Scouting Notes
- A ridiculous athlete for the position, Will Anderson Jr. will be a handful.
- Surprisingly strong for his size.
- Makes up for the lack of size and raw power with perfect use of leverage and length.
- Pass rush and counter moves are unreal, it’s a truly unstoppable arsenal.
- Always has a plan and is very decisive with his movements and attacks.
- Has the athleticism and instincts to drop into coverage successfully.
- A very instinctual run defender, but lacks the anchor to hold his spot and set an edge.
- Although he was still great, he was a bit underwhelming in 2022.
- Struggles to sustain a long-term bull-rush without building up a lot of momentum first.
Short Summary
I went into my Will Anderson Jr. film study expecting to have to calibrate my reaction. It’s always hard to hear the “generational” and “No. 1 overall” hype on a player and not be disappointed with the tape, even if the player is great. The amount of build-up is impossible to live up to.
With Will Anderson Jr., I did have to calibrate. Fortunately, I was calibrating the opposite way. I couldn’t have imagined him being as dominant, unstoppable, and technically flawless as he is. He is a truly rare prospect.
Many will point to his size as a concern, as he is a bit undersized for the position. Still, he isn’t in outlier territory, and he makes up for his lack of size with a perfect blend of technical dominance and athleticism.
Another concern may be his underwhelming 2022 season, but he wasn’t bad by any means. It’s impossible to expect a repeat of his historically dominant sophomore season, where he totaled 31 TFLs, 17 sacks, and a whopping 101 tackles.
Don’t overthink this. Will Anderson Jr. is in another tier as a prospect and is a truly generational talent. He is worthy of the No. 1 overall pick, even if that may not happen.
Scouting Card Key
- Age refers to the age of the player come draft night, rounded to the nearest half-age.
- Percentage numbers in the Player Info and Combine Stats sections – This refers to the percentile that number belongs to among all players at his position, going back nearly a decade.
- GP – Games Played
- TFLs – Tackles for Loss
- FF – Forced Fumbles
- Snap% – Percentage of team’s defensive snaps where the player was on the field.
- Missed Tackles and MT% – Missed tackle rate. Percentiles of these stats are inverse; the higher the number, the lower the percentile. Naturally, players with more playing time will rack up higher numbers, even in the rate category.
- IDL Snap% – Percentage of snaps played on the defensive interior (between the tackles).
- EDGE Snap% – Percentage of snaps played on the defensive edge (over or outside the tackle).
- Reaction – Reactionary speed.
Credit
Advanced stats – pff.com
Scouting card template / idea – Jordan Pun @Texans_Thoughts
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