So full disclosure, I really value testing numbers. Some people think they're worthless, but I've found that if you know which ones to value for which positions, you can really use them to your advantage and they can be quite predictive. This is not at the expense of tape, but along with it.
For EDGE prospects, I value two drills more than any other: the broad jump and the three cone. If a player can get a minimum in terms of size and then destroy those two drills, that's a great indicator.
So I was doing a little research on a set of criteria. Since 1999, only 6 EDGE prospects have shown up at the combine at 245+, jumped a 125"+ broad, and run a sub 6.9 three cone. 6 guys in 19 years of data.
Three of them are in this class. The previous three were Devin Taylor, Von Miller, and Connor Barwin.
In this class we have T.J. Watt, Jordan Willis, and Tyus Bowser. It's hard to overstate just how rare these guys are. Before they showed up, the combine was averaging one EDGE athlete of this caliber per every 6 seasons.
It would be stellar if the Packers could land one of them. The issue is that cornerback is the most pressing need and there's likely going to be worthy choices there at 29. None of these guys are making it to 61. Not with their traits. So you're talking about a trade scenario if you want both the corner, and one of these rare edge players. But any one of them would be excellent counterparts to a guy like Perry. They can drop, they have the movement skills to cover, they can explode, and they can bend.
Dang it I love pass rushers.