Josh Uche – Edge Rusher, Michigan
He doesn’t fit the standard prototype of a 4-3 pass rusher, but Michigan’s Josh Uche (6’1, 240 lbs) was one of the biggest winners of the week. His speed and explosion off the edge was an issue all week for the offensive lineman in the one-on-one drills and is something the Raiders are missing. A lot of fans have kept their eye on Yannick Ngakoue in free agency for Las Vegas, and Uche is of a similar build as a speed rusher. Ngakoue is obviously a proven entity in the league. Still, if they aren’t willing to spend the money necessary for him, they need to add speed of the edge in other ways, which brings a guy like Uche into the conversation.
During the game on Saturday, his speed off the edge showed itself multiple times.
Josh Uche (Michigan) and Bradlee Anae (Utah) have dominated the EDGE in this game https://t.co/lxUVMKkoSr
— Erik Schlitt (@erikschlitt) January 25, 2020
One aspect of Uche’s game that came as a bit of a surprise this week in Mobile was his off-ball ability. He played mostly as an edge rusher at Michigan but showed some ability in coverage against tight ends and showed good physicality in the run game while standing up.
It’s unclear if this is something Uche can do consistently at the next level, but the flashes were encouraging for his draft stock. The Raiders need to find players that can keep guys like Patrick Mahomes in the pocket, and Uche’s speed off the edge and movement in space would be beneficial.
https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1220074814313914368