With the No. 70 overall pick, the Baltimore Ravens added one of the draft’s most intriguing defensive prospects by taking BYU lineman Bronson Kaufusi. A highly productive edge defender, Kaufusi boasts an impressive combination of raw talent, leadership, smarts and work ethic that scouts drool over.
Bronson Kaufusi drafted by Ravens in 3rd round
The Ravens added another edge rusher to the fold by taking Kaufusi in the third round.
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Kaufusi, 24, served an LDS mission to New Zealand before arriving in Provo, giving him a unique collection of life experiences that few other fellow draftees can match. His intelligence extends beyond the film room, too: Kaufusi loves stats, and not just the traditional ones. As a statistics major, he is fascinated by the advanced numbers of the game and loves digging into football analytics.
Kaufusi could be the oldest player drafted this weekend, a distinction that brings both positives and negatives when evaluating his pro stock. He certainly has a maturity level that is beyond most rookies, but there are concerns that his age might limit his ceiling at the next level.
The one fact that cannot be disputed is Kaufusi’s on-field production during his four years as a Cougar. He improved his stats across the board each season, culminating in a senior campaign that saw him finish with a team-best 20 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. Both of those numbers also ranked in the top-15 nationally as Kaufusi established himself as a versatile and disruptive playmaker.
Here he is on the left side (No. 90), showing off his rare blend of power and speed to bring the quarterback down.
Pro Football Focus gave him the country's top pass rush productivity rating, a metric that combines sacks, hits and hurries. Kaufusi, however, is far from a one-dimensional player. He had the second-highest run stop percentage among 3-4 defensive ends last season, per Pro Football Focus, and recorded the third-most defensive stops overall (48).
Another reason scouts are high on Kaufusi is because of his positional versatility. He thrived in a bunch of different schemes at BYU and lined up at a number of spots across the defensive front, including as an outside linebacker during his junior season.
"I love rushing from anywhere," Kaufusi told ESPN.com reporter Mike DiRocco at the Senior Bowl in January. "From five-technique, three [-technique]. I'll rush from the one [between the center and the guard]. Way outside. I blitz off the edge. That's something that I just absolutely love to do: just disrupt the quarterback."
Despite his age, Kaufusi still carries tremendous upside and potential. He has exceptional athleticism, fluidity and agility for a big man (6’6, 285 pounds), and coaches love his non-stop and competitive nature. Although he remains far from a finished product, he’s flashed enough raw talent on tape to have many believe that he’ll be able to translate his college production to the NFL.
The Ravens have long had some of the most ferocious pass rushers with Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil racking up sacks in recent years. But both are aging and Suggs is coming off a season-ending Achilles tear. After adding Kamalei Correa in the second round, the Ravens continue to improve the group and add new players to the mix by taking Kaufusi at the top of the third round.
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