Jah Joyner, Edge Minnesota: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Joyner was a three-star recruit from Danbury High School in Danbury, Conn. in the class of 2020
Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive end Jah Joyner will likely bypass the 2024 NFL Draft and return to school next year. Joyner is an exceptional athlete with elite physical tools and burst who still needs to develop the technical elements of his pass rush plan.
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Jah Joyner, EDGE Minnesota: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Redshirt junior defensive end from Danbury, Conn.
Background: Joyner was a three-star recruit from Danbury High School in Danbury, Conn. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 544 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 604 for On3.com. Joyner was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 77 grade out of 100. He originally committed to Boston College before flipping to Minnesota. As a senior, Joyner amassed 32 tackles and 13 sacks in eight games. He made the 2019 Connecticut High School Football Coaches Association All-State Top-26 Team and was a 2019 First Team All-FCIAC selection. Joyner was a finalist for the 2019 Ruden Report Connecticut Football Player of the Year award. He produced 34 tackles and 11 sacks in nine games as a junior.
Injuries & Off-Field: N/A
Awards: N/A
Pros: Long arms, room on his frame to add weight, explodes out of his stance, impressive burst off the line, gains ground quickly, good bend to turn the corner, contact balance at the top of the arc, hip and lower body flexibility, heavy-footed tackles struggle to protect their outside shoulders, rip move, counter spins into the B-gap, swim move, basic chops and swipes, flashes of speed to power, knives through B-gap when tackles overset, long arms help poke the ball out, outside bend and speed rush forced a holding vs. North Carolina (2023), overpowered and out-athleted Michigan State’s tackles (2023), gets hands in passing lanes when he doesn’t get home, stacks linemen before tossing them with his long arms, separates and redirects to the football, good pursuit speed, spins back into the action
Cons: Play strength looks below average, bend falls short of elite, struggles to play through the lineman’s frame, fails to maintain momentum through contact (full-man or half-man), leg drive strength must improve, pad level rises quickly, needs to lower pad level and convert speed to power, late to deploy hands, hands come in too wide, hand placement on long-arm move, hands lack pop, doesn’t break clamps often enough, underdeveloped pass rush plan, limited hand counters, rush carries him too far upfield, washed away by down blocks, inconsistent holding the point of attack
Overview: The first thing that jumps off the tape about Joyner is his long arms. He has an excellent frame that can still add more weight once he reaches the NFL. Joyner primarily aligns as a 5-tech in two and three-point stances for the Golden Gophers. He explodes out his stance with the burst to quickly get vertical and threaten offensive tackles around the edge. Heavy-footed tackles can’t protect their outside shoulders against the redshirt junior’s speed rush. Joyner complements his speed with above-average but not elite bend at the top of the arc. His ability to access his bend was inconsistent on tape, but the flashes show he’s capable of some crazy plays that quickly flatten his rush angle to the quarterback. Joyner’s pass rush plan includes rip moves, counter spins into the B-gap, swim moves, and basic chops and swipes. The Connecticut native has all of the traits to convert speed to power and drive tackles into the pocket when his hand placement and pad level are right. He has shown flashes of converting speed to power, especially against Michigan State (2023), but his lack of technical development hinders his execution. Joyner attacks the B-gap when tackles overset to counter his speed. Once he gets into the backfield, he has the pursuit speed to quickly close on the quarterback and the long arms to poke the ball out. Joyner gets his hands in passing lanes when he fails to reach the quarterback. Against the run, he uses his long arms to stack blocks before separating and redirecting to the football. Unfortunately, Joyner’s play strength isn’t NFL-caliber yet. He struggles to hold the point of attack and is washed away by down blocks. As a pass rusher, the redshirt junior struggles to play through the frames of offensive linemen and fails to maintain his momentum through contact in both full and half-man relationships. To convert speed to power consistently, he needs to play with a lower pad level and increase the strength of his leg drive. Joyner’s hands are late to deploy and frequently land too wide. This causes them to lack pop and disrupts his ability to execute power rush moves or break the clamps of offensive linemen. Joyner’s hand usage, pass rush plans, and counters are underdeveloped.
Overall, Joyner is an exceptional athlete with elite physical tools and burst, but his pass rush plan and technical skills are still in the developmental stage. Joyner is a prime candidate to return to school for another season. If he enters the draft, he will be an intriguing two or three-year project with long-term starting potential.
Role & Scheme Fit: Early-career designated pass rusher in a 3-4 scheme
Round Projection: Fourth Round
Size: 6'5", 250 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 11-07-23