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: 9Ÿ”
ARM: 33â ”
WINGSPAN: 79â ”
40-YARD DASH: 5.01
3-CONE: 7.52
SHUTTLE: 4.59
VERTICAL: 32″
BROAD: 9’6″
POSITIVES
â Good size and build with decent arm length.
â Shows the play strength and violence to shed blocks as a run defender, especially against tight ends.
â Has a couple of solid pass-rush moves he can win withâa long arm and an inside spin.
â Hustle player who will factor into gang tackles down the field and has a high pass-rush motor.
NEGATIVES
â Tested poorly with a 1.61 RAS out of 10.
â 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.
â 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.
â 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
â 13 G, 49 TOT, 6 SK, 11 TFL, 1 PD, 4 FF, 2 FR
NOTES
â 2-star recruit in the 2018 class, per 247Sports
â Transferred from Wyoming to USC ahead of the 2022 season
â 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 â 6th-7th Round)
OVERALL RANK: 224
POSITION RANK: EDGE22
PRO COMPARISON: Tyreke Smith