Finding Broncos: Scouting Miami Edge Gregory Rousseau

Welcome to Finding Broncos, our annual prospect-by-prospect series deep-diving on the coming NFL draft class. The scouting continues with Miami edge rusher Gregory Rousseau, a very intriguing prospect who fits a future Denver Broncos need.

Measurables

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 260 pounds

Stats

Pros

Won in college with elite versatility, athleticism, and length
Does an excellent job keeping blockers off his body because he is just so long
A good ability to convert speed to power and can drive blockers back
Rather smooth as a rusher and plenty flexible to turn the corner on tackles
Hand technique is sound overall, though some aspects can really be cleaned up
Has the athleticism for teams to do multiple things and line him up in multiple spots
Room on his frame to bulk up without hurting his athleticism
Non-stop motor, always attacking the play.

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Cons

More an athlete than a football player at this point
Outside of his hands, his technique is messy
Opted out in 2020 leaving those questions unanswered
Pass rush arsenal is largely lacking at the moment despite having elite traits for multiple tools in his bag of tricks
His run defense is solid but could use more strength to better hold the edge
Despite how good his hand technique is, he lacks the power in them to really dominate
Football IQ in 2019 wasn’t terrible but showed room to get better
Despite his athleticism, he can be stiff when asked to drop into coverage or shuffle down the line, or come inside on a stunt
Exactly where to play him is still in question because of where he sits developmentally as a football player, mixed with his length and athleticism

Overview

It's really easy to like Rousseau's length and athleticism to be a great edge rusher in the NFL, but he is such a boom-or-bust prospect because of how far he has left to grow as a football player.

Fit With Broncos

Rousseau is more athlete than a football player and that is going to be a concern for a lot of people in the NFL, including Denver, despite possessing probably the highest upside of all the edge rushers in the class. When watching his film, Vic Fangio would really have to question how he'd fit.

Grade: Round 2

Where he Goes: Late Round 1/Early Round 2

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