Will Anderson, Jr. (OLB/EDGE) – Alabama/JR
6’3.5”, 253.0 Lbs. (Official)
2022 Stats: 13 games, 24 solo tackles, 27 assisted tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 1 INT, 1 pass defended
{https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/will-anderson-jr-1.html}
Awards: 2021 Bronko Nagurski Award, 2021 Consensus All-America, 2021 SEC Defensive Player of the Year (and was 5th in 2021 Heisman voting)
Measurables: Arm – 33.8”, Hands – 9.8”, 40-yard: 4.6, 10-yard split: 1.61 (Combine)
Games Watched: [Joe] 2020 vs. Florida; 2021 vs. Mississippi St. (4-sack performance); 2021 vs. Georgia; 2022 vs. Auburn. [Efram] 2022 @ Texas, 2022 vs Utah State, 2022 at Arkansas
PRO’S
[Joe] Anderson is a fantastic all-around football athlete and he plays with a non-stop motor, which is a trait you always want to read about when someone is on the defensive front seven. He has a very fast first step with great closing speed, plays with power, and effectively sheds blocks. He has a variety of pass rush moves; his spin move being his most effective. In the pass rush, Anderson keeps his hands active, he has good hand placement, he effectively disengages when he needs to, and he plays with good leverage. One trait that you will often read associated with Anderson is his “speed-to-power” because his speed that he converts to power against offensive linemen is highly impressive to watch, which combined with his leverage and keeping his pads low, leads to an effective bull rush. He has also shown the ability to shoot through gaps when blitzing through the interior.
Anderson’s athleticism also shows up in his excellent lateral speed, ability to change direction, and to effectively drop back in coverage (which most OLB/EDGEs cannot do as well as he does). Anderson is an excellent run defender who is known to be extremely instinctive at diagnosing runs plays and where the run is headed, which led to his 31 tackles for loss in 2021. He runs quick sideline-to-sideline, he has great pursuit speed, he gets to the hole, and has the strength to wrap up one-on-one.
[Efram] Will Anderson has dominated college football since his Sophomore year. He is extremely twitchy and uses his quick get off to outpace Olineman. His functional strength is insane, allowing him to work through most lineman with traits alone. Anderson generates massive power with his legs which he converts to “pop” from his hands. It’s not even worth trying to block him with running backs. His gap shooting is excellent and he can collapse the pocket even when he loses a rep. He has faced many premium OL prospects and got the best of most of them off pure athleticism and motor. Best rip move in the class by far.
CON’S
[Joe] Anderson needs to add mass to reach his true potential in the NFL. Luckily for him, he has the size and frame to do so without it impacting his speed. Personally, I can see him bulking up 20 lbs and not losing a step
[Efram] Anderson’s baseline talent is extremely high, but he needs to refine his technique to place himself amongst the elite edge rushers. He relies on his athleticism more than pass rush moves, which won’t work as frequently in the NFL. His tackling this year was inconsistent, missing 14 and grading as a 46.6 tackler (PFF). Anderson was double teamed heavily and can improve his efficiency in those difficult scenarios.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
[Joe] Anderson was a 5-star recruit out of high school who has lived up to that billing since he is widely considered the top prospect for the expected 2023 draft class, and his production in both his Freshman and Sophomore campaigns point to why. Anderson led the entire NCAA his Sophomore year in both sacks (17.5) and tackles-for-loss (31) in 2021, and was 5th and 6th in the SEC for solo tackles (56) and total tackles (101), respectively. He has 34.5 sacks combined in his three years in college. He is a very consistent producer, regardless of opponent. I have seen him described as “unstoppable,” and if anyone can potentially live up to that hype it is Anderson. Anderson will be a plug-and-play, three-down OLB/EDGE stud because of his well-roundedness and top-tier exceptionalism as a football player. He is as complete a player as you will see at any position in any draft class.
[Efram] Will Anderson was always the most athletic on the field, winning with speed, power and explosiveness. He throws lineman around and could beat nearly anyone with pure traits. He had the ability to use more moves than his rip, but usually wasn’t even necessary. Cleaning up his tackling will round out his profile. Anderson has the talent to be one of the NFL’s elite rushers, but must refine his pass rush arsenal to be grouped with Watt, Garrett and the Bosa brothers.
Updated by: @JoeJ_Clark, 02/05/23
Added to: Efram (@Mr1rrelevant), 03/13/23
Reviewed & Edited: J. Clark, 03/13/23
