2021 NFL Draft: Michigan edge Kwity Paye scouting report

The 2021 NFL Draft class has not been defined by an abundance of generational defensive talent. Specifically, it’ll be a tough year to find elite defensive line help in the first round.

Unlike 2019, which saw an extraordinary 13 defensive linemen get drafted in the first round, this year projects to have a mere four defensive linemen go in the first round.

So how valuable is the edge rusher position? Well, the last two drafts saw the second-overall picks used on potentially generational defensive ends.  Go back and look at previous years’ drafts: You’ll see plenty of edge defenders finding homes in the top 10.

Outside of the quarterback position, elite edge defenders are the most sought-after position in the first round. Even rebuilding teams seem to have an implicit understanding that elite edge defenders are one of the key pillars of a competent defense.

This year’s top edge defender is Michigan’s Kwity Paye, a 6-foot-4, 272-pound senior who, depending on who you ask, is either the next generational pass-rusher to come to the NFL or a one-dimensional developmental player.

Seeing the field in 38-games during his enrollment at Michigan, Paye certainly has the experience to warrant a deeper look. It’s possible that Paye could end up as the first defensive lineman off the board in this class.

In this scouting report, we’ll go discuss the top edge defender prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft. We’ll explore Paye’s background and the personal struggles he overcame to make it to Michigan and now the NFL.

We’ll review his film, examine the things Paye does well and how those skills will translate to the NFL. We’ll also catalog the things Paye needs to work on in the NFL. Finally, we’ll explore three draft destinations that Paye would thrive in and explain why he’ll be an upgrade for the franchise’s defensive line.

Background

Paye had a unique journey to the 2021 NFL Draft and his experiences ultimately influence everything about him. Born in a refugee camp in Guinea, Paye is the son of Agnes Paye, a Liberian woman who was forced to leave her home when her village became the target of armed factions. Charles Taylor, an American-educated Liberian politician (and recently convicted war criminal) launched a coup in 1989, plunging the country into chaos and inter-ethnic violence.

First living in a refugee camp in Sierra Leone, Agnes was forced to relocate again when the war in Liberia spilled across the border. She gave birth to Kwity and named him after her father, who was killed during the war, according to a profile in the Detroit Free Press.

Moving to America in the ’90s, Agnes and her two sons were forced to start their lives over as immigrants in Providence, Rhode Island. The three of them were together but still had their struggles, with Kwity’s mother working full-time while attending community college to become a nursing assistant.

Kwity will often cite his mother as his primary inspiration in life and how everything he does, all the hard work, is going towards making a better life for her. During an interview for ESPN’s College Gameday, Paye explained his motivation to succeed:

"“She (Agnes Paye) never asked for anything in this life. But for me, I take it personally to make sure she gets everything she never had. I feel like that’s why I work so hard.”"

Paye originally started off his athletic journey running track before making the jump to football in the eighth grade. Before entering high school, Paye took two entrance exams that would set the course of his football journey.

The school he wanted to go to was Bishop Hendricken, an expensive Catholic school that required him to walk an hour before taking a 40-minute bus trip every day. The high school had a world-class football program though and Paye convinced his mother to pay the extra tuition by saying “If you send me to Hendricken, you won’t have to pay for college.”

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1380158493127180288

Paye impressed coaches at Hendricken, excelling at a wide variety of positions. Starting out as a running back and safety, Paye started playing defensive end during his sophomore year. Head Coach Keith Croft (the football coach of Hendricken) remarked in the same Gameday video, “He (Paye) never came off the field. Defensive end, running back: He could have played any position.”

Paye would receive lots of attention from college recruiters during high school, including Michigan. He impressed Don Brown (Michigans defensive coordinator) during pass-rushing drills so much that he offered him a scholarship on the spot.

It would be at Michigan where Paye made a name for himself as one of the up-and-coming edge defender prospects in college football. Click below to review Paye’s on-field attributes.

