2025 NFL Draft prospect profile – Jack Sawyer, DE/EDGE, Ohio State

Can Sawyer be an impact player in the NFL?

The defensive line is a commonly cited need for the New York Giants, with the need for run defense as the primary complaint.

Defensive end and EDGE Jack Sawyer has been a mainstay for the Ohio State defense, appearing in (or starting) 54 games for the Buckeyes. He’s a tough and powerful edge defender who can set the edge as well as constrict the pocket.

Could he be a target if the Giants don’t select a lineman at the top of the draft?

Prospect: Jack Sawyer (33)
Games Watched: vs. Iowa (2024), vs. Oregon (2024), vs. Penn State (2024), vs. Indiana (2024)

Measurables

Kent Lee Platte | RAS.football

Strengths

Best traits

• Play strength
• Competitive toughness
• Technique
• Run defense

Jack Sawyer is a good-sized, powerful, and highly competitive edge defender.

Sawyer has good size for the position at 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, with great thickness in his upper and lower halves. He’s a powerful defender with the size and play strength to routinely line up as a down defensive end and could move inside to defensive tackle on occasion in the NFL.

He has adequate burst and initial quickness, timing the snap well and wasting little energy or motion in his first step. Sawyer gains good ground into the backfield and generally plays with good hip and pad level to maximize his play strength.

Sawyer is a pure power rusher with little subtlety to his game and a blue-collar mentality. He has truly impressive play strength and is able to overpower offensive tackles despite giving up considerable size. He’s able to hold a firm edge – outright collapse it – in the run game, as well as constrict the pocket as a pass rusher. Likewise, he has enough strength to shake off tackles’ grip to disengage and make a play on the ball, or get in pursuit. He offers great effort as a pursuit player and is also willing to fight through multiple blocks on his way into the backfield.

Weaknesses

Worst traits

• Arm length
• Overall athleticism

Sawyer’s most notable weakness is his lack of length. He has solid overall size for the position, but his arms are very short at 31 ¾ inches. That’s in the 4th percentile for NFL edge defenders and absolutely shows up on tape.

Sawyer has solid hand usage and could have an impact as a power rusher, however he’s subject to significant drag due to blocker’s hands. He’s skilled enough to deal with most collegiate tackles’ hands before they can lock in their blocks, however long-levered or technically sound tackles give him fits.

He also lacks elite athletic traits, which further exacerbate his issues with length. He struggles to get very low when bending the edge, nor can he fire off the ball with extreme acceleration to make up for his lack of length. His rushes often stall if he doesn’t initially win the hand battle, and he lacks the ability to consistently win with speed or finesse counters.

Game Tape

(Sawyer is the Ohio State edge defender wearing number 33.)

Projection

Jack Sawyer projects as a rotational edge defender at the NFL level.

He has the ability to play out of a two or three-point stance, though teams who primarily run 4-3 fronts could look at him more favorably than teams that run 3-4 or multiple fronts.

Sawyer will likely have to earn his way onto the field with his play on running downs, though he could find reps as an interior rusher on obvious passing downs. It’s certainly possible for him to have success as a pure power rusher at the NFL level, however his arm length will be an issue for many teams. He will need to become a truly skilled technician to overcome that limitation and be consistently productive.

Sayer may never be a star in the NFL, but he has the potential to be a long time contributor and a valued member of a defense.

Does he fit the Giants?
No

Final Word: A Day 2 talent