This Miami Hurricanes’ one-year phenom in 2019 was an afterthought in 2020 after opting out of the season, but he has ignited tons of heated debates among NFL scouts about his potential at the next level, and he is looking to convince an NFL team his upside is worth taking a chance on in the first round.
Gregory Rousseau signed with Miami out of Champagnat Catholic in the class of 2018 as a raw and wiry defensive end project whom many expected to need multiple years of seasoning to actually contribute at the college level. Instead, Rousseau enrolled early at UM, quickly bulked up, and was making an impact in his first college spring, as his spring scrimmage performances were the stuff of legend. Unfortunately, his true freshman season in 2018 was cut short in just his second game due to a season-ending ankle injury, but that just seemed to motivate Rousseau even more. He returned in 2019 as a redshirt freshman to post an electric breakout year on his way to Freshman All-American status, ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, and All-ACC First Team honors. Rousseau led the ACC in sacks (15.5) and tackles for loss (19.5), ranking second and ninth in the FBS, respectively, all while only starting 7 of UM’s 13 games that season. Heading into 2020, the expectations were through the roof for what Rousseau could do in his first full season as a starter, but he elected to opt-out of the season due to COVID concerns and prepare for the NFL Draft instead, ending his Hurricanes’ career prematurely.
Pre-Draft Measurables
Height: 6’7”
Weight: 266 pounds
Arms: 34.375”
Hands: 11.125”
Strengths
Once-In-A-Generation Physical Traits/Frame
The NFL is filled with physically imposing freaks of nature, but Rousseau even stands out when compared to the elite of the elite. It’s just plain rare to see a guy 6’7” and pushing 270 pounds run a 4.67 40-yard dash with a jarring 1.57-second 10-yard split (faster than LSU WR Ja’Marr Chase). When you add in the incredible wingspan (83 1/4 inches), arm length (34 3/8 inches) and hand size (11 1/8 inches), you are talking about the type of defensive end prospect that might have been engineered in a lab.
Production/Versatility
Teams that value college players that simply produce on the football field will surely have Rousseau higher on their boards. In his lone season of play, led the ACC and finished second in the FBS in sacks (15.5) while starting only half the season and averaging around 40 snaps per game. Was asked to play every technique on the DL (while occasionally dropping into coverage as well) and found success pretty much everywhere, especially on the interior, where his first step and hand use were too much for guards to handle.
Weaknesses
Functional Athleticism/Strength
While Rousseau possesses many of the physical traits that portend success at the next level, many scouts also see his height in particular as a weakness in a way, as it can render him stiff and unable to produce leverage. Lacks the ideal twitch you would see on the edge, as many scouts point out most of his production actually came on the interior. Rousseau’s lower body is also considered underdeveloped for an NFL-level DE, leading to a lack of functional playing strength. Does not do a good job of converting his speed to power.
Run Defense
Too often gets washed out of the action on run plays. Struggles to dislodge from run blockers when taking on blocks and can get driven back easily. Does a poor job absorbing initial punches from linemen and frequently gets knocked off kilter/loses his balance. Needs to improve his fundamentals in these areas and more consistently win matchups with tight ends.
Draft Projection: Late 1st Round – Early 2nd Round
Following his opt-out in August of 2020, Rousseau was considered a lock to be a top 10 pick with his freakish traits and rare frame. Since then, though, the draft process has not been kind to Rousseau, as it is no longer a guarantee he will even be a first-round pick. Like many others, it seems like the opt-out ultimately ended up hurting Rousseau, as scouts have honed-in on his weaknesses from his essentially one season of college tape from 2 years ago, and he hasn’t really had the opportunity to show improvement in any of those areas. From an anonymous Director of Scouting for an NFL Team: "I don't really see a big-time NFL rusher. So much of his pressure came as a zero-technique and he won't see those looks in our league. He has very average juice and speed-to-power.” So, while some teams see him as having high “bust” potential, the upside with Rousseau is still too great to see him falling much further than early on Day 2.
Gregory Rousseau signed with Miami out of Champagnat Catholic in the class of 2018 as a raw and wiry defensive end project whom many expected to need multiple years of seasoning to actually contribute at the college level. Instead, Rousseau enrolled early at UM, quickly bulked up, and was making an impact in his first college spring, as his spring scrimmage performances were the stuff of legend. Unfortunately, his true freshman season in 2018 was cut short in just his second game due to a season-ending ankle injury, but that just seemed to motivate Rousseau even more. He returned in 2019 as a redshirt freshman to post an electric breakout year on his way to Freshman All-American status, ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, and All-ACC First Team honors. Rousseau led the ACC in sacks (15.5) and tackles for loss (19.5), ranking second and ninth in the FBS, respectively, all while only starting 7 of UM’s 13 games that season. Heading into 2020, the expectations were through the roof for what Rousseau could do in his first full season as a starter, but he elected to opt-out of the season due to COVID concerns and prepare for the NFL Draft instead, ending his Hurricanes’ career prematurely.
Pre-Draft Measurables
Height: 6’7”
Weight: 266 pounds
Arms: 34.375”
Hands: 11.125”
Strengths
Once-In-A-Generation Physical Traits/Frame
The NFL is filled with physically imposing freaks of nature, but Rousseau even stands out when compared to the elite of the elite. It’s just plain rare to see a guy 6’7” and pushing 270 pounds run a 4.67 40-yard dash with a jarring 1.57-second 10-yard split (faster than LSU WR Ja’Marr Chase). When you add in the incredible wingspan (83 1/4 inches), arm length (34 3/8 inches) and hand size (11 1/8 inches), you are talking about the type of defensive end prospect that might have been engineered in a lab.
Production/Versatility
Teams that value college players that simply produce on the football field will surely have Rousseau higher on their boards. In his lone season of play, led the ACC and finished second in the FBS in sacks (15.5) while starting only half the season and averaging around 40 snaps per game. Was asked to play every technique on the DL (while occasionally dropping into coverage as well) and found success pretty much everywhere, especially on the interior, where his first step and hand use were too much for guards to handle.
Weaknesses
Functional Athleticism/Strength
While Rousseau possesses many of the physical traits that portend success at the next level, many scouts also see his height in particular as a weakness in a way, as it can render him stiff and unable to produce leverage. Lacks the ideal twitch you would see on the edge, as many scouts point out most of his production actually came on the interior. Rousseau’s lower body is also considered underdeveloped for an NFL-level DE, leading to a lack of functional playing strength. Does not do a good job of converting his speed to power.
Run Defense
Too often gets washed out of the action on run plays. Struggles to dislodge from run blockers when taking on blocks and can get driven back easily. Does a poor job absorbing initial punches from linemen and frequently gets knocked off kilter/loses his balance. Needs to improve his fundamentals in these areas and more consistently win matchups with tight ends.
Draft Projection: Late 1st Round – Early 2nd Round
Following his opt-out in August of 2020, Rousseau was considered a lock to be a top 10 pick with his freakish traits and rare frame. Since then, though, the draft process has not been kind to Rousseau, as it is no longer a guarantee he will even be a first-round pick. Like many others, it seems like the opt-out ultimately ended up hurting Rousseau, as scouts have honed-in on his weaknesses from his essentially one season of college tape from 2 years ago, and he hasn’t really had the opportunity to show improvement in any of those areas. From an anonymous Director of Scouting for an NFL Team: "I don't really see a big-time NFL rusher. So much of his pressure came as a zero-technique and he won't see those looks in our league. He has very average juice and speed-to-power.” So, while some teams see him as having high “bust” potential, the upside with Rousseau is still too great to see him falling much further than early on Day 2.
