Michigan EDGE Kwity Paye has athleticism, motor to thrive


Main as much as the 2021 NFL draft, which begins April 29, Yahoo Sports activities will depend down our high 100 general prospects. We’ll depend them down in teams of 5 for Nos. 100-51, adopted by extra in-depth studies on our high 50 gamers, with assist from our scouting assistant, Liam Blutman. We reserve the precise to make modifications to gamers’ grades and evaluations primarily based on harm updates, pro-day exercises or late-arriving data from NFL groups.

Different prospect rankings: Nos. 100-96 | 95-91 | 90-86 | 85-81 | 80-76 | 75-71 | 70-66 | 65-61 | 60-56 | 55-51 | 50. OT Liam Eichenberg | 49. WR Terrace Marshall Jr. | 48. LB Chazz Surratt | 47. EDGE Joe Tryon | 46. OT-OG Alex Leatherwood | 45. CB Asante Samuel Jr. | 44. DL Levi Onwuzurike | 43. LB Jabril Cox | 42. DT Daviyon Nixon | 41. EDGE Ronnie Perkins | 40. LB Nick Bolton | 39. CB Ifeatu Melifonwu | 38. WR Elijah Moore | 37. OT Jalen Mayfield | 36. EDGE Carlos Basham Jr. | 35. CB Elijah Molden | 34. RB Travis Etienne | 33. WR Kadarius Toney | 32. EDGE Jayson Oweh | 31. LB Zaven Collins | 30. DT Christian Barmore | 29. QB Mac Jones | 28. CB Caleb Farley | 27. RB Javonte Williams | 26. C-OG Landon Dickerson | 25. S Trevon Moehrig | 24. CB Greg Newsome II | 23. WR Rashod Bateman | 22. EDGE Greg Rousseau | 21. OT Christian Darrisaw | 20. RB Najee Harris | 19. LB-S Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah | 18. EDGE Jaelan Phillips | 17. OT Teven Jenkins

Here's how we use our prospect grades for the 2021 NFL draft. (Albert Corona/Yahoo Sports)

This is how we use our prospect grades for the 2021 NFL draft. (Albert Corona/Yahoo Sports activities)

16. Michigan EDGE Kwity Paye

6-foot-3, 261 kilos

Yahoo Sports activities draft grade: 6.10 — potential quick starter

TL;DR scouting report: Twitchy edge rusher with a white-hot motor; a high-floor prospect however one in want of some pass-rush education

Video games watched: Iowa (2020), Alabama (2019), Minnesota (2020), Indiana (2020), Penn State (2020)

The thin: A 3-star Rivals recruit, Paye dedicated to the Wolverines and noticed motion in 9 video games as a real freshman, making 5 tackles (1.5 for losses) and one sack. In 2018, he made 29 tackles (5.5 for losses), two sacks, one cross breakup and one compelled fumble in 13 video games (4 begins). Paye began 11 of 12 video games in 2019, making 50 tackles (12 for losses), 6.5 sacks and one fumble restoration, incomes second-team All-Massive Ten. As a crew captain in 2020, he began 4 video games (lacking two with harm) and made 16 tackles (4 for losses) and two sacks as Michigan had three video games canceled. Paye acquired an invite to the 2021 Senior Bowl however declined it.

Upside: Large athletic prowess. Explosive capability with a twitchy decrease half. Shows some glorious quickness, agility and change-of-direction abilities. Ending pace and quickness evident. Nice upper-body energy. Thickly developed decrease physique. Massive arms (10 inches).

Terrific professional day exercise outcomes — specifically within the 40-yard sprint (4.57 seconds), vertical bounce (35 1/2 inches) and broad bounce (118 inches). Additionally repped out an excellent 36 bench-press reps — with 33-inch arms. Former prep monitor star who was a state champ within the 4×100 relay (he ran anchor) and lengthy bounce, in addition to a standout within the shotput and 100 meters.

Wasn’t even capable of show near-legendary 3-cone drill abilities — he opted out of that and the brief shuttle due to a quadriceps harm — after beforehand recording a surprising 6.37-second time. (For reference, no edge rusher has ever bettered a 6.75 on the NFL scouting mix.)

