Jack Sawyer, Ohio State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Sawyer was a five-star recruit from Pickerington High School North in Pickerington, Ohio in the class of 2021

The Ohio State Buckeyes are one of the three most-talented programs in college football this season. Their defensive line is loaded with future pro talent, including Jack Sawyer. Sawyer projects as a second round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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Jack Sawyer, Edge Ohio State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior defensive end from Pickerington, Ohio

Background: Sawyer was a five-star recruit from Pickerington High School North in Pickerington, Ohio in the class of 2021. He was the No. 5 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 12 for Rivals, and No. 4 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 1st in the nation with a 91 grade out of 100. Sawyer didn’t play during his high school senior season, but he was the OCC-Ohio Division Defensive Player of the Year as a junior. That year, he produced 37 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. Sawyer also played quarterback as a junior, completing 79 of 135 passes for 1,056 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions and rushing 80 times for 386 yards before an MCL injury ended his campaign. As a sophomore, he totaled 62 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, six sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Sawyer also played varsity basketball for Pickerington. His father, Lyle, played football at Findlay College while his mother was a Pickerington star basketball player. His grandfather spent time in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system.

Injuries & Off-Field: Suffered a torn MCL as a junior in high school

Awards: 2022 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (Coaches), 2023 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (Coaches)

Pros: Special teams experience on the punt return and field goal block units, explosive first step, quick initial step to work across the tackle’s or tight end’s face, takes advantage of tackle’s exposing their chests, good hand placement in the tackle’s chest, active and violent hands, some upper body knockback, converts speed to power, inside swim counter, inside spin, inside club-swim, long-arm move, rip move, developing club-rip, developmental hump rush move, inside cross-chop as part of B-gap counter, drops hip and knee level to get low and bend, pushes vertical before redirecting inside, works back into the B-gap at the top of the arc, strong chop to break tackle’s arm positioning and separate, basic swipe, swim, and chop counters, quick reaction time to get hands in throwing lanes, occasionally sniffs out screens, developed into an edge-setting run defender, improved anchor, improved his stack and shed technique in 2023, plenty of well-timed block separation, closing speed as a backside run defender, effort in pursuit, rips through tight ends and redirects to the ball in the run game, works his way down the line to the ball while fighting off his blocker, delivers some jarring hits

Cons: Questionable arm length, short-strider, lower half still needs to fill out, play strength still needs to improve, not a top level athletic tester, inconsistent timing the snap, lacks top shelf explosiveness, hand usage is unrefined and inaccurate, incomplete pass rush plan, leg drive for bull rush dies out, power difference vs. Blake Fisher (2023), needs to finish with a rip more often, spin move is hit or miss, lacks elite bend to turn the corner, opportunities arise but fails to flatten rush angle to QB, attempts to counter into B-gap often mirrored, inside counters are underdeveloped, struggles with chip blocks, ends up on the ground more often than ideal, generates no movement vs. double teams, occasionally stuck on blocks in run game, still a few times his anchor snaps

Overview: Sawyer primarily aligns as a 5-tech in both two and three-point stances but also sees some time as a wide-9. He flashes an explosive first step that helps him work across the tackle’s face. He lacks ideal arm length, but his hand placement maximizes opportunities to access exposed leverage opportunities. Sawyer’s violent hands pack some knockback and power to set up the rest of his rush. His pass rush plan includes converting speed to power, inside swims and spins, inside cross-chops, club-swims, rips, long-arms, and a developing club-rip. He uses basic swipe, swim, and chop counters and attacks the offensive tackle’s arms to break clamps. Sawyer dips his hips and bends his knees to get low at the top of the arc, but he often finds more success countering into the B-gap once reaching his rush’s apex. The senior faces several athletic limitations that could drop him down draft boards. He lacks elite explosiveness and has short strides that sap some of his vertical speed. His lower half still needs to stack weight, and his overall play strength must continue improving. Sawyer’s leg drive on bull rushes eventually fades and dies out. He misses opportunities to finish rushes with rip moves, and his spins are inconsistent. The Ohio native suffers from some lower body stiffness that prevents him from bending around the edge consistently. He uses a wide variety of inside counters, but those moves are unpolished and are used infrequently. His attempts to counter into the B-gap are too predictable and easy to mirror for offensive tackles. Sawyer has the blueprints for all the basic pass rush moves and some more advanced combinations, but his pass rush plan and creativity are uninspiring at times. He can take a step forward by refining his hand usage and accuracy to better protect his frame and target the offensive tackle’s weak points. Sawyer showed significant improvement as a run defender in 2023. He set the edge at a much higher level than previously and displayed an improved anchor. The former five-star recruit also built upon his stack and shed technique and developed a natural feel for when to separate from blocks. He flashes impressive closing speed as a backside run defender and nice effort in pursuit. Sawyer still ends up on the ground a bit too often because of concerns with his anchor. Occasionally, he gets stuck on blocks.

Overall, Sawyer is still a work in progress who needs to further develop his counters, pass rush arsenal, and play strength, but he’s already proven capable of making massive strides from one season to the next. Sawyer’s technique in run defense and existing rush moves improved significantly from 2022 to 2023, making evaluators hopeful that another big jump is on the way. 

Role & Scheme Fit: 3-4 outside linebacker with 4-3 defensive end potential

Round Grade: Second Round

Size: 6'5", 260 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 08-04-24