NFL

Will Anderson Jr. NFL Draft 2023 profile: Full scouting report, landing spots, pro comparison, combine results

by
SaC Bot
April 24, 2023

Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. is one of the top prospects, regardless of position, as we look ahead to the 2023 NFL Draft. A five-star prospect out of Dutchtown High School in Georgia, Anderson immediately became a force along Alabama’s defensive line. His best season came in 2021 — when he led the nation with 34.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks en route to finishing fifth in Heisman Trophy voting — but he was dominant throughout his time in Tuscaloosa. He finished his career second in program history in both tackles for loss (62.0) and sacks (34.5) — trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas in both categories.

Below is a comprehensive draft profile for Anderson, including his scouting report, prospect ranking, pro comparison, combine results, college and high school accolades and overall NFL outlook.

Note: This profile will be updated as more information becomes available.

About

Age: 21
Hometown: Hampton, Georgia
Interesting fact: Led FBS in tackles for loss (34.5) and sacks (17.5) in 2021

Position: No. 1 EDGE | Overall: No. 1 | Rating: 92.70 (All-Pro)

CBS Sports mock drafts

Ryan Wilson: Seahawks (No. 5)
Chris Trapasso: Titans (No. 3) – via trade
Josh Edwards: Cardinals (No. 3)
Will Brinson: Will Anderson Jr. (No. 2)
Kyle Stackpole: Cardinals (No. 6) – via trade

Expected draft position (via Grinding the Mocks): 3.0 (EDGE1)

To check out all of CBSSports.com’s most recent mock drafts, click here.

NFL combine measurements/results

Height: 6-3 1/2 | Weight: 253 lbs | Arms: 33 7/8″ | Hands: 9 7/8″

40-yard dash: 4.60 seconds
Broad jump: N/A
Vertical jump: N/A

NFL comparison

Scouting report

A five-star from outside Atlanta, Will Anderson Jr. has been as good as — and maybe better than — advertised since arriving in Tuscaloosa. In the last two seasons for the Crimson Tide, he had 98 hurries and 29 sacks, and those numbers underscore how dominant he was at times. He’s the best Alabama defender in the Nick Saban era and possibly the best Alabama defender in school history not named Derrick Thomas.

Strengths

First-step quickness and bend around the edge flashes play after play
Surprising power and the ability to win consistently with hands on his way to the QB
Comparable to Von Miller in size and twitch; both are around 6-3, 245, which is undersized by NFL edge rusher standards, but they play much bigger than that
Great teammate, even better person

Weaknesses

Made some business decisions in 2022, though it’s hard to blame him — he still played through Alabama’s bowl game
Can sometimes whiff on arm tackles in space
Sometimes there doesn’t have to be something wrong with a player — with Anderson it feels like you’re searching for issues that don’t really exist

College stats

Year	Games	Tackles	TFLs	Sacks	PD	FF	INT	TD
2022	13	51	17.0	10.0	1	0	1	1
2021	15	102	34.5	17.5	3	0	0	0
2020	13	52	10.5	7.0	0	1	0	0

College Accolades

Honors

Career: Two-time Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner — only second player to do so in award’s history
Career: Two-time Unanimous first-team All-American
Career: Two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year
Career: Two-time first-team All-SEC
2022: Chuck Bednarik Award
2022: Lott IMPACT Trophy
2022: Rotary Lombardi Award
2020: National Freshman of the Year (Football Writers Association of America)
2020: Freshman All-America (FWAA, 247Sports and The Athletic)
2020: SEC All-Freshman Team
2020: Second-team All-SEC (Associated Press)

Notable statistics

Career: Second in program history in tackles for loss (62) and sacks (34.5) — trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas in both categories
2021: Led FBS with 34.5 tackles for loss (second in school history)
2021: Led FBS with 17.5 sacks (third in school history)
2021: Five-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week
2021: Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP

High school: Dutchtown (Hampton, Georgia)
Class: 2020
Composite Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0.9913)