2025 NFL Draft Profile – Virginia Tech Edge Rusher Antwaun Powell-Ryland

Antwaun Powell-Ryland is one of the most underappreciated prospects in this year’s NFL Draft pool. The former Florida transfer recorded 16 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 29 solo stops, yet he’s not considered among the top pass rushers in the draft. He has a similar frame to that of projected top-five pick Abdul Carter and he has high-tier NFL traits all over his scouting report.

The question still remains though, why is the player who finished third in the nation in sacks not projected to be a pick in the first couple of rounds? It doesn’t even come down to a bad trait that Powell-Ryland has, it’s just an unfortunate measurable. At the Shrine Bowl, the defensive end’s arm length measured out at 31 and 1/8 inches. To put this number into perspective, most NFL edge rushers fall in-between 33 and 34 inches, and some of the greatest ever, like J.J. Watt, Jason Pierre-Paul, and so many others. With that being said, some edge rushers have succeeded despite having below average arm length in the NFL. Aidan Hutchinson’s arm length was a big topic of concern among NFL Draft scouts before the draft, which caused the Michigan edge rusher to drop from Jacksonville to Detroit with the second pick. The Jaguars chose Travon Walker, who measured out at 35 and 1/2 inches, compared to Aidan Hutchinson at just 32 and 1/8 inches.

Despite being used more as a linebacker at the NFL level, Melvin Ingram’s arm length was a concern at one point. He measured out at 31 and 1/2 inches, much closer to Powell-Ryland’s numbers. As another example of this, former Missouri edge rusher Markus Golden measured out at the same mark as Antwaun Powell-Ryland heading into the draft, and he was still chosen in the second round by the Arizona Cardinals. Golden had an eight-year NFL career as an outside linebacker with 68 career starts, and over 50 career sacks. This could be a similar path to what Powell-Ryland could chase.

On the other hand, short arm length has been the thorn in plenty of edge rusher’s careers. Sutton Smith, an edge rusher out of Northern Illinois in 2019, was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round of the draft that year after measuring out at 30 and 3/4 inches for arm length. Smith’s career snaps would come primarily as a special teams player.

This is why teams may be scared to draft Powell-Ryland, but his stats, and some of his physical traits, are undeniable.

MEASURABLES:

As previously mentioned in detail, this part of Antwaun Powell-Ryland’s game may cause some issues. APR has below average height, weight, arm length, and hand size for an edge rusher, but again, the aforementioned move to outside linebacker could benefit Powell-Ryland at the next level. His one strong measurable, however, is his speed, Powell-Ryland is projected to have a well-above average 40-yard dash. It’s often shown in his game, with how quickly he gets to the quarterback, but teams will be closely watching Powell-Ryland participate in all of the speed drills at the combine.

PASS RUSH:

Powell-Ryland has shown flashes of his pass rush ability throughout his entire career, but most recently, Powell-Ryland shined at the Shrine Bowl practices, showing off his exceptional spin move. The spin is by far the most powerful piece in his arsenal, but he could develop some more polished moves over the offseason. He has the speed to beat tackles to the edge and enough agility to compensate for his short arms at the back end.

RUN DEFENSE:

Powell-Ryland is naturally technically strong as a defender in the run game. He can punish ballcarriers with decent tackle technique, and high-percentile upper body strength. Powell-Ryland plays with a good pad level and he uses his hands to the best of his ability in the run game.

OVERALL:

APR is limited by his measurables, but he uses his lack of length to his advantage. He has all of the mental strength that NFL edge rushers need, and his production at the college level is hard to ignore. Some time to develop a more polished game could get Powell-Ryland some reps in pass-rush heavy sets.