One of the perceived needs of the Buffalo Bills heading into draft day is at the defensive end position. With veterans Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison climbing in age, a highly valued draft pick is perceived to be used on one of the defensive ends in this 2021 NFL Draft. A name who has been generating some steam as of late is Joe Tryon, a player with numerous tools out of Washington. An opt-out in 2020, Tryon brings high end traits to the table with the need for further development at the next level with NFL coaches. Tryon has one season of good production, but that burst onto the scene in 2019 may be enough for an NFL team to bet on him in the latter parts of the first round.
EDGE Joe Tryon (Washington) Scouting Report
Measurables: 6’5” 259 lbs
2020 stats: DNP (Opted out)
2019 stats: 41 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks
Year: RS Junior
Pro day testing: 4.68 40-yard dash, 35” vertical jump, 9’8” broad jump, 7.18 three-cone, 4.36 short shuttle, 22 bench press reps
Summary
Joe Tryon is an athletic defensive end out of the PAC-12 who is being viewed as more of a projection than a finished product. While there are plenty of growing pains that need to be worked out of Tryon’s game from a mental standpoint, there is plenty to work with. He has shown the understanding of pass rush technique with a couple of go-to counter moves in his arsenal. The next step of his game is to remove mental mistakes and play with a lower pad level. The bottom line is that Tryon put up fantastic production as a 20 year old. With a good coaching staff and defensive line in place, Tryon has everything you could want out of a developmental edge rusher.
Strengths
- Not a one-trick pony; flashes some counter moves with a club/swim combo
- Speed-to-power is real with Tryon; sends a jolt into offensive linemen off the edge
- One step explosiveness is legit
- Ability to stack-and-shed at the point of attack with hand in the dirt
- When pad level is down, he can be a force against the run
- Showed the ability to flash with loose hips and light feet on stunts and twists
- Has the ability to rag doll tight ends attempting to block him
- Very flexible player; ability to attack outside shoulder and make tackles look silly
- His lower half gets extremely active giving offensive linemen all they can handle
- Motor runs hot; he’s not interested in giving the opposition any breaks
Weaknesses
- Can get too upright with his rush which causes him to get beat up; needs to lower pad level
- Tight ends will knock him off his spot in run support
- Can give up his gap in run support when attempting to shoot rather than contain
- Mental side growing pains are on big-time display as a sophomore
- Double teams will very easily eat him up on pass-rush reps
- Needs to show improvement to his initial rush; quickly clearing hands could be polished up
Draft projection: Late first to second round
Why he fits the Bills
As a sophomore in 2019, Joe Tryon showed many examples on his film of why teams should bet on him in the back end of the first round despite just one year of quality production at Washington. There is plenty of reason to be excited about Tryon’s prototypical build for the defensive end position. Despite a variety of reps having his hand in the dirt and standing up in Washington’s unique defensive front, Tryon looks to have the ability to play 4-3 defensive end in Buffalo’s scheme. As with any opt-out player, there is a bit of a projection and a potential project on the Bills’ hands with a player such as Tryon. But the tenacity, athleticism, and glimpses of technical hand usage with his pass rush should bring a lot of excitement to the team’s staff. Don’t be shocked if Tryon is selected by the Bills at 30 come draft day.