2022 NFL Draft Profile: Colorado State DL Scott Patchan

The Rams defensive end was a big bright spot during tough times, but how will his skills translate to a shot at a NFL career?

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Strength in spades could entice someone to take a chance.

Sometimes, it’s amazing what a change of scenery can do for a person. Such is the case for Colorado State defensive end Scott Patchan, a Tampa native who had the chance to play for the Miami Hurricanes out of high school and… did just okay. In 30 games, he had 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

After transferring to Colorado State, though, Patchan became one of the Mountain West’s most feared edge rushers, earning back-to-back all-conference nods while piling up 17 sacks and 27 TFLs in just 16 games. In a class full of impact defenders, though, will he be among those who are selected in the NFL Draft?

Measurables (taken from Dane Brugler)

Height – 6′ and 4 3/8″
Weight – 251 pounds
40-yard time – 4.70 seconds
10-yard split time – 1.65 seconds
Arm length – 33″
Hand size – 10″
Wingspan – 79″
Vertical jump – 32 1/2″
Broad jump – 9′ and 11″ (or 119″)
Shuttle time – N/A
3-cone drill time – N/A
Bench press – 29 reps

Highlights

Strengths

If you’re looking for a pass rusher with power, Patchan has that in spades. At Colorado State’s pro day, he put up 29 reps on the bench press, which is as many as UCLA’s Otito Ogbonnia had to lead this year’s defensive line prospects at the NFL Combine. That enables him to attack the backfield without the need for many frills, going right at offensive tackles with what Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline describes as a “terrific hand punch” that complements his resilience and motor.

Weaknesses

Though Patchan is built like some of this year’s top prospects, one key difference is that he doesn’t have quite the same level of twitchiness out the gate: His 1.65 10-yard split is good (67th percentile), but Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux, for instance, has a split of 1.56 seconds. Pauline believes that bulking up may help counter this, but playing with more discipline will help, too: NFL Draft Buzz points out that he sometimes “plays his way out the action” (though if his off-field preparation is any indication, don’t bet against his attention to correction)

Like many other Mountain West prospects, Patchan’s age could also be a factor if the choice come down to him or a younger prospect.

NFL Comparison

Matt Judon

Draft Prediction

Patchan isn’t a flawless prospect, but it’s hard to argue with the results that he put up over the last two seasons and his obvious power is something upon which a NFL team can build. It’ll be a close call as to whether he hears his name or not, given that there are a ton of edge rushers out there this year, but I think he’ll be selected late on Day Three, likely in the seventh round.

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Story originally appeared on Mountain West Wire