Today we are analyzing Michigan’s 6’4″ 270 lb. edge defender Kwity Paye, who is a two-time second-team All-Big Ten (2019 and 2020).
Strengths: Paye is a freak athlete. He possesses a great first step and speed off the edge, as well as the top-level bend to flatten to the quarterback with ease. This makes him extremely disruptive and a constant presence harassing the passer. Paye compliments his athleticism with top-notch effort and motor. He is an absolute worker bee, meaning he can get sacks using his athleticism or late in the play through effort, or by using both. This shows up in pursuit as well, where he is strikingly fast and is always willing to chase down the play. He is a reliable tackler in these situations. Paye has a compact build but a low center of gravity, which allows him to come off the snap with a lot of leverage, as he maintains good pad level too. Paye flashes the ability to convert speed to power to push the pocket and generate pressure. As a pass rusher, Paye is nicely developing his pass rush moves, and showed much improvement on this technical refinement from 2019 to 2020.
Weaknesses: Paye is not a liability against the run, but is not a great run defender either. He can struggle at the point of attack against bigger linemen who have more bulk, and as a result his ability to stack and shed is inconsistent. As a pass rusher, his hand technique and pass rush moves are trending upwards but need to keep being developed in order for him to reach his ceiling. Paye can be too aggressive at times, rushing too far up the arc or overrunning a play, but this is not a big issue, since his fluidity, change of direction, and effort often allow him to compensate.
Bottom Line: Paye is easily the best edge defender in this class, and has clear Pro Bowl potential. He is a menace off the edge with elite burst, speed, and bend, and has shown in 2020 that he is developing his technique and arsenal of moves well. Paye combines these athletic traits with impressive effort, which shows up in all phases of the game. He will likely never be the best run defender, but he will not be a liability by any means and his pass rush upside is very enticing and valuable. Michigan did not exactly use Paye correctly in terms of maximizing his pass rush abilities, and I expect that he will be truly unleashed in the NFL and become a premier edge rusher.
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