2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Ohio State EDGE Jack Sawyer

From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Ohio State EDGE Jack Sawyer.

#33 JACK SAWYER/EDGE OHIO STATE – 6’5, 260 POUNDS (SENIOR)

MEASUREMENTS

– Will play the passing lanes in his rush attempts, which higher the chances of an incompletion
– Used in a versatile way where he is lined up as an interior lineman and EDGE defender, and will drop back into coverage often
– Attacks blockers with solid power
– Shows to make improvements in-game based on past mistakes
– Great frame for the NFL, landing in the 88th percentile for height and 51st percentile for weight as an EDGE
– Has shown up in the biggest moments where, in the 2024 playoffs, he made a huge impact, having three sacks, five pass deflections, and a fumble recovery for an 83-yard touchdown
– Solid floor with being almost guaranteed to be a rotational edge rusher as a 3-4 outside linebacker at worst
– Creates a good amount of pressure that may not show up in the stat sheets with sacks
– Would often draw double teams, which gives his teammates better looks
– Almost always will play disciplined and hold the backside in a run play situation

– Missed tackles have been an issue for him, only having one season below 15 percent missed tackle percentage
– Has shown to lose sense of where he is on the field, which causes him to run into teammates and take them out of the play
– Lacks effort and a desire to hunt ball carriers down the field to the point where he turns it into a light jog
– Allows tackles to get their hands inside of his chest plate and then struggles to get off those blocks
– Needs to use his hands better in order to have a deeper array of move
– Despite having massive expectations coming into college and even being compared to Nick Bosa by some high school analysts, never had a statistically explosive season
– Raw prospect when considering he will be 23 a few days after the draft, which makes me worry about his ceiling
– Clunky movement, which makes it easy for quarterbacks to avoid him in the backfield

Bio

– 54 games played for Ohio State from 2021 to 2024
– 144 tackles, 23 sacks, six forced fumbles, one interception, and 29 tackles for loss in his college career
– 59 tackles, nine sacks, three forced fumbles, one interception and nine tackles for loss in 2024
– Torn MCL in the final game of his 2019 high school junior season
– Five-star DL in his 2021 high school class from Pickerington, OH
– Made the varsity football team as a backup tight end before moving to defensive end
– As a junior in high school played quarterback and defensive end while not playing his senior season
– Was the 6th overall prospect in his high school class only behind JC Latham, Leonard Taylor III, Korey Foreman, JT Tuimoloau, and Quinn Ewers
– Grandfather played in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system, father played football at Findlay College, and mother played basketball at Pickerington
– Played basketball in high school as well
– Two-time Second-team All-Big Ten (2023/2024), 2024 National Champion, and was named the 2024 Cotton Bowl defensive MVP

Tape Breakdown

This was the first play I watched from Jack Sawyer, and it wasn’t the best introduction to his film.