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Rashad Weaver had a great 2018 college football season and, as a result, there was a lot of hype surrounding him heading into the 2019 season. However, things took a tragic turn as Weaver suffered a knee injury that kept him out for the entire season in 2019.
Fortunately, the set-back did not impact Rashad Weaver when it came to the 2020 college football season. Weaver recorded 34 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks and his performances in the 2020 season helped him rise up the draft boards of a lot of NFL teams. The talent at the EDGE position is limited this year.
Rashad Weaver is not a Week 1 starter in the NFL and will need to work on some of his weaknesses. Let's take a look at what we found on Rashad Weaver after watching him play at Pittsburgh.
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2021 NFL Draft: Pittsburgh EDGE Rashad Weaver
Rashad Weaver is currently the 228th overall ranked prospect in the 2021 NFL draft. This places him outside of the 2021 NFL draft and places him under the undrafted free agents list, although there is a chance that Weaver does get selected in the sixth or seventh round. Let's look at the strengths and weaknesses of Rashad Weaver's game.
Rashad Weaver's Strengths
Weaver possesses a motor that never turns off and starts as soon as his hands hit the ground. His first step is his best step and after that he is already by most offensive tackles.
Rashad Weaver has tremendous height and length and uses all of it to his advantage when rushing the passer. His ability to get his arms up and knock passes down at the line could benefit him in the NFL. His size allows him to shut down the edge and clog holes on the defensive front which leads to quick tackles.
Once Weaver fires off the ball, his quickness proves to be unstoppable at times because of his ability to stay close to the ground. Rashad Weaver has shown great ability to shut down the angles of running backs. However, Weaver was more explosive before his unfortunate knee energy.
Rashad Weaver's Weaknesses
Like every NFL draft prospect, there are areas that Rashad Weaver will need to work on before becoming an impact on defense in the NFL. He needs to work on his ability to react to where the football is at times, as he tends to lose track of the football on read option plays.
Rashad Weaver will also need to work on some more pass rushing moves. He is more of a speed rusher and could use more power. His bull rushing ability, in particular, is something that could really use work.
In his college football career, he did not show the ability to chase down plays. As it sits right now, Weaver is more of a situational player on the front seven. He will need to work on his abilities to become a three down pass rusher in the NFL.
2021 NFL Draft Predictions
-- Late Fourth, Early Fifth round
-- Potential fits: Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, or Pittsburgh Steelers
