Prospect Preview: Jack Sawyer

On the play in question, Sawyer showcased his ability to get around pass blockers and forced a fumble on Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers. Sawyer would then recover the fumble and take it 83 yards for a touchdown, sealing the game and putting the Buckeyes into the national championship game. For the Pickerington, Ohio native, this moment was a dream come true. Sawyer looks to build on the momentum of this season in the pros as one of the better edge prospects in this upcoming NFL Draft.

College Career

Throughout Sawyer’s four years at Ohio State, he established himself as a player who can wreak havoc at the line of scrimmage in both pass rush and run defense snaps. He registered a snap in 12 games and was able to put up three sacks and 13 total tackles in his freshman campaign, showcasing an ability to get to the passer.

In his sophomore season, Sawyer broke out as a leader on the team with a four-and-a-half sack season and 24 tackles for loss.

Sawyer gives a clear example of a player who has improved every season they played in college with his junior season showcasing that he can be a pass rusher who can rack up other metrics as well. In this season Sawyer put up six-and-a-half sacks, forced two fumbles and combined for 48 tackles. That season showcased that Sawyer isn’t just a pure pass rusher and can impact the game in different ways on the field.

Coming in at six foot four inches and 240 pounds, Sawyer plays best outside the tackles where he played 1565 snaps over the past three seasons. Teams that are looking for a pass rush specialist or someone who can play inside may pass on Sawyer for this reason but that would be a mistake due to the other traits he has showcased.

Sawyer polished his game to become a very well-rounded player posting career-high nine sacks and 59 total tackles last season. An added part of his game was his ability to force turnovers as he forced three fumbles and had one interception on the season.

Combine Stats

Very recently the Buckeyes had their pro day, which gave fans a chance to see some of the things players wanted to showcase to general managers across the league. At Sawyers pro-day he wanted to showcase his strength by participating in the bench press event. He posted a respectable 21 reps. NFL.com gave Sawyer a 6.36 prospect grade which makes him a top 40 prospect.

Something to look out for Sawyer’s draft position is a team’s willingness to spend a draft pick on someone with a low floor in the second round. Sawyer can come into a team and immediately fill a need as an experienced player who knows how to play in all types of defensive schemes but teams may look for someone with a higher ceiling as a prospect. Players like Marshal’s Mike Green or Georgia’s Mykel Williams will probably be selected before Sawyer due to their higher upside but this makes Sawyer a safer pick who could instantly improve the pass rush of the team that drafts him.

Potential Suitors

The two things a football team can never have too much of are too many offensive linemen and too many pass rushers. That fact makes it hard to figure out where Sawyer could fall due to the depth of his position in this draft and that he could really fit in anywhere. An excellent fit for Sawyer would be at pick 49 with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengal’s defense was a complete disaster last season ranking 21st in passing defense, 19th in rushing defense and 30th in red zone defense.

The Bengals tried to address this by drafting Myles Murphy in the 2023 draft but he has seen very limited action on the field. With the team extending Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to the massive deals they have alongside paying Joe Burrow franchise quarterback money, the options for this team to add to the other side of the ball become very limited. Drafting Sawyer would immediately give them a player they could start game one of the season who is proficient in slowing down the run and getting after the quarterback while getting younger on defense. Hendrickson led the league in sacks with a 17.5 campaign. Pairing him with young talent, if they can work out a deal, could improve a unit that doesn’t have much talent outside of Hendrickson.

If Sawyer falls further into the second round the team that could use a player like him the most would probably be the Carolina Panthers at pick 57. The Panthers finished their season off playing a lot better football and showed that a lot of their young talent has a chance to become a core but not a lot of that talent was on the defensive side of the ball.

This unit for the Panthers allowed the most touchdowns in the NFL this season with 61 and had the 32nd-ranked total defense giving up an average 404.5 yards per game. Outside of players like corner Jaycee Horn and defensive tackle Derrick Brown, the Panthers are looking at question marks at every other spot. This is why Sawyer would be a perfect fit for the team because they just need an influx of smart and strong players on the defense to try and rebuild the unit. Other teams that could possibly take Sawyer include the Seahawks because of their need at edge and having two second-round picks at 50 and 52 as well as the Packers at 54 who are still looking to pair a star next to Rashan Gary.

Conclusion

Sawyer is one of the lowest-risk players in the draft and could come in and help a team from day one. He is an intelligent leader who can help a team run defense and pass rush at the same time. Sporting a 90.5 rank from Pro Football Focus for his senior season, Sawyer is just a solid all-around player who might not excel at one specific trait but is extremely well-rounded.