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NFL Draft Scouting Report: Derek Rivers, OLB, Youngstown State

Dynamic edge rusher and former Youngstown State defensive end Derek Rivers is evaluated and profiled for the 2017 NFL Draft.

Derek Rivers - Youngstown State

Position: Outside Linebacker
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 248
Year: Senior
Hometown: Kinston, NC
Experience: Sr. - 3 year starter

Measurables:

40yd dash: 4.61
Broad jump: 123”
Vertical: 35”
3-cone: 6.94
20yd. Shuttle: 4.40
Bench Press: 30

Career Notes:

Coming out of Kinston High School where he played both linebacker and tight end, Rivers spent a year at Fork Union Military Academy as a defensive end in 2012 before transferring to Youngstown State in 2013. Suiting up for 10 games as a freshman, Rivers played primarily a reserve role as a defensive end, recording three sacks and three quarterback hurries in the season.

Rivers stepped into a starting role in 2014 as a sophomore and had a breakout year. He led the Penguins in tackles for loss (17) and sacks (13.5) to go along with 50 stops, earning his first of three All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors. The North Carolina native went on to build on his success as a junior, recording 15.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 2014, and then again as a senior, topping his career numbers with 19.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks in 2016.

Rivers ranked second in the nation in 2016 in sacks and emerged as one of the country’s top pass rushers. He also left Youngstown State as the Penguins' all-time career sack leader with 38.5 and earned FCS All-American honors as well. After strong performances at the NFL Combine and Senior Bowl, Rivers has established himself as an early-round edge prospect to look out for in the NFL Draft.

 

Injury Report:

Rivers didn’t suffer any significant injuries in his collegiate career, nor did he miss a start in three seasons at Youngstown State.

 

Career Stats(click here):

 

Analysis:

Against the Run: 4.0/5.0

While Rivers lacks ideal size to be a really stout run defender, he does set a strong edge against the run. He’s more consistent than dominant in this area of the game. He does a nice job using his length to extend his arms and hold the tackle at bay. He also shows very good functional strength at the point of attack. Rivers sheds blocks well and works through the trash to make a play on the ball. Rivers is also very good in backside pursuit, showing good straight-line speed to track down the ball carrier.

Pass Rush: 4.5/5.0

Rivers shows an array of pass rush moves on tape. First, he has tremendous speed off the edge and he can beat his man off the snap and cut a sharp corner to the quarterback. This often puts many offensive tackles on their heels, which can lead them to overset coming out of their stance. When linemen overset to the outside, Rivers possesses a nice inside move to gain leverage on the tackle’s inside shoulder. Rivers also possesses powerful hands and a strong punch off the line, which enables him to shed with a rip move or put his hands into his opponent’s chest to bull rush. If Rivers doesn’t win with speed he does have the quick inside step and effective bull rush to counter. In addition, Rivers also shows natural bend and good hip flexibility rushing off the edge, as well as good burst and acceleration out of his stance. Rivers offers the complete package as a pass rusher.

Coverage:  2.5/5.0

There are very few snaps on tape of Rivers dropping in coverage. He is a smooth enough athlete and possesses the speed to play in space and defend the pass. However, this is definitely the area of his game he’ll have to work on the most if he’s going to play outside linebacker for a 3-4 team in the NFL.

Athletic Ability: 4.0/5.0

Rivers shows very good athleticism as a college defensive end, leading many to believe he’d fit well as a pass-rushing outside linebacker in the NFL. He plays well from a two-point stance, as well as rushing with his hand in the dirt. River’s hip flexibility is apparent in his ability to bend around the edge and carve a tight corner. He also moves smoothly in space and shows good change of direction ability. However, his lateral movement can be a bit labored at times when he’s moving across the line of scrimmage.

Play Speed: 4.5/5.0

While he possesses good power and flexibility, its River’s upfield burst that is perhaps the best asset to his game. He has a very quick first step and he possesses the lower body explosion to jolt out of his stance and gain leverage on the tackle’s outside shoulder. His speed around the edge allows him to beat tackles on a regular basis, but the threat of his speed also forces opposing offensive lineman to overset in their pass protection, which helps him set up an effective inside move. Rivers also has good closing speed to make plays in backside pursuit.

Impact Play Ability: 4.0/5.0

Rivers makes a lot of plays on tape, whether it’s against the run or pass. There are very few players that have made as many explosive plays as Rivers over the past three seasons. 35.5 sacks, 52 tackles for loss, and five forced fumbles as a starter gives Rivers 92.5 impact plays in 39 games. That’s incredible production, even if a majority of it came against FCS competition. Rivers is a player who can wreak havoc on the edge and generate consistent quarterback pressure.

Summary: Rivers is a likely Day Two pick who has the skillset to compete immediately for a significant role on defense in the NFL. If a team likes his upside and athletic build enough they could even reach for him at the end of the first round. However, it’s more than likely he’ll fall to a team in the middle of the second or third round. Rivers could be a speed rusher at defensive end and third-down pass rush specialist at the  next level. However, he has proven he’s athletic enough to also play out of a two-point stance and rush the passer as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 system.

Overall Grade: 3.92/5.0  

 

If Drafted by the Packers:

Rivers is versatile edge rusher who has a knack for getting after the quarterback. The Packers could certainly use more pass rushers on their roster, especially after losing some of their depth at the position after Julius Peppers and Date Jones left in free agency.

While Rivers would maybe not start as a rookie, he would give Green Bay a valuable rotational player at outside linebacker. Rivers has the athleticism and speed to transition to outside linebacker in the Packers 3-4 defense, and his ability to create pressure would give Green Bay an intriguing player to feature on third downs. He would also offer depth behind Clay Matthews and Nick Perry, and could even start if either Matthews or Perry were injured.

Rivers would also be a pick for the future if the Packers went this direction. While they did shore up Perry for the foreseeable future, Matthews is on the wrongside of 30 and continues to deal with injury issues each season. The Packers will want to start developing young ascending talent at outside linebacker to eventually take over for No. 52. And while Kyler Fackrell showed some promise last season, Green Bay should hedge their bets by adding another young talented pass rusher to develop at the position.

 

Video:

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Comments (3)

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CAG123's picture

March 29, 2017 at 12:59 am

6-4 248 is lacking ideal size....?

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stockholder's picture

March 31, 2017 at 07:32 am

Like him. Going to be a good player. 3rd round. To the lions?

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Finwiz's picture

April 12, 2017 at 12:36 pm

This guy appears to be rated more highly than Watt, the question is the level of talent he played against. That's a tough thing to evaluate.

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