2021 NFL Draft defensive end rankings: Ronnie Perkins leads a deep class

6. Joe Tryon, Washington
6-foot-5, 262 pounds
2021 NFL Draft grade: Second round

A player who has just started to flash his potential is Washington’s, Joe Tryon. Over the last six games of the 2019 season, he recorded six sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Unfortunately, this was the only stretch of games where we saw great production from Tryon as he was only able to register 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks the other year and a half he played for Washington. Tryon is someone who would have greatly benefited from the 2020 season instead of opting out of the year.

Tryon has the athletic profile to excite teams which is the main reason he could hear his name called at the end of the first round. He flys off the ball which is how he was able to record most of his sacks. He displays the athleticism to hold up in coverage as well, and this is part of the reason he might be best off as a 3-4 outside linebacker. Teams will also like the motor Tyron shows as he does a nice job of chasing plays down.

The biggest questions with Tryon all center around his lack of playing time. One of these issues is his lack of overall football intelligence. He has trouble diagnosing plays which causes him to play tentatively at times. He also is not the most refined player when it comes to pass-rushing moves. The last concern with him is that he has only been ok vs the run and is more of a situational pass rusher at this time compared to a complete defensive end.

The teams that make the most sense for Tyron are teams that run a 3-4 defense. These clubs would be his ideal fit as he has both the pass-rushing skills and ability to hold up in coverage to play outside linebacker in this scheme. 4-3 teams will primarily look at Tryon as someone who can help as a situational pass rusher at the start of his career and might be able to develop into a three-down defensive end.