Nic Scourton is an edge rusher out of Texas A&M who transferred from Purdue in his junior year. He recently announced that he’s forgoing the final year of college eligibility to enter the 2025 NFL Draft. Scourton had an impressive final college season, clocking in 37 total tackles, with 14 of them going for a loss. He also got to the quarterback five times. And in his sophomore season at Purdue, he got to them 10 times.
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Scourton stands at 6-foot-4, 280 pounds. He’s described as a player with “vicious” hands that can shed the weak blocks of any offensive lineman. He also has long arms that are perfect for swatting down passes at the line, as he registered 10 total in his college career. If he can develop more pass-rushing moves in the NFL, he could turn into a game-wrecker.
So, let’s look at some possible landing spots for Scourton. He’s being projected to go at the end of the first but has recently been climbing up mock draft boards into the mid-first.
3) Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals don’t have a bad defense by any means, but they need to make that jump towards elite if they want to have any playoff hopes. It doesn’t look like Kyler Murray is enough to lead the team to the promised land. They need to supply him with an elite defense that won’t have him afraid of making mistakes.
Their current edge rushers, Zaven Collins and LJ Collier, are also coming off great seasons. But Collier is set to be a free agent and is already 29. Scourton would be a nice successor on the right side of the D-line. He would offer enough upside to give the Cardinals hope that they could sack the quarterback on any given play.
Arizona has the 16th pick in the first round. It would be a good spot to select the Aggie.
2) Dallas Cowboys
Dallas is always looking at edge rushers in the draft. They have a knack for finding the best ones that other teams bypass. Reference Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Demarcus Ware. Scourton could be the next gem that the team finds in the middle of the first.
Of course, the Cowboys first need to find a new head coach. That would go a long way in identifying what new playing style the team will gravitate towards. But for now, it’s safe to assume they have their eyes on RB Ashton Jeanty. But if he and other offensive studs get selected before their 12th pick, they should pivot and invest in Scourton.
Sure, they took Marshawn Kneeland in the second round of last year’s draft. But Lawrence could be on the last year of his deal next season. Heck, there were also Parsons trade talks at times throughout the year. Never hurts to have a contingency plan.
1) Atlanta Falcons
The best fit for Scourton, as of now, has to be the Falcons. He probably wouldn’t start right away, but he would get a season to learn behind one of the all-time greats, Grady Jarrett. It could go a long way for Scourton’s development. Jarrett is now approaching 32 and is past his prime, even if he still puts up great PFF numbers. It’s time the Falcons start investing in the future.
Their other edge rusher, Zach Harrison, is on the last year of his deal next year and hasn’t been too great. The Falcons would have the option of either letting Scourton loose in his first year or letting him sit for a while and learn the ropes. If we had to guess, though, Scourton would win that job within a few months.
They have the 15th pick in the first round, so they’re right about where you want to be to get Scourton. We’ll see if they come through and decide to go in that direction come April.
