable at times. His power was on full display and overwhelmed just about every lineman MSU threw at him.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that Moore has a wealth of upside as a pass rusher and could become a key piece on an NFL defense. As it stands, his projection hovers around mid-late Day 3, but that could quickly change. His talent has begun bleeding into his on-field performance, and his draft stock could soon be considerably boosted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Potential Team Fit: Indianapolis Colts<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Main Image: Geoff Burke – USA Today Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The pass-rushing of Michigan EDGE Derrick Moore and UCA LB David Walker, among others, spotlighted in Week 9’s Defensive NFL Draft Risers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5364,"featured_media":197393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647],"tags":[32605,407,32904,32903,32905],"class_list":["post-197362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","tag-2025-nfl-draft","tag-college-football","tag-david-walker","tag-derrick-moore","tag-kaimon-rucker"],"modified_by":"Isaac Zuniga","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5364"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}