Ohio State Defender Jack Sawyer has The Heart of a Lion

First Round Mock NFL Draft Analyst Rajvir Bal takes a look at Ohio State edge defender Jack Sawyer on 2024 game film, and likes what he sees.

Ohio State Buckeyes undoubtedly have one of the most impressive edge duos in the nation in 2024. One of those prospects is Edge Jack Sawyer, who has been getting some love by other draft platforms.

A number of these outlets have mocked Sawyer in the first-round of the 2025 NFL Draft. However, to take it a step further, some in November even have him going late first-round to the Lions (Bleacher Report, Pro Football Network, Fox Sports, SBNation, and Yarkbarker according to (nflmockdraftdatabase.com).

Interesting.

How good does Sawyer look on the game film?

That’s a question I’m going to unpack in this evaluation.

Background

Sawyer was a 5-star prospect out of high school in Ohio (247Sports.com), and he stayed in his home state committing to Ohio State in February 2019.

What did his production looked like with the Buckeyes this season and last?

2023 

13 games, 48 tackles (24 solo), 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 passes defended

2024

11 games, 42 tackles (18 solo), 4.5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 1 (of those) forced fumbles returned for a touchdown

This prospect measures in the 74th percentile for height and 31st percentile for weight at the Edge position (nfldraftbuzz.com)

#33 Jack Sawyer 6-foot-5, 260 pounds 
Rajvir Bal’s 2025 NFL Draft Grade: Second-Round (I would select him)
Projected by 43.7% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of November 27, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2024 game film reviewed: Penn State, Iowa, Oregon, and Akron (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

The Good

Sawyer is incredibly gritty. He has a high motor and he plays through the whistle. There is no give up in this guy. He is the epitome of everything a team would want out of an edge rusher (hard-nosed and hard-nosed). He also can get mean and he’s a tackling machine. Constantly on film he’s making plays on ball carriers. Sawyer is a talented run defender and he plays with good technique. On pass plays, he does a great job containing and keeping the quarterback in the pocket. Sawyer can be an extremely high impact add to a team looking to win games in January.

The Bad

As mentioned before, there is a concern about his weight. He plays smaller on game film. Occasionally, he even gets ‘rag dolled’ by larger offensive tackles or ends getting up pancaked. When pass rushing, he is often fails to get traction. HIs pass rush moves are vanilla. This is my primary concern for him as NFL offensive tackles are more skilled than those at the college level.

NFL Crystal Ball

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

Washington Commanders

Pro Comp: Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard

Final thoughts for now

Overall, Sawyer is a hard worker, but lacks much natural talent needed to be an All-Pro level player.

I like him, but not enough to put a first round grade on him.

Rajvir Bal is a high school student from the Virginia area. He grew up a rabid Washington Redskins fan, attending more than 30 games, and has enjoyed the team’s high points and low points throughout his life. He plays varsity football and basketball. Rajvir has taken an interest in the NFL Draft since middle school when his team picked Montez Sweat and Dwayne Haskins in the first round. His favorite NFL player ever flips between Rob Gronkowski and Brett Favre, and his favorite athlete is LeBron James. He has been writing his own scouting reports since 2020, and is excited for the opportunities FirstRoundMock provides.