Solomon Byrd NFL Draft 2024: Scouting Report for USC EDGE

BR NFL Scouting DepartmentContributor IApril 13, 2024

Ric Tapia/Getty Images

HEIGHT: 6’3″

WEIGHT: 255

HAND: 9¾”

ARM: 33⅝”

WINGSPAN: 79⅞”

40-YARD DASH: 5.01

3-CONE: 7.52

SHUTTLE: 4.59

VERTICAL: 32″

BROAD: 9’6″

POSITIVES

— Good size and build with decent arm length.

— Shows the play strength and violence to shed blocks as a run defender, especially against tight ends.

— Has a couple of solid pass-rush moves he can win with—a long arm and an inside spin.

— Hustle player who will factor into gang tackles down the field and has a high pass-rush motor.

NEGATIVES

— Tested poorly with a 1.61 RAS out of 10.

— Subpar get-off, can be late to react to the snap, and lacks explosion off the line of scrimmage, as evidenced by his 1.84-second 10-yard split time.

— Has a habit of standing up out of his stance and playing with high pad level, leading to issues holding his ground or setting the edge versus offensive tackles.

— Subpar accuracy with his hands as a pass-rusher on finesse moves. Often misses and lets offensive linemen into his body and will get ridden by.

2023 STATISTICS

— 13 G, 49 TOT, 6 SK, 11 TFL, 1 PD, 4 FF, 2 FR

NOTES

— 2-star recruit in the 2018 class, per 247Sports

— Transferred from Wyoming to USC ahead of the 2022 season

— Injuries: 2023 (Pec, offseason surgery), 2021 (Shoulder, missed 5 games)

OVERALL

Solomon Byrd’s poor athletic testing numbers likely did no favors to his draft stock. He does show a little more play speed and athleticism on the field than his RAS score would suggest, but not enough to ignore the well below-average figures he logged.

Ultimately, Byrd’s game is rooted in power and he has the potential to become a solid rotational defensive lineman with his size, play strength and build. It’s just a matter of how much his lack of athletic ability will hold him back in the NFL.

GRADE: 5.5 (Backup/Draftable — 6th-7th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 224

POSITION RANK: EDGE22

PRO COMPARISON: Tyreke Smith