A position without an answer since John Abraham in 2005, Gregory Rousseau could be the next great edge rusher for the New York Jets.
- Hometown:Â Hialeah, FL.
- High School:Â Champagnat Catholic School (Hialeah, FL)
- Position:Â DE
- School:Â University of Miami
- Height:Â 6’7
- Weight: 253 lbs
- Games Watched on Tape:Â Pittsburgh (10/26/19), Florida State (11-2-19), Duke (11-30-19)
Background:
A 3-star recruit from Champagnat Catholic School, Gregory Rousseau played both WR and FS in high school, significantly contributing to the team on both sides of the field. He played an integral role in Champagnat’s 2017 state championship run as a senior with 3 sacks and 9 tackles in the title game alone. For the season, he tallied 10 sacks and 80 tackles. A homegrown athlete, Gregory Rousseau chose to stay close to home, choosing Miami over Georgia, LSU, and Oregon.
As a true freshman at Miami, Rousseau suffered a season-ending ankle injury after just two games. He made his debut at LSU, with his best game against Savannah State, totaling 5 tackles (one solo). Gregory was soon redshirted.
His 2019 season looked quite different. As a redshirt freshman, he entered the season as a backup but soon took the starting role. Rousseau ended up with 15.5 sacks, second in the nation behind Chase Young. He also had 54 tackles (34 solo). As a result, Gregory was named ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, along with First Team All-ACC.
While it may be hard to top 15.5 sacks, Gregory Rousseau will look to improve his all-around game and NFL-readiness in 2020. After transitioning from FS to DE at Miami, Rousseau could use some more refinement in his skill-set.
Largely considered the most talented edge rusher in the 2021 NFL Draft, Gregory looks to again prove why he’s the best prospect in the game’s most valuable defensive position.
College Football Film Quick-Hitters:
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Rousseau (far right) starts outside enough to lure his offensive linemen into a deep set. From there, he turns into him, exploding with his face and hands off the lead foot, which is called a bullrush technique. Greg pushes his man into the QB, collapsing the pocket and forcing him to scramble to the right, causing a throwaway.
Although Rousseau played FS in high school, his bulked-up frame prevented him from adequately covering RBs at the college level. On the wheel route (bottom of screen), Greg is clearly out-positioned and outran by the speedy back. A mismatch to say the least.
Rousseau (far right) gets off to a slow start as he’s jammed by 10. From there, he continues his approach towards the QB only to come in contact with the OT. The never-ending motor that is Greg Rousseau chases down the scrambling QB for the sack.
On the pass rush, Rousseau (left end) starts outside enough to deepen the OT’s set, only to turn into his man with a powerful punch as a result of the bullrush. The interior pressure eventually causes the sack, but Greg helps suffocate the pocket.
Another use of the bullrush technique from Rousseau (right end) here, a move he used frequently during this game. He successfully pushes his man on the balls of his feet, forcing the OT to lose balance. With pocket cave-in on the right edge and interior, the QB is forced to scramble right to avoid pressure. Greg disengages from the block with ease, picking up the sack.
A perfect example of Rousseau’s (left end) brute strength disrupting a play from the start. He overpowers the OT off the snap by fully extending his arms to create leverage. From there, the RB is forced to find a lane elsewhere immediately following the hand-off.
A versatile defensive piece, Rousseau lines up at the 0-tech in a 4-point stance. Off the snap, he stunts to the B-gap, blowing by his man for the easy sack. To achieve this, Rousseau slaps the RG’s hands down, gets his hips through, and squares back up to the QB.
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