Former Virginia Tech Pass Rusher Is Turning Heads At The 2025 Shrine Bowl

The 2025 NFL Draft is three months away and the pre-draft build is going to begin going into overdrive with the Shrine Bowl, Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, and more coming up over the next several weeks. The 2025 Shrine Bowl is next Thursday, but practices are underway and one of the players who is turning heads early on is former Virginia Tech defensive end Antwaun Powell-Ryland, who was one of the top pass rushers in the country this past season. If he can continue to perform well leading up to the draft, his stock might be rising.

First 1-1 rep for Virginia Tech ED Antwaun Powell-Ryland at Shrine.

Twitch and a deep pass rush repertoire were all over his tape.📈 pic.twitter.com/x1xoMiNkha
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) January 25, 2025

One period of @ShrineBowl 1-on-1 OL/DL drills in and we’ve already got a @HokiesFB Antwaun Powell-Ryland vintage spin move

A go-to of his on tape. It’s a beauty in person, too pic.twitter.com/MB1Ig2oEhK
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) January 25, 2025

A few standouts from the first day of work at Shrine —

• Virginia Tech ED Antwuan Powell-Ryland
• Indiana iDL CJ West
• UNLV WR Ricky White
• Colorado WR LaJohntay Wester
• Ole Miss iDL JJ Pegues
• Auburn TE Rivaldo Fairweather
• EWU WR Efton Chism III
• SMU ED Elijah…
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) January 25, 2025

With the 2024 season now concluded, ESPN ranked the top 100 players from the 2024 season, and included at No. 44 was Virginia Tech defensive end/OLB Antwaun Powell-Ryland:

"Powell-Ryland finished just a half-sack shy of Donovan Ezeiruaku's Power 4 lead, but when he was on his game, there might not have been a better pass rusher in the country. Powell-Ryland had three different games with at least three sacks each -- vs. Old Dominion, Boston College and Virginia -- something no power conference defender had done since Missouri's Michael Sam in 2013. Powell-Rylands 15.1% pressure rate ranked in the top 10 among Power 4 defenders, and he added three forced fumbles and a blocked punt for good measure"

While the Hokies had a disappointing season, Powell had one of the best indivdual seasons ever for Virginia Tech.

Here’s what Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network had to say about Powell-Ryland’s NFL potential:

”Antwuan Powell-Ryland is a diversified pass rusher with varying speeds, angles, and hand counters to consistently win the edge from altering alignments. He’s a highly productive pass rusher in the ACC with success both as LE and RE inside a defensive architecture.

As a pass rusher, Powell-Ryland showcases a mature repertoire with an outstanding blend of speed, power, bend, and technicality at the position. Can win strictly as an athlete with speed to the outside shoulder or with a powerful and smooth up and under, swim, club-rip, and inside spin move. What’s also impressive in his game is his balance when faced with contact, where Powell-Ryland is rarely jolted back, consistently working through blocks and into the opponent's chest. Linemen that are unable to establish leverage quickly can be embarrassed early in the rep.

While not the biggest or strongest athlete on a roster, Powell-Ryland plays with spring-loaded hands that can put opponents of all sizes on their heels. He has excellent striking technique and can vary his punch timing and speeds from different alignments and angles at the top of his rush. He’s a high-effort player who never stops churning his legs at contact. Good burst off the snap and does well to stay low a majority of the time to reduce the surface area for opponents to target.”

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