The NFL seems to be turning a corner defensively. Explosive plays and scoring are down across the league, and the quarterback position is in an era of transition as schemes evolve. It’s finally balancing out the scales after the greatest generation of QB play coincided with rule changes to make a decades-long coverage approach obsolete.
Speed and versatility are at a premium that exceeds every adage we’ve heard about evaluating prospects, so why not take a look at the best players on college football’s two fastest and most complicated defenses? Between them, Alabama and Georgia could have a half-dozen defensive prospects called to the stage on Day 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft. (And that’s on top of Bryce Young, Jahmyr Gibbs and the offensive standouts.)
Let’s take a look at the top defenders from the two programs, and how each player’s game translates to the next level.
Play style/fit: premier edge rusher in whatever scheme you want to run
Every time I roll the tape on Anderson, I find myself thinking of prime Khalil Mack, an edge defender who was arguably the top pass rusher and run stopper at his position. Just like Mack, Anderson will likely enter the league right around 250 pounds (with a frame that can accommodate growth) and with the power, explosiveness and contact balance to win using whatever move he feels at any given time.
Watching Anderson this season exposes how spoiled we’ve been by his dominance because all I want is to see him line up in a nine technique and terrorize tackles. He’s so good at everything, though, that Alabama wants him to solve whatever problem an opponent might be throwing at his defense. Against Texas A&M, for example, Anderson had a handful of snaps lined up as a “4i” technique, placing him on the inside shoulder of the offensive tackle (where you’d usually see defensive tackles align in a 3-4 defense).
At first, I assumed defensive coordinator Pete Golding was trying to get cute, hiding Anderson somewhere unconventional so the offensive line couldn’t slide the defense or chip block his way. But then I saw how Anderson came out of his stance and struck with a perfect transfer of power — from his feet to his hips to his hands — and I couldn’t do anything but laugh at how he knocked back Texas A&M’s offensive tackle.
Anderson (No. 31) won’t ever line up there in the NFL, but snaps like this confirm his freakish power and why he projects to be a complete edge rusher early in his NFL career.
In the next clip, also against the Aggies, Anderson is aligned in a seven technique (inside shade on the tight end). That alignment translates much more naturally to how he’ll play at the next level.
With the entire league studying and replicating (if not hiring directly off of) the Shanahan coaching tree, controlling the edge on perimeter runs is step one towards building a proper modern defense. Here, despite being doubled, Anderson stretches the edge laterally without being walked off the line of scrimmage, then shows off his contact balance to disengage and make the tackle on A&M’s option play.
The noise around the quarterbacks in this draft isn’t going anywhere. We know that when there are multiple high-profile passers available, one is almost destined to go No. 1. Anderson is still the best player in this class, though. If Detroit and Houston hold as the two teams at the top, both should consider grabbing a potential generational edge before placing their franchise fortunes on the shoulders of CJ Stroud or Young.
GO DEEPER
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Play style/fit: weak safety in zone-heavy defense
When I’m watching a Nick Saban defense, the first place I look is the “star” position — a slot defender in the scheme — because the skill set of that player informs how Saban’s defense will play on a snap-to-snap basis . This season, it’s Branch in that role, and the back end of the Crimson Tide defense reflects his versatility as a safety who’s comfortable playing all over the field.
He’ll align in the slot and roll back to the middle of the field on motion as the defense checks into an entirely new call. When he stays in the slot, Alabama has a full menu of coverage, from three deep to match quarters and two man (or whatever other bespoke call this defense needs to handle an opponent). Against 12 personnel or in the red zone, Branch gets in the box and mixes it up as a run defender, too.
He’s not quite the tackler that Alabama first-round picks Marlon Humphrey and Minkah Fitzpatrick were in this role, but Branch is a capable finisher when the ball enters his halo. On screens and lateral throws, Branch closes with great speed and tracks the ball well, and he doesn’t need the help of his teammates to bring ball carriers down.
His eyes and discipline as a zone/match coverage defender make him a weapon in this defense, allowing him to take away throwing windows.
In this example, he executes a Cover 2 scheme, dropping the receiver in the seam to jump underneath the spot route. He’s just a fraction of a second from turning his head and housing a pick six:
Branch is also a capable man-coverage defender. He’s got all the requisite movement skills to handle a full route tree, even when he’s at a leverage disadvantage.
Here, with Alabama playing Cover 1 (or match Cover 3), Branch breaks on the dig route from outside leverage without losing any ground. He contests the catch through the ground to force an incompletion without interfering.
Branch can get a bit grabby in the slot, though, which belies his coverage ability as routes break vertically or across the field. It can get him into trouble. In the A&M game, his lunging and grabbing downfield gave the Aggies a chance to win — Branch committed pass interference in the end zone as time expired, on an overthrown ball that would’ve been picked off no matter what.
