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College football is scheduled to return Saturday, August 29. Each day until then, NFLDraftScout.com will be evaluating the rosters of the best teams in college football, including all 64 within the Power Five conferences.

Duke Blue Devils

Head Coach: David Cutcliffe (12th season)

2019 Record: 5-7

2020 NFL Draft Picks: None

Featured 2021 NFL Draft Prospect: Chris Rumph II, OLB, 6-3, 225, 4.70, JR

Two of the last three NFL draft picks out of Duke were first round selections, starting with offensive guard Laken Tomlinson back in 2015 to Detroit and, of course, in 2019 with the New York Giants selecting quarterback Daniel Jones sixth overall.

It seems unlikely at this point that one of the current players on Duke’s roster will warrant such a high pick. However, the talent does appear to be in place to give the Blue Devils multiple selections in the 2021 NFL draft – something which has occurred just three (2015) times since 1990.

Senior center Jack Wohlabaugh is a quality middle round candidate. If his name sounds familiar, it should. The Ohio State transfer, whose father played nine years in the NFL, earned Honorable Mention honors last year despite missing the final three games after breaking his ankle, an injury which required surgery.

Rumph, entering his junior campaign, has NFL bloodlines of his own and possesses the exciting traits to suggest a true breakout campaign is on the horizon.

Rumph signed with Duke as a three-star recruit out of talent-rich Gainesville, Fla. The 6-3, 225 pounder has since been used in a variety of ways up front by the Blue Devils, often rushing upfield as a stand-up (and roaming) linebacker in Duke’s amoeba-like defense with plenty of snaps of him out of the three-stance as a traditional defensive end. Rumph’s agility and closing speed make him well-suited for this versatile rushing duty and he is well coached. His father currently serves as the Houston Texans’ outside linebacker coach with previous stops at Clemson, Alabama, Texas, Florida and most recently Tennessee, where he featured newest Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Darrell Taylor in a similar fashion. 

As opposed to Taylor – who led the Vols in tackles for loss and sacks each of the past two years – Rumph remains pretty raw. He’s only started one game of 25 career games at Duke, thus far.

Nevertheless, he earned some All-American nods by members of the media a year ago, as well as Third Team All-ACC accolades from league coaches. He was credited with 47 tackles, including 13 for loss and 6.5 sacks a year ago, while also leading Duke with 11 quarterback hurries. There is plenty of reason to suggest that the USA Today Freshman All-American (25 tackles, eight tackles for loss and three sacks) is only going to get better with more time and strength, including his splashy regular season finale last year against Miami, when he recorded a career-high eight tackles, including 3.5 sacks – tied for second most for a single game in school history.

Strengths: Lean, lanky frame with plenty of room for additional muscle mass. Possesses legitimate NFL burst off the snap, demonstrating the explosive initial quickness to blow past offensive tackles to create instant pressure off the edge. Complementing his upfield speed is the core flexibility needed to efficiently turn the corner, with Rumph ability to duck under the reach of would-be blockers while accelerating. Like most effective speed rushers, Rumph possesses the lateral agility and balance to win with counters back inside, getting tackles leading with a quality deke step before an explosive or spin away from contact. This lateral agility lends itself well to twists and stunts with Rumph showing RB-like vision to pick gaps and close on the ball efficiently.

He recognizes blockers coming at him and sprawls effectively, keeping himself free while tracking the ball and hustling to it in pursuit. Rumph needs to get stronger but he carries some power in his hands and uses them actively, chopping at the attempts of blockers to latch on. Converts speed to power effectively, surprising much bigger opponents with his forceful rushes. Rumph possesses long arms for his frame and his hand strength stands out as a tackler, where Rumph likes to grab hold and drag ballcarriers to the turf for emphatic stops. Tries to impact the quarterback’s vision when he doesn’t get home, getting his hands up and showing good timing on his leaps. Has four passes broken up, including three last year… Rumph’s production in limited snaps is encouraging.

Weaknesses: Wil be viewed by some as a classic ‘tweener. Officially listed by Duke at 225 pounds and he looks it on tape with more time in the weight room needed if he is to play near the line of scrimmage in the NFL as often as he does for the Blue Devils. Rumph is stronger than he looks but simply lacks the sand in his pants to hold up when blockers are able to latch on. Just average muscular development in his upper body, thus far, and has relatively narrow hips, suggesting that he may struggle to add much more than 10-15 pounds without losing his trademark quickness and agility. “Handsy” tackler who prefers to lasso ballcarriers or latch on to their jersey and ‘rassle them to the ground, lacking the classic hit-lift-drive tackling technique some expect of a linebacker. Needs to do a better job of forcing fumbles, recording just one, thus far… Has started just one game at the college level at Duke and that was way back in October, 2018 of his freshman season (Georgia Tech)…

NFL Player Comparison: Samson Ebukam, Los Angeles Rams – Ebukam, 6-3, has since bulked up to 245 pounds but he played lighter at Eastern Washington, terrorizing opponents at that level with his burst and bend off the edge. Since being picked in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, Ebukam has continued his playmaking ways despite starting “just” 21 of 48 games since he joined the Rams, collecting 119 tackles, including 13.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks, as well as five forced fumbles. Rumph needs to get stronger to warrant this comparison but his disruptive potential is obvious.

Current NFL Draft Projection: Third Round

The Top 10 NFL Prospects at Duke:

1. Chris Rumph II, OLB, 6-3, 225, 4.70, JR

2. Jack Wohlabaugh, C, 6-3, 300, 5.10, rSR

3. Noah Gray, TE, 6-4, 240, 4.70, SR

4. Victor Dimukeje, DE, 6-2, 265, 4.80, SR

5. Leonard Johnson, 6-0, 200, 4.55, rJR

6. Robert Kraeling, OT, 6-6, 310, 5.20, rSR

7. Chase Brice, QB, 6-1, 230, 4.75, rJR – Clemson transfer

8. Patrick Leitten, OT, 6-6, 278, 5.0, rJR

9. Deon Jackson, RB, 5-11, 220, 4.65, SR

10. Marquis Waters, S, 6-0, 205, 4.65, SR

*All 40-yard dash times are estimates