Film review

When watching Paye’s film at Michigan, it is easy to get a little underwhelmed at first. With just 10.5 sacks in 26 games, Paye’s highlight reel is missing a lot of the big-time, splash plays fans love to watch before the draft. But is a defensive end better prepared for the NFL if he has a catalog of 20 or so sacks, where an offensive blown coverage is usually why he was successful?

It would be a sinch to be dismissive of Paye as a prospect when edge rushers like Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari had more sacks and a more exciting highlight reel. Ergo, Ojulari must be a better NFL prospect, right?

But it takes more than just stats and highlights to measure the value of a college defensive end. Watching Paye on film, the first thing that becomes apparent is how technically skilled he is. Paye has almost no bad habits, doesn’t rely on grabbing onto pass blockers, and rarely draws penalty flags.

When setting the edge, Paye is a near immovable obstacle that prevents tackles and halfbacks from moving into open space. In short, he is an anchor on the strong side that requires offensive double teams to even disrupt his placement.

Michigan used Paye as a versatile defensive lineman, who could realistically protect any gap assignment at the line of scrimmage. While Paye occasionally lined up in a 2-point stance for Michigan, he was utilized far more often as a 3-point, outside-the-tackle, 9-tech defensive end. But he also has the speed to drop into coverage or play as an outside linebacker in the NFL.

There is footage of him on the internet running a 6.37 3-cone drill and during Michigans Pro Day Paye ran a 4.52 40-yard dash. Remember this is a prospect that weighs 272-pounds and plays defensive end. For some context, Odell Beckham Jr. ran a 4.43 at his Scouting Combine. Paye is incredibly fast at the line of scrimmage and NFL scouts have started to pay attention.

Paye looks best when he is protecting against the run. He can stack and shed offensive blockers far bigger than himself. Paye quickly closed run-gaps at the line of scrimmage on Michigans defensive line. Out of all the defensive ends in the 2021 NFL Draft, Paye is by far the most qualified to be a Week One starter on early-down run-plays.

While run-blocking may not be the most exciting thing to watch (when compared to an open-field sack against a shrinking quarterback), his technique shows a high level of aptitude and training.

As a pass-rusher, Paye is more than qualified to play in the NFL. With 12.5 tackles for a loss and seven sacks in 2019, Paye showed he could outmuscle and outmaneuver his opponents in the Big Ten. The issue that comes up most often is his technique. Rather than finding unique, interesting paths around blockers (spin moves, misdirection, etc.), Paye seemed to win more often by pure force and strength.

As a bull-rusher, there’s no one else in this year’s draft that compares to Paye. But his toolkit is expanding: Paye improved his overall technique as a pass-rusher, having one of the highest win percentages during the four games he suited up for Michigan last season.

In an interview with PFF’s Austin Gayle and Mike Renner, Paye discussed the process of how he improved his pass-rushing skills during the 2020 offseason. He spent time with coaches, learning how to master a cross-chop technique, an increasingly popular and effective way for pass-rushers to circumvent offensive tackles in the NFL.

Paye talked about how he studied footage of NFL players like Yannick Ngakoue (one of the premier cross-chopping edge rushers today) and changed his approach accordingly.

This anecdote not only shows how much Paye has improved as a pass-rusher but also his coachability and his willingness to take constructive criticism. Paye may not be the most technical pass-rusher in the 2021 NFL Draft. But with the year-to-year improvements he showed at Michigan combined with his raw athletic profile, most draft scouts agree Paye will have an impressive career in the NFL.

Paye has the potential to be a top-five edge rusher by the end of his rookie contract.

Ideal Destinations

Projected: First-rounder, earlier than most expect

Each NFL team evaluates edge defenders differently, often valuing one aspect of a player over another. It is possible that 32-different NFL teams will look at the same defensive end and have wildly different evaluations on them.

Look at 2019, when the Las Vegas Raiders drafted Clelin Ferrell eleventh-overall. This came as a surprise on draft night, as Ferrell was projected to be a late-Day One to early-Day Two edge rusher. But the Raiders clearly saw something in Ferrell they liked and didn’t hesitate to get him, despite having another first-rounder at their disposal.