I see Branch as more of a safety at the next level, which I’d imagine puts him on the fringe between a late first- and early second-round draft slot. If an NFL team believes he can replicate his success in the slot at the next level, that positional versatility could land him a solid Day 1 projection.
Play style/fit: press corner in a man/match coverage scheme
Ringo knows he’s bigger than most of the receivers he’ll see and plays like it on the perimeter. A Georgia legend forever after sealing last season’s national title with a pick six, Ringo is another defensive back we’ve seen the man from the moment he entered the starting lineup. After Ringo’s strong play in 2021, I was curious to see if he could improve the nuances in his game to show that he could live in the uncomfortable world of NFL-level press coverage.
As a bigger-bodied corner (6-foot-2, 210 pounds), Ringo’s change-of-direction skills and short-area bursts are going to be challenged by receivers trying to create space at the line of scrimmage or at the top of the route stem.
In this play against Auburn, I was encouraged by Ringo’s hip fluidity when the receiver’s release broke his initial leverage. As Ringo’s kick-slide takes him over the top of that release, you can see him plant his outside foot and flip his hips and head around to recover, without taking a poor angle or losing speed.
He does a great job using his physicality to control the top of the route downfield without holding or lunging, then sinks his hips to change direction and contest the catch point.
If Ringo can consistently lower his center of gravity to match routes in the underneath area, it’ll open the door for him to chase receivers all across the field. That’s an invaluable trait for an NFL defense because offenses are built to manufacture mismatches by aligning receivers all over the place.
When all the traits come together, you get perfect reps like Ringo’s coverage of this fade route. His kick-slide forces the receiver to release wider than what’s ideal, and his physicality controls the speed of the receiver and helps Ringo maintain leverage on the route. His hip transition is smooth to play the ball, as he’s in-phase against the Auburn receiver.
Ringo is going to check every box with his measurables and athleticism. If he can continue to do the little things against the best receivers in the country, he can be a top-10 pick this spring.
GO DEEPER
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Play style/fit: scheme-proof free safety
When I think of Battle, I think of the do-everything types at safety: Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, Marcus Williams, Justin Simmons.
It’s not evident based on his discipline in coverage, but Battle might be fighting boredom on plays where he’s not showing up in run support. Quarterbacks aren’t even bothering to try him up the seams or in the middle of the field anymore.
Watching Battle handle route concepts with speed, change of direction and spatial awareness is a treat, though, whether the ball is thrown his way or not. He has some of the smoothest transitions you’ll ever see from a safety, and he’s a strong tackler. He’s every bit of the player he’s billed as, and I’d expect him to be no lower than the third safety off the board in this draft.
Nolan Smith has 11 1/2 career sacks and 20 tackles for loss. (Dale Zanine/USA Today)
Play style/fit: raw speed rusher in a 3-4 structure
Like every other defensive lineman to come through Georgia, Smith is a source of endless fascination for me. Whatever hangups you may have about his pass-rush production will have to be put to rest until we get a chance to see him at the combine. I have a feeling he’s going to crack the 4.4s in the 40-yard dash, and that would change the trajectory as an edge prospect, no matter what the statistical profile says.
As a run defender, Smith is stout and tough (especially for a guy listed at 235 pounds), and this year he’s been better at slipping by blocks rather than fighting losing battles of strength on the edge. Off the line of scrimmage and in pursuit on the perimeter, you can see Smith’s explosiveness, but he lacks the bend needed to blend speed and hip mobility to turn tight corners. I want to see his three-cone time before I make any final decisions because I think the ability is there, but Smith’s angles as a pass rusher leave a bit to be desired.
Play style/fit: rangy overhang in a 4-3
To’oTo’o has improved manifold since I watched him last season. He’s diagnosing offenses better than he has at any point in his career, which has made his decision to stay for his senior year a valuable data point in his pro prospects. My favorite part of To’oTo’o’s game is his commitment to staying clean as a run fitter, an important feature as a smaller linebacker (sub-240 pounds). To’oTo’o ranges well laterally, taking away cutback lanes and perimeter runs for ball carriers.
Alabama uses him more as a blitzer than a coverage body on passing downs, but that has more to do with its defensive backfield than a lack of trust in To’oTo’o. That said, I don’t think having him match up in space works to his best abilities anyway.
My concern with To’oTo’o is whether he can stand tall in the box when teams get into heavier personnel and run right at him. The NFL is skilled at putting linebackers in binds, in which avoiding contact as a run fitter is not a real option. If it’s a problem against the better run games Alabama sees, it’ll put a definite ceiling on his game. I’ve enjoyed his production through the first several weeks of the season, though.
(Top image of Will Anderson Jr.: Gary Cosby Jr. / USA Today)
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