Rashan

Gary

Gary (6’4/277) turned pro after making 21 starts for the Wolverines, underwhelming as 2016’s No. 1 overall high school recruit with 10.5 career sacks and 24 tackles for loss but still earning first-team All-Big Ten from the conference’s coaches as a sophomore and junior. A known athletic freak, Gary predictably destroyed the Combine with 4.58 speed and 96th-percentile SPARQ results but bombed the Wonderlic Test (9). A boom-bust prospect whose production never matched his measurables, Gary must expand his pass-rush repertoire beyond bull rushes to avoid maxing out as another Solomon Thomas.

Gabriel predicts that Gary (6'4/277) falls to the 20s on Thursday. This may surprise some since he’s commonly mocked inside the top-16, but there are two red flags on Gary right now. The first one is a lack of production -- Gary had 3.5 sacks last year -- and the second red flag is his shoulder. Gary is expected to play through a shoulder injury as a rookie that will require post-season surgery. It’s unclear how much that’s going to drop his stock, but Gabe’s prediction isn’t too crazy all things considered. With that said, his athleticism could still get him drafted top 10.

Miller points to two specific aspects of Gary’s being which have NFL teams feeling a little nervous -- injuries and production. The 6-foot-4, 277-pounder’s production (or lack thereof) has been nitpicked to death, so we’ll focus on the former point. Miller notes that there is some thought that Gary does not have a clean bill of health, writing specifically that “scouts who have watched Gary closely believe he has medical concerns.” He struggled through a shoulder injury during the 2018 campaign. As for Gary’s draft range at this juncture, the analyst believes he may ultimately settle into the teens, with a top-10 selection now perhaps a little more rich.

Gary (6'4/227) is the ultimate traits over production edge rusher, so that will scare some teams away, but Jeremiah believes that the Dolphins can’t afford to not dig into the trenches early after not selecting a lineman in last year’s draft. In fact, Jeremiah says the Dolphins would turn in their card quickly if Gary was still on the board. As for Gary’s draft ceiling, Jeremiah believes the Raiders or Bucs could be in play, but it’s probably more likely in the 6-9 range.

“Elite athlete with jaw-dropping traits that can be molded into something special; has the height/weight/speed to play either defensive end or defensive tackle in a 3-4 or 4-3 scheme.” Miller wrote. Gary (6'4/227) is viewed by many scouts as a prospect who should be taken within the first 15 picks of next week’s draft, with his athleticism being a big reason why. However that potential hasn’t always turned into on-field production, which has kept him just behind Nick Bosa and Josh Allen with regards to the best EDGE prospects in this draft class.

Gary (6'4/227) is viewed by many as a top-15 prospect in this year’s draft, and while Oakland (fourth overall pick) falls within that range Seattle does not. The Seahawks, who will be the first to host the Michigan pass rusher this week, currently hold the 21st overall pick. As for Oakland, the team is in serious need of a player who can get after the quarterback given the team’s struggles in that regard following the trade of Khalil Mack to the Bears last fall.

Gary (6'4/227) may not be around for the Bengals to select him when their 11th overall pick comes around, but Gary is by no means a lock for the top-10 either. The Bengals, who are in the middle of a mini-rebuild, may face pressure to draft a quarterback if one of the top prospects are available, but Gary would be a quality selection too. Gary’s athleticism gives him a lot of upside.

PFF is more pessimistic than the general consensus who have Gary (6'4/227) pegged as a top-15 prospect. The reason why the scouting and analytics group is low on Gary is his lack of production. Last season, Gary was 66th in total pressures and 77th in total stops, and he’s never earned a high pass-rush grade either. However, Gary is a freaky athlete, and it would be surprising if he fell outside of the first dozen or so picks.

Gary (6'4/227) lit up the NFL Scouting Combine, producing a SPARQ athletic composite score in the 95th percentile. He checks a lot of boxes and has “five-star traits” according to Zierlein. He’s been mocked as high as No. 6 overall and has “elite potential if a defensive coordinator can harness the energy and focus his approach.” Gary will likely be selected at some point in the top half of the first round.

In this specific mock, Giants “GM Dave Gettleman ignores the cries for a quarterback at No. 6 and picks his highest-rated defensive lineman remaining.” Not to disparage Gary’s (6'4/227) skills but if the Giants decide to chose Gary over Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins it would be once again blatantly ignoring their biggest need. While the Gary selection may sound illogical given the Giants current circumstances, there’s no better general manager to stay the course than Dave Gettleman. Gary will likely be a top-15 selection.