Newcomers In The CFB Saturdays College Football DE Rankings: 2021 Preseason

March 24, 2021March 24, 2021 CFB Saturdays Staff

With the 2020 season in the books we have removed the defensive ends who have moved on and updated the College Football DE rankings. A few notes before we discuss the rankings themselves.

The rankings will be updated throughout the season.
Players who have not played college football are not eligible for the rankings.
Players are graded on their college ability, not their pro potential.
We are judging players on their film, production and physical tools.

You can view the College Football DE Rankings here.

Here is a look at a few of the defensive ends that have debuted in the rankings after a promising 2020:

Nik Bonitto – Oklahoma

Nik Bonitto arrived at Oklahoma in 2018 and has gradually added strength and seen his role grow. He is a talented pass rusher who has improved his play against the run over the course of his career. Despite that improvement, Bonitto’s calling card is his pass rushing ability. The redshirt sophomore finished the season strong, recording at least half a sack in each of the last five games he played. He was a big part of Oklahoma’s defensive improvement over the course of the season and finished 2020 with 32 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 2 pass breakups and 10 QB Hurries.

Bonitto has grown into his role as an edge defender and is now 6’3″ 238 lbs. He has a quick first step and is explosive off the edge, putting pressure on blockers to get into their sets in a hurry. Bonitto is able to dip his shoulder and turn the corner to close on the quarterback quickly. If offensive linemen are selling out to take away the outside rush he has the agility to counter back inside and get to the quarterback anyway. His play against the run has improved over the course of his career and he uses his hands well to shed blockers and make plays in the run game. Bonitto has developed into a star on the edge and will only get better as he continues to add strength.

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Will Anderson – Alabama

Anderson arrived at Alabama with high expectations and made an immediate impact in 2020. Anderson was disruptive right away, but that did not show up in the form of tackles for loss or sacks the first half of the season. Over the second half of the season he began to finish those plays with tackles for loss and sacks. Over the last six conference games, including the conference championship against Georgia, he recorded 9.5 tackles for loss. The strong finish was not unexpected since Anderson was recording plenty of hurries in the first half of the season. For the 2020 season, Anderson made 52 tackles with 10.5 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, 1 fumble forced and 8 QB hurries.

Anderson is a long and athletic pass rusher off the edge. He is listed at 6’4″ 235 lbs and has plenty of room to continue to fill out over the course of his career. Anderson has an excellent first step and changes directions quickly. He is a quick twitch athlete who closes on plays quickly and is excellent in pursuit. He has good functional strength and can bull rush offensive linemen to create push. Anderson is agile enough to change directions and fill gaps and has the long arms to keep blockers from getting into his body so he can make plays in the run game. He is far from a finished product and will be even more effective as his technique catches up to his physical ability.

DeMarvin Leal – Texas A&M

DeMarvin Leal built on a solid freshman campaign with an even better sophomore season. He is a bigger defensive end and can play inside or outside, but has an excellent motor and rare athleticism at his size. His versatility and athleticism made Leal a key piece of a strong Aggies defense that held opponents to just 21.7 points per game, good for third in the SEC. For the season, he recorded 37 tackles with 7 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 3 pass breakups and 8 QB hurries.

At 6’4″ 290 lbs, Leal is an imposing presence on the defensive line. He is a powerful player who can bully blockers at the point of attack. Leal has long arms and uses them well to disengage blockers as a pass rusher or against the run. He is a high motor defensive linemen who excels in pursuit. He has good explosiveness and surprising athleticism to make plays on the edge and to get after the quarterback. Leal has developed his technique and continues to work on the nuances of the position, with another year of progress he will be a force to reckon with in 2021.

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Kingsley Enagbare – South Carolina

Enagbare continued his development and began to tap into his potential this past season. He combines size and athleticism to be disruptive at the end position for the Gamecocks. Though South Carolina’s season did not go according to plan, Enagbare was consistent in 2020 and recorded at least half a tackle for loss in six of the eight games he played. For the year he accounted for 30 tackles with 7 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 3 fumbles forced and 2 pass breakups.

Enagbare is a prototypical defensive end at 6’4″ 270 lbs. His blend of size and athleticism is ideal for the position and allows him to make plays against the run and pass. He has diversified his pass rush moves and improved his block shedding to make him more effective off the edge. Enagbare is a handful for most offensive linemen and now he can keep them guessing with his improved technique. He had his best season in 2020, but still has room to improve his game and should be ready for an excellent finish to his Gamecock career next season.

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Myjai Sanders – Cincinnati

Sanders impressed in his third season for the Bearcats. He has added 25 lbs to his frame since his freshman season and that added strength has helped him excel at the end position. Cincinnati completed an undefeated regular season and came up just short against Georgia in the Peach Bowl. Sanders was a leader for the defense and had at least one tackle for loss in six of ten games during the 2020 season. For the season, he tallied 31 tackles with 10.5 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, 5 pass breakups and 4 QB Hurries.

Sanders now measures in at 6’5″ 258 lbs, giving him the length and bulk to star at the end position. Sanders is an explosive pass rusher off the edge, but also has added counter moves to use his length and change of direction to get back inside. He has good bend to turn the corner when speed rushing and has the length to keep tackles off balance. Sanders has improved his ability to disengage blockers against the run and he is quick to fill gaps to make the play . He also uses his length well to deflect passes when he cannot get home as a pass rusher. Sanders was a leader for the Bearcats defense in 2020 and could help the team continue to prosper in 2021.