Positional ranking: #9

Big Board ranking: #88

 

Overview

Position: EDGE

College: Wake Forest

Class: Senior (RS)

Age: 23

 

Measurables

Height: 6’3 1/4″

Weight: 274 lbs.

Arm length: 32 7/8”

Hand size: 9 1/4”

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.64 sec.

Vertical jump: 34.0”

Broad jump: 122.0”

Bench press: 20 reps

3-cone drill: 7.13 sec.

Short shuttle: 4.25 sec.

 

Strengths

Big and imposing on the edge. Inside/outside versatility. Relentless trying to get to his target. Very technical with hands and feet in sync. Hands are extremely active. Swipes away strikes from offensive linemen. Will twist and spin to get free. Physical taking on blocks. Tremendous power to push blockers back. Very forceful finisher. Great closing speed at his size. Outstanding acceleration when he begins to flatten to the quarterback. Has some dip around the edge. Quality inside move. Good first-step quickness. Impressive side-step quickness as a straight-line rusher. Able to get skinny between blockers. Very effective on stunts. Hustles to make plays downfield. Experience on both sides of the formation and in a variety of alignments (three-technique to wide-nine). Has “takeover” stretches and made impact plays.

 

Weaknesses

Stiff lower half. Too rigid as an edge rusher. Average agility. Field vision and awareness are just OK. Can be slow identifying the ball at the handoff point. Gets pushed back versus double teams. Possible tweener at the next level.

 

NFL comparison

Emmanuel Ogbah

 

Conclusion

Overall, Basham Jr. is a big and powerful edge defender that plays hard and has impressive overall athleticism despite some rigidity. The versatility to play inside should make him a solid Day 2 selection, particularly for teams that run a 4-3 scheme.