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2021 NFL MOCK DRAFT - WALT'S | CHARLIE'S ROUND: 1

Teams Don't See Generational Talent with Will Anderson

Updated Nov. 26, 2022
By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.

Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson was impossible to ignore last season because he dominated college football. He put up tremendous production, including 101 tackles and 17.5 sacks. That huge season led Anderson to be the consensus top prospect entering the 2023 NFL Draft process, and he has remained a consensus high projection. Many pundits are still calling him the best player for the 2023 NFL Draft. However, in speaking to a number of team sources, they say they do not see a freak athlete or generational talent in Anderson. They see a good football player, but not a player with a special skill set like other high first-round pass rushers like Myles Garrett, Chase Young, Jadeveon Clowney, or the Bosa brothers.

"I love Will Anderson, but have some question as to how well his dominance will translate to the NFL," said an AFC director of player personnel. "What is his dominant trait other than instincts? Size? No. Speed? No. Strength/power? No. He's not special athletically, so are these sack numbers inflated? Then you ask yourself could he be an anomaly guy like a Shaq Barrett. You aren't sure how he's getting all those sacks, but you can't argue with the production."

At 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, Anderson has quality height, but he is undersized in terms of weight and strength for playing on the edge in the NFL.

"He's definitely not a freak athlete," said an AFC director of college scouting.

Anderson has not been as dominant on the field in 2022, and some sources felt that Anderson may be protecting himself to avoid injury before the 2023 NFL Draft.

"They are playing him squeezed inside too tight at times, which doesn't help his cause," said an NFC director of college scouting. "But he doesn't have a dominant athletic trait. His motor was his biggest strength last year, but he looks like he's chocked it back some this year. He's taken a step backward in 2022."

Anderson enters the 2022 Iron Bowl, the final game of the regular season and probably his final game of college football, with 48 tackles and eight sacks on the year. That production is similar to his freshman season in 2020, when he recorded seven sacks and 52 tackles. However, three seasons of production in the SEC have teams viewing Anderson as a safe pick for the next level.

"I think his motor, competitiveness and fundamentals make him a very safe player, more so than a dominant force," said an NFC director of player personnel.

While Anderson is still projected to go high in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, it is not a slam dunk with teams that he will be the first non-quarterback selected. Sources do not view Anderson as a freak athlete with a rare skill set, so that could cause some franchises to go after a more unique player at the very top of the first round in the 2023 NFL Draft.