Risers In The CFB Saturdays College Football DE Rankings

With a few weeks of the season in the books and an opportunity to see how players have developed we have 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 who have made big moves up in the rankings.

Azeez Ojulari – Georgia

Azeez Ojulari was ranked with the linebackers in the preseason rankings but we have moved him over here because of his success as an edge rusher. Ojulari possessed the strength and explosiveness needed to be a strong pass rusher. He has the ability to get in the backfield quickly and can dip the shoulder and get past blockers in the blink of an eye. Ojulari has a relentless motor and will pursue the play until the whistle making the most of his athleticism with his effort and hustle. Though he excels as a pass rusher, Ojulari has held up well against the run, playing tough at the point of attack and fighting off blocks to make plays. After flashing his immense talent last season and is reaching new heights in 2020.

Ojulari is off to a fast start for the Bulldogs recording 12 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 2 fumbles forced. As impressive as those stats are it’s important to note that he has also been credited with 8 quarterback hurries on the season. Even when he is not getting the sack, Ojulari is disrupting the play and throwing off the quarterbacks timing. The Georgia defense has been outstanding this year and Ojulari is a big reason why, he has the tools to move even further up this list with more sustained production, and strong performances against the best offenses. He has a very high ceiling and is definitely a player to watch going forward.

Myles Murphy – Clemson

Myles Murphy arrived at Clemson with high expectations. He was a top recruit at the defensive end position and was expected to make an impact quickly. Murphy has been as advertised so far, making major contributions for the Tigers. He has excellent size and length, which allows him to keep blockers from getting to his body and neutralize him. Murphy has the strength to anchor down at the point of attack and plug gaps in the run game. Murphy is exceptional against the run where he disengages blockers well and is explosive to the football. He has also flashed his pass rushing acumen and has the ability to dip the shoulder and bend to beat the tackles. Murphy’s motor and work ethic are both excellent and he is quickly showing he will be a star for Clemson.

Murphy has had a major impact and has been at the top of our true freshmen rankings all season. It’s not easy to produce on a defensive line as talented as Clemson’s because the stats often get divided up among the many stars on the unit. Nonetheless, Murphy has been able to make plays on a weekly basis. He has 19 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and a fumble forced already this season. Murphy has been active in every game this season, recording at least four tackles in three of four games (Citadel he only had 2) and at least one tackle for loss in three of four contests (Virginia was the lone miss). Murphy has announced himself to the ACC and will not be slowing down anytime soon.

Rashad Weaver – Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh’s Patick Jones II also moved up a few spots in the defensive end rankings but we wrote about him in the original release so we won’t repeat ourselves here. Weaver was not ranked in our original rankings because he missed the 2019 season due to injury and we weren’t sure how he was going to look in 2020. Weaver has looked awesome. He has been a nightmare for opposing offenses as a pass rusher, combining speed and strength to terrorize tackles and get to the quarterback (where he does things like this). Weaver uses his hands well which combined with his physical tools makes him nearly impossible to block one on one. He is definitely better as a pass rusher than he is against the run, but he is a solid run defender as well. Weaver’s resurgence after his injury is an excellent success story in 2020.

Pittsburgh’s defensive line has been the strength of their football team and is one of the best in college football. Weaver has done his part to make that happen, accounting for 16 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and 2 fumbles forced in his first four games. He has been a force in every game he has played in and has six hurries to go with the tremendous production listed above. Jones and Weaver have made it impossible for offensive lines to focus on either and the results are impressive. Weaver’s return to form helps Pittsburgh’s defensive line be a dominant unit every game.

Jaelan Phillips – Miami

Greg Rousseau was #1 in our defensive end rankings but he opted out of the 2020 season. His decision created an opportunity for Jaelan Phillips to become a starter for Miami and get a lot more playing time this year. Phillips was a top recruit in the 2017 class who was thought to be a sure fire star. He battled injuries and even retired from football before transferring to Miami and restarting his college football career. Phllips had to sit out the 2019 season as a transfer but finally made his debut in 2020. The early returns have been fun to watch and we expect his play to improve as he gets more reps.

Phillips has all of the physical tools to mold into a star at the defensive end position. He has a quick first step, good length, flexibility to dip and bend, strength and the hands to disengage blockers. He did lose quite a bit of developmental time due to the injuries and his retirement. In 2020, he has begun to put those tools to work and is becoming a quality football player. He is only scratching the surface of his potential but is already becoming a playmaker for the Hurricanes. Phillips has 9 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, 3 quarterback hurries, 2 passes broken up and an interception in four games this season. As we said before he is staring to scratch the surface, which means things could get really scary if he begins to reach his potential.

Will McDonald IV – Iowa State

Will McDonald redshirted in 2018, then began to make a name for himself in 2019. This year he has picked up right where he left off and continued his improvement as a player. McDonald has been effective as a pass rusher off the edge with his speed and quickness. He has good length and does a good job of getting underneath the tackle as he turns the corner. He began to come on as a pass rusher in the latter part of the 2019 season and has continued that trend in 2020. He is quick at the point of attack and can be disruptive against the run, but needs to do a better job of disengaging blockers in the run game. McDonald has gotten better against the run and should continue to improve and round out his game. Nonetheless he has made enough progress to make our list of the best defensive ends.

In the first four games of the season, McDonald has tallied 13 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 1 pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. He has been remarkably consistent from week to week recording at least half a sack each game. Dating back to last season McDonald has recorded a sack in seven of his last eight games. The redshirt sophomore is still relatively new to football, he preferred basketball early in high school and is still a raw player on the football field. With how effective he has been already, it’s scary to think what he will do as he continues to develop.

Click here for the Top 25 DE Rankings.

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