Rushing the passer has become an increasingly difficult thing to do individually in the modern NFL. Offensive linemen are better and more athletic and quarterbacks are getting the ball out quicker than ever. The explosion of play-action can also slow down a pass rush. Ramping up coverage and sending blitzes and/or stunts are ways defenses are trying to work around these offensive developments.
More and more, some of the best pass rushers have come from versatile and highly atheltic players who can play multiple roles on a defense. As we look for this year's potential breakout pass rushers, that type of versatility presents itself as a trait that could boost a few players in 2021. Last year we highlighted five potential breakouts and three of them finished the season ranked first, eighth, and 14th in pressure rate. Those three (Chase Winovich, Samson Ebukam, and Brian Burns) could still fully break out with more sacks in 2021 but the pressure was there. We're only highlight three players this season, but Honorable Mention goes to Uchenna Nwosu (Chargers), Rashan Gary (Packers), and Obo Okoronkwo (Rams).
All stats provided by Sports Info Solutions.
Andrew Van Ginkel, Miami Dolphins
Van Ginkel, entering his third year out of Wisconsin, has seen his role in the defense grow every season. As a rookie, Van Ginkel played in just six games and 18% of Miami’s defensive snaps. In 2020, he played in all 16, started 11 with 46% of the defensive snaps played, and was an integral part of the Dolphins’ pressure packages.
Without a top tier pass rusher, Miami used a ton of exotic pre-snap looks with the front seven to create pressure even though the defense didn’t blitz an excessive amount. One of the standout defensive images from the 2020 season was Miami’s Amoeba front, with every front seven defender spread in a two-point stance, especially on third downs.
The idea behind that is to disguise who will rush the passer. The Dolphins took that to the extreme by disguising both who and how many would rush. Sometimes Miami would bring six, sometimes four. The Dolphins were third in both the rate in which they ran Cover 0 and the rate for rushing just three. This is how Miami finished the season ranked third in pressure rate without that overwhelming No. 1 option.
Admittedly it does seem strange to set up a write-up on an individual pass rusher by highlighting how good the scheme is at creating pressure but Van Ginkel’s ability and versatility fits perfectly with what Miami wants to do to rush the passer.
The Dolphins could send anyone on these blitzes, but it still takes a good player to take advantage of those opportunities. Van Ginkel is not technically a full-time pass rusher but that’s also part of the point. Last season, Van Ginkel rushed the passer on 71.5% of his pass snaps. That’s an expanded role from what he did during his final season in college when he rushed on 63.5% of his pass snaps.
During the 2020 season, Van Ginkel finished 10th in pressure rate among defensive ends and linebackers with at least 150 pass rushes. However, with his relatively limited playing time those rates only led to 10 quarterback hits and 5.5 sacks. Those pressures weren’t just schemed up looks that gave Van Ginkel a free release to the quarterback. With an 87th percentile vertical, 83rd percentile broad, and 85th percentile 3-cone, Van Ginkel has the speed, explosiveness, and agility to get around the edge and with more playing time in 2021, that could lead to bigger numbers to reflect his ability to get ot the quarterback.
Alex Highsmith, Pittsburgh Steelers
One way to be a productive pass rusher is to have a great pass rush move and Highsmith’s spin can be that. Highsmith, a third-round pick out of Charlotte, used the move successfully a few times during his limited playing time in 2020, including a hit on Philip Rivers in Week 16.
Highsmith also created pressure on the move against Jedrick Wills in Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns. He even whipped it out during the Hall of Fame Game against the Cowboys. Highsmith beat tackle Ty Nsekhe for a sack of Garrett Gilbert midway through the first quarter of the preseason opener. After the game, Highsmith explained how he has a rush plan and wants to set his moves up. That’s already a nice development from a second-year pro. That plan on top of plus athleticism can give Highsmtih an advantage against opposing tackles. The explosion is certainly a plus — he put up a 95th percentile broad jump the combine, as well as an 87th percentile 40 and 84th percentile 20-yard shuttle.
As a rookie in 2020, Highsmith appeared in all 16 games and got five starts. Those five starts matter because they came at the end of the season after Bud Dupree tore his ACL. That previewed Highsmith’s 2021 role after Dupree left to sign with the Tennessee Titans in free agency.
Few teams are able to scheme up pressure better than the Steelers, a defense that puts their edge defenders in great position to rush the passer. Pittsburgh led the league in pressure rate last season and was the only defense to create pressure on over 50% of pass snaps. It certainly helps to have T.J. Watt on one side, but having that No. 2 rusher to also create on his own and work those one-on-one opportunities is a big piece of the success.
After hitting 30% of the defensive snaps in a game once between Weeks 1-12, Highsmith dove head-first into a full-time role. He played at least 80% of the snaps with three games over 90% from Week 13 through the end of the regular season. That increased playing time did help bring up the raw counting stats but he was also able to stay consistent on a per-play basis. From Weeks 13-17 when Highsmith was inserted as the starter opposite Watt, he ranked 17th in pressure rate.
Highsmith’s path to all those snaps was muddied a bit when the Steelers signed Melvin Ingram in late July, but even if Highsmith isn’t playing 80% of the snaps in each game, he’ll be a heavy part of a rotation with plenty of opportunities to thrive.
Tyus Bowser, Baltimore Ravens
Through four years in the NFL, Bowser has two official starts (both in 2020), 29 quarterback hits and 10.5 sacks. But this past offseason, the Ravens allowed Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue to leave in free agency then signed Bowser to a four-year/$22 million contract.
Bowser played 51% of the defensive snaps in 2020, the first time he eclipsed 50% in his career. Like Van Ginkel, Bowser’s best asset was his versatility. Bowser rushed the passer on just 59.8% of his pass snaps, which was the second-lowest rate among 133 defensive ends/linebackers with at least 150 pass rushes in 2020.
That’s all part of Baltimore’s defensive game plan, one in which defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is consistently dropping defenders into coverage. For his part, Bowser was an excellent coverage player in 2020 with just 10 targets on 155 coverage snaps with five completions allowed and three interceptions. Even in an increased pass rush role, Bowser will be able to keep some of those coverage responsibilities where he’s had success in the past. Last year, Judon rushed the passer on 72% of his pass snaps, which itself was one of the lowest rush rates among pass rushers.
Despite limited pass rush opportunities, Bowser was able to get to the quarterback. He had the sixth-most pass rushes on the team last season but still finished with the second-most pressures behind only Judon. His 14 quarterback hits in 2020 were third on the team between Judon (21) and Pernell McPhee (15). While Bowser only had two sacks last season, that’s a conversion rate (14.3% hit-to-sack rate) that’s likely to regress to the mean. The average conversion rate is about 40% of hits that turn into sacks and those players well above or below that rate tend to finish closer to the mean the following season. We could expect Bowser to both have more quarterback hits and convert a higher rate of those hits into sacks, which could result in a huge rise in raw sack totals.
Part of what has made Bowser an interesting part-time player is the athleticism that allowed him to win all over the field. He’s an explosive athlete who tested with a 93rd percentile broad jump and 94th percentile 3-cone.
Baltimore’s scheme is also one that can create free pass rushers often. Judon was credited with two unblocked sacks last season. No team blitzed more than the Ravens in 2020 (39%) and that, along with multiple players along the defensive line able to drop into coverage, creates confusion for opposing quarterbacks and offensive lines, which creates prime pressure opportunities.