More than likely, some NFL team will have a really high evaluation on Paye and pull the trigger early in the first round. Paye has the background, the college film, and the experience to be an amazing defensive end in the NFL. He showed leadership skills as a team captain and an ability to improve year-to-year that some NFL franchise will find irresistible.

During his time in Ann Arbor, Paye also thrived in the classroom, finishing college with a degree, while becoming a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and one of ten SENIOR Class Award Finalists in 2020, according to his Michigan profile.

So where would Paye succeed the most in the NFL? Below are three teams that will have a reasonable chance of acquiring him in the 2021 NFL Draft and a quick blurb about why he would succeed there.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles value defensive line talent, as it consistently uses a large portion of its cap space every season on the unit. The team let 2017 first-rounder Derek Barnett’s fifth-year option become guaranteed this offseason. But there is a consensus that Barnett will need to shoot the moon to earn a contract extension next offseason.

On the other side of the defensive line, Brandon Graham is turning 34-years old this spring. The front office restructured his contract in the offseason, essentially making every year after 2021 voidable to get under the cap. There is a very real possibility that the Eagles will lose both their starting defensive ends next offseason.

Getting a prospect like Paye in the 2021 NFL Draft would provide insurance on the defensive line and compliment a highly-valued unit in Philadelphia. The Eagles don’t look ready to compete this season anyway, which would give Paye at least a year to learn from the Super Bowl-winning veterans on the defensive line.

The Eagles may not have the best sense when it comes to acquiring quarterbacks but they don’t mess around when it comes to the defensive line. With the front office in Philadelphia largely unchanged during the organizational shakeup, expect the team to continue its fealty to the pass-rushing position.

Drafting twelfth in the first round, Paye will be on the shortlist for the Eagles, assuming of course the next team on this list doesn’t snag his services first.

New York Giants

The smart money has Paye going to the New York Giants. The front office may have locked down defensive end Leonard Williams to a huge contract extension this offseason, but the team still needs someone to contain the edge and pressure opposing quarterbacks on the other side.

Keeping Williams assures the Giants will have a veteran edge rusher for the future. But it’s going to take another quality pass-rusher on the roster to make the team competitive in the NFC East.

The Giants signed several notable offensive playmakers in free agency this offseason, assuring their third-year quarterback gets all the seasoned help he’ll need. With the return of Saquon Barkley, 2021 represents a “put-up-or-shut-up” season for both GM Dave Gettleman and quarterback Daniel Jones.

The Giants haven’t seen the postseason since 2016 and the last four seasons have seen them go 18-46 in the regular season.

With Paye and Williams as a pass-rushing duo, the Giants would have one of the most dynamic edge-rushing corps in the NFC. Expect the Giants to invest in the defensive line early in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are nouveau riche in draft picks this year. With two picks in the first and second round, they’ll have plenty of opportunities to find offensive help after the first round. With the surplus of wide receiver talent this year, the Dolphins can afford to draft for value with the sixth-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The team has five picks in the first-100 selections, so it is possible they select a generational offensive player with the sixth-overall pick. Let’s say, perhaps, a tight end who also went to a Florida school for college. But they get another turn with the 18th-overall pick and they could really use an elite edge rusher like Paye, as they look to compete in 2021.

Miami will need all the help they can get if they hope to win the AFC East in 2021. They’ll have to contend against the AFC Championship runner-ups and a rebounding New England Patriots team that looks serious about winning in 2021, considering their free-agent acquisitions.

Miami will need to put some serious resources into their defensive line if they hope to separate from the pack of middling-AFC teams in 2021. They missed the playoffs with a 10-6 record in 2020 while nine teams in the AFC finished the regular season with a .500 or better record.

Seven teams won 11 or more games in the AFC last year and most of those teams have, if anything, improved their roster this offseason. An extra turnover or fumble recovery here and there could decide the fate of an entire season.

Paye would give the Dolphins an elite run-stuffer and an ever-improving edge rusher for the next five years. Paye could be the difference-maker the team has been looking for on the front seven, a proven locker room leader with tremendous potential. The Dolphins’ re-build appears to be over.

Now it’s time to make decisions to win now. Paye would represent a huge upgrade off the edge.