2020 NFL Draft sleepers: Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman

While everyone is discussing Chase Young and A.J. Epenesa as the top edge rushers in the 2020 NFL Draft, Syracuse defensive ends Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman are being grossly slept on. 

After 2019’s bevy of pass rush talent, we are already seeing the potential of the 2020 NFL Draft class with guys like Iowa’s A.J. Epenesa, Ohio State’s Chase Young and Michigan State’s Kenny Willekes.

They, along with a few other hot names, might give the 2019 group a run for their money. The former names are already generating some first-round buzz, and plenty more could be added to that list.

However, there are two names they are being completely forgotten so far, and that’s the Syracuse pass rush duo of Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman, or as I like to call them “The Terror Twins”.

Now I’m not faulting the media scouting community for barely mentioning these two. It is only the beginning of summer scouting and everyone, including yours truly, has what seems like ten million players to watch.

That being said, I firmly believe that these two young men deserve more attention than they are currently receiving, and as of right now, they warrant your attention. First up, Coleman.

Kendall Coleman #55- 6-foot-3 266 pounds

After almost quitting football after a 2017 labrum injury, Coleman has become quite the intriguing prospect. During his junior season, Coleman notched 32 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 10 sacks, which tied for second in the ACC for total sacks in 2018. But it’s not just his impressive physical presence or stats that make him stand out, Coleman is a pretty good pass rusher.

Coleman beats offensive lineman with a good but not great first step, and then, by using his pallet of counters and finesse moves to really set a powerful edge. On film, she shows some of the same bends of that of former Auburn pass rusher Carl Lawson.

In addition to his pass rushing talent, he also shows up against the run, making plays at the line of scrimmage or using his body to plug running lanes, similar to a defensive tackle.

As of right now, I think Coleman would a natural fit in any 4-3 scheme, giving a team a great boost to their pass rush.

Alton Robinson #94- 6-foot-4 249 pounds

While I do like Kendall Coleman quite a bit, Alton Robinson is my guy. For me, Robinson has what I value the most in a pass rusher, a quick first step, and bend for days, not to mention a good set of pass rush tools. During his junior campaign, Robinson notched similar numbers to Coleman with 39 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.

When you put on the 2018 tape for Robinson, his speed off the edge is what pops out immediately. Most of the time, he often leaves opposing tackles in the dust at the snap of the ball, and then proceeds to hit them with his amazing bendability, as shown below by our friend across the pond, the UK Draft Scout.

While he does rely more on first-step quickness than Coleman, he shows a knack for swiping away the arms of tackles while at other times he’ll hit them with a mean bull rush. The only negative I have on Robinson at present is that he’s a little inconsistent vs the run but all-in-all, I think he could a great player in either a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme.

Both Robinson and Coleman are impressive 2020 NFL Draft prospects who could make a big-time impact at the next level. Watching these two rush the passer for Syracuse this season is going to be a ton of fun.