Can John Franklin-Myers play EDGE for the Jets? (Film)

John Franklin-Myers' versatility to play both inside and outside will serve him well in Robert Saleh's New York Jets defense. With the Jets' impending switch to a 4-3 base defense and the addition of Sheldon Rankins, one particular player has been left in limbo regarding where he will be lining up in 2021: John Franklin-Myers. The 24-year-old product of Stephen F. Austin had a breakout season in 2020, benefiting immensely from a switch to the interior defensive line after playing the edge as a rookie with the Rams in 2018. As a defensive tackle for the Jets, Franklin-Myers created pressure on 14.4% of his pass-rush snaps in 2020, third-best among interior defensive linemen behind only Stephon Tuitt and Aaron Donald. However, with the way the depth chart is shaping up, it is starting to look like Franklin-Myers may be poised to play significantly more often on the edge. He should still play quite often on the inside - Rankins likely will be simply replacing Henry Anderson in last year's 4-man IDL rotation that also featured Franklin-Myers, Quinnen Williams, and Folorunso Fatukasi, so things aren't looking too different at that position - but with the Jets lacking a second EDGE starter opposite Carl Lawson who can play the majority of the game, there will be a lot of rotating on the outside, and Franklin-Myers is a good option to be kicked out there in certain situations because of his experience in the role. Franklin-Myers was primarily an EDGE player for the Rams in his 2018 rookie season, and he had some success. Most often playing the 5-technique spot, Franklin-Myers lined up as the outside defensive end on 70.6% of his snaps in 2018. Los Angeles used Franklin-Myers as a pass rushing specialist. He played only about 32% of the team's defensive snaps in his average game, and the majority of his snaps - 77.4% - came on passing plays. That was the third-highest pass/run ratio among qualified edge defenders. The Rams deployed Franklin-Myers in that way for good reason. He was an excellent pass rusher, but wasn't fantastic against the run. Franklin-Myers ranked at the 74th percentile among qualified edge rushers with an 11.7% pressure rate in the regular season, but his 57.6 run defense grade at Pro Football Focus ranked at the 18th percentile. While he primarily played on the interior for the Jets in 2020, Franklin-Myers still played on the edge occasionally, lining up as the outside defensive end on 15.8% of his snaps. Interestingly enough, Franklin-Myers' struggles against the run persisted when he played on the edge in 2020. In Franklin-Myers' two 2020 games in which he played the most snaps at outside defensive end - Weeks 6-7 against Miami and Buffalo in which he played 39% of his snaps on the edge across the two games - he posted run defense grades of 42.1 (season-low) and 56.7. However, he rushed the passer even more effectively than usual in those games, posting a dominant pressure rate of 18.6% across the two-week span. What does Franklin-Myers' track record as an edge defender tell us about his capabilities of playing the position for Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich in 2021? Let's dig into his film with the Rams in 2018 and his fleeting moments on the edge with the Jets in 2020. Run defense Because of his size (288 pounds in 2020), Franklin-Myers' EDGE snaps in 2021 will likely come primarily in high-likelihood rushing situations where the Jets are looking to beef up the defensive front. Franklin-Myers could kick out to 5-technique so either Fatukasi, Rankins, or both can sub in alongside Williams on the interior. On the other hand, it makes sense to think he will kick back inside on passing downs so his quickness advantage and elite interior rush skills could be maximized. For this reason, it's important to look back at Franklin-Myers' play against the run and figure out why he has graded so poorly when manning the edge. Is this a concern regarding his potential to play the edge in 2021? Has he actually struggled that much against the run? Some good and bad here from Franklin-Myers. Lined up in the C-gap, he takes on the tight end on the edge. Franklin-Myers does a great job of defeating the block as he plants his back foot and uses his outside arm to toss the tight end inside, but he works a little too far inside and gives the running back a lane to the outside. While he isn't the edge defender here, Franklin-Myers lines up at 5-technique and gives up an outside lane as he allows the tight end to knock him inside, seemingly unaware of the tight end's presence while engaging with the left tackle. At 5-technique against the Dolphins in 2020, Franklin-Myers allows himself to get cut down