Overview

Position: EDGE

College: LSU

Class: Senior

Age: 22

 

Measurables

Height: 6’3 5/8”

Weight: 255 lbs.

Arm length: 33 3/8”

Hand size: 9 7/8”

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: N/A

10-yard split: N/A

Vertical jump: N/A

Broad jump: N/A

Bench press: N/A

3-cone drill: 7.13 sec.

Short shuttle: 4.33 sec.

 

Strengths

Ideal frame and length. Smooth overall mover. Impressive agility and change-of-direction skills at his size. Committed run defender at the point of attack. Exceptional combination of length and strength to shed. Ideal hand placement on the shoulders of blockers to engage and control. Very quick hands to shed at the snap. Holds his ground and consistently forces runs inside. Great discipline and stays square filling versus the run. Shows strength taking on pulling offensive linemen on the edge. Physical taking on tight ends at the point of attack. Excellent control in pursuit as the backside defender. Terrific technique and patience when unblocked on the edge. Tremendous play recognition when going inside. Efficient finisher playing runs up the middle. Very effective crashing down and extending to shed inside. Controlled getting into the backfield and breaking down to play the ball-carrier. Long and rangy to tackle. Wraps up effectively. Aggressive pursuing and helping to finish in the open field. Very good speed for an edge. Great overall effort and hustle. Shows springiness and burst coming out of his two-point stance at the snap. Impressive impact strength on two-handed power rushes. Active hands to slap down the reach of offensive tackles on speed rushes. Excellent power on inside bull rushes. Will push offensive linemen into the quarterback. Flashed a skipping stab move on speed rushes. Flashes an ability to turn the corner and flatten. Shows impressive dip for his size. Plenty of experience on both sides of the formation. Good fluidity in zone drops from the edge. Saw snaps in zone coverage from the overhang/slot position. Will be physical with receivers in coverage. Did about as well as possible trying to stick with Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in pursuit down the line of scrimmage (2024).

 

Weaknesses

Would like to see added bulk for the next level. Knocked around some and controlled by tight ends against Alabama (2024). General strength came into question versus Alabama (2024). Can be a bit stiff and slower to break down for tackles in space when moving fast. Slow diagnosing a short jet sweep touchdown versus Florida State (2023). Lacks counter and finishing moves as a rusher.

 

NFL comparison

Jonathan Greenard

 

Conclusion

Overall, Swinson is a smooth edge defender who understands how to defend the run and flashes as a rusher. He might need to get stronger versus NFL competition to be more consistent, but he’s a very solid target in the late second round and fits best as a 3-4 outside linebacker.

 

Big Board ranking: #63 | Positional ranking: #10