Offers max effort each snap, it appears. Excessive-motor participant who seldom provides up on performs. Possess nice late-rush potential — doesn’t stall when preliminary transfer is stymied. Racks up bottom pursuit performs. Wears down opposing tackles together with his drive and power. Forces opponents to deliver their greatest.

Michigan EDGE Kwity Paye is an athletically blessed, high-motor rusher. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Michigan EDGE Kwity Paye is an athletically blessed, high-motor rusher. (AP Photograph/Carlos Osorio)

Sturdy run defender. Maintains good pad degree — low-cut and doesn’t make himself straightforward to dam. Units a great, onerous edge regardless of missing excellent size. Makes use of sturdy arms effectively to realize early benefits. Performs with good leverage vs. the run. Works laterally effectively to string performs outdoors and make tackles from the bottom. Performed on the boundary usually for his athletic traits. Can beat up tight ends all day.

Move-rush potential to be unlocked. Explosiveness off the snap provides him a pure edge to make strides. Pace-to-power rushes may very well be his calling card. Goes proper after the sort out’s outdoors shoulder and might exploit oversetters. Had some thrilling flashes in 2019 tape. Efficient on loops and stunts vs. slower inside blockers.

Excessive-floor prospect. Exhausting employee with willpower to higher his craft. Accountable and dependable — effort doesn’t waver when occasions get robust. Versatile sufficient — lined up at each edge spots (two- and three-point stances) and inside (at the same time as a nostril sort out) and sometimes dropped briefly zones.

Draw back: Higher tester than participant proper now — movie nonetheless exhibits some rawness and undeveloped traits. Turned in a greater season in 2019 than in 2020 (due to accidents and canceled video games). So-so profession manufacturing — 11.5 sacks, one compelled fumble in 38 video games. Lacks excellent expertise — 19 profession begins and simply over 1,300 defensive snaps.

Nonetheless creating his instincts — extra of a read-and-react participant. Can look out of kinds vs. misdirection and choice appears to be like. Tries to win extra with pure athleticism than method. Good for about one missed sort out per sport.

Move-rush abilities stay a bit crude. Doesn’t arrange blockers effectively sufficient. Lacks counters and creativity in his rush plan. Received’t get away with the straight bull rushes within the NFL that he defaulted to so usually in faculty. Not fairly as loose-hipped as you’d think about for his athletic traits — has bother carving the sting. Was usually left single-blocked outdoors.

Lack of excellent size for the place. Arms are on the shorter aspect at 33 inches and doesn’t do a lot to disrupt passing home windows. Might take a greater upfield rush strategy to negate lack of size.

Projection prospect with work to be executed. Requires extra teaching and seasoning to coax out his max potential. Battled nagging accidents all through his profession regardless of solely lacking a handful of video games. Restricted special-teams expertise or apparent worth.

Greatest-suited vacation spot: Paye’s athletic traits make him a scheme-versatile participant who may very well be tried in a stand-up rush function or allowed to assault on both aspect. His function in 12 months 1 could be relegated to rotational rusher, however Paye has starter potential in time and will profile as no worse than a stable starter together with his uncooked traits and thrilling athleticism.

Do you know: There have been 39 gamers born in Rhode Island in NFL historical past, per Professional Soccer Reference, together with a number of pretty well-known ones of yore equivalent to former Houston Oilers kicker Al Del Greco.

The final Rhode Island-born participant within the league was former cornerback and returner Will Blackmon, who noticed time in 15 video games for Washington in 2016. Paye and Blackmon really attended the identical highschool, Bishop Hendricken Catholic, too.

Nonetheless, Paye was really born in a refugee camp within the West African republic of Guinea after his mom, Agnes, fled her residence state of Liberia, which was within the midst of civil struggle on the time. Paye really by no means has met his father, Leroy George, who stays in Liberia to this present day.

Paye was delivered to america earlier than his first birthday, because the household settled in Rhode Island again in 1999.

Participant comp: Brian Orakpo

Anticipated draft vary: First-round choose

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