by the motioning wide receiver, compromising the edge and giving up an 11-yard run to Myles Gaskin. Here's a good play against the run from Franklin-Myers on the edge. Left unblocked, Franklin-Myers stays patient and reads the play to respect the potential keeper by the quarterback. He shifts his attention inside once the ball is handed off. Franklin-Myers recognizes the tight end coming to block him on the backside. He lowers his inside shoulder into the tight end, planting him on the ground. Franklin-Myers keeps his balance and gets involved in the tackle with Quinnen Williams. In spite of his grades in the phase at PFF, I don't think Franklin-Myers is an atrocious run defender, but he hasn't proven to be worth writing home about in that phase. He rarely creates impactful penetration or finds the football to make a stop, and he doesn't fulfill the fundamental aspects of his role consistently enough to make up for his lack of noticeable impact, as he is often moved inside to give up the edge. Pass rushing Alright, time to get into what you came here for: Franklin-Myers' superb pass rushing. It's on the interior where Franklin-Myers has been at his best in the NFL, but he showcased a lot to love as a rusher off the edge for Los Angeles in 2018. On the edge here as the 5-tech, Franklin-Myers takes on the left tackle. He stays patient coming into his rush, waiting for an opportunity to square up the LT. Once square, Franklin-Myers fires both hands into the LT's upper body, landing with strong contact before the LT can get his hands-on. With the LT stumbling back, Franklin-Myers converts into a rip move, looking to bend the corner. Franklin-Myers dips his inside shoulder and flattens his angle as he reaches the depth of the pocket. With Kirk Cousins standing completely still, Franklin-Myers extends his right arm and swats the ball loose for a fumble. Again at 5-tech but this time against the right tackle, Franklin-Myers goes for a bull rush. Catching the RT on his toes and with his pads high, Franklin-Myers gets low and works his hands upward into the RT's chest. Franklin-Myers blasts the RT back and works inside to create pressure. He overpursues and gets knocked into the ground as Russell Wilson escapes and throws a touchdown, but nevertheless, this is an excellent initial move and effective penetration. In the same alignment as the previous play, Franklin-Myers shows excellent anticipation. Expecting the right tackle to use an aggressive jump-set, Franklin-Myers sells outside with his shoulders, but cuts inside off of his first step, easily winning through the wide-open B-gap that he knew would be there. Franklin-Myers bumps the right guard to set his teammate free, and both players get in for the hit on Kirk Cousins. Franklin-Myers doesn't get the best jump off the ball here, and the right tackle frames him well, but he stays with the play to create pressure. Getting his inside arm into the RT's upper body, Franklin-Myers keeps his left arm free to prevent the RT from fully grasping him and sealing him out of the play. Franklin-Myers continues to keep his legs churning and eventually moves the RT into the pocket, forcing Josh Allen into a fadeaway dump-off. On a rare snap in which he aligned in a two-point stance (standing up), Franklin-Myers rushes off the edge as the wide-9 technique, taking on the tight end. Franklin-Myers sets up outside. Noticing the tight end taking an aggressive outside set, Franklin-Myers uses his inside arm to strike the tight end by his inside shoulder and knock him further outside, opening up a huge lane to the inside. Franklin-Myers bullies the tight end into the pocket to force a Ryan Fitzpatrick scramble and dump-off. In my personal opinion, I think the Jets would be best-served keeping Franklin-Myers on the inside as a 3-tech or 4i-tech for as high a percentage of his snaps as possible. He was an elite pass rusher in that role this past season. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Regardless, it's a big boon for the Jets' coaching staff to know that Franklin-Myers is capable of kicking outside in a pinch. While he is not quite good enough of a run defender to hang out there full-time (a potential issue if the Jets do indeed intend to use him out there on rushing downs), he remains an excellent pass rusher when lined up outside. Overall, it is clear that Franklin-Myers is solid enough as an edge defender to take on the role in certain situations. Versatility is king in the modern NFL, and Franklin-Myers offers it. With that being said, the best way to maximize Franklin-Myers' talents would probably be to keep his EDGE snap counts from going too much higher than they where they were at in 2020. The interior is his most natural fit.