Wydeek Collier

Physical Profile

Exceptional edge dimensions: 6-6 to 6-7 with an 83-inch wingspan, which is high-end NFL length for the position and gives him a natural leverage and passing-lane advantage most tackles never see in a season. The 4.58 forty at 215 pounds is legitimate closing speed off the edge, and he won DL MVP at UA Next in Ramsey on that testing. The obvious caveat is play weight — 215 on that frame is a track build, well under a Big Ten rotational-end threshold, and he is a two-year weight-room project before he can hold up against a power run game. Long-limbed rushers of this build also fight pad level by default; his anchor and hip flexibility, not his get-off, will determine whether he is an every-down end or a designated rusher.

Play Style

A speed-and-length edge who wins with get-off and reach before he wins with hands. On film he threatens the tackle's outside shoulder immediately, uses his wingspan to keep blockers off his frame, and closes on the quarterback in a hurry once he clears the corner. The 14 TFL on 35 total tackles is the tell — his tackles are almost all in the backfield or near the line, meaning he plays forward and disruptive rather than patient. His receiver reps show up as coordination and ball awareness: he tracks the ball in the air and finds it at the top of the rush. Against down blocks and combo blocks he currently gets moved, which is a mass issue as much as a technique one.

Strengths

• Elite length — 83-inch wingspan on a 6-6/6-7 frame creates a huge tackle-set problem, disrupts throwing lanes, and gives him a wide tackle radius in space that lets him make plays he has no business making
• Verified explosiveness — 4.58 forty at 215 lbs and Defensive Line MVP honors at the Under Armour Next camp, meaning the athleticism showed up against vetted competition, not just on Friday-night film
• Proven junior-year production as a disruptor: 35 tackles with 14 TFL and 8 sacks, a TFL rate that says he wins early and gets into the backfield rather than accumulating stats in cleanup
• Two-way background — 13 catches for 270 yards and 2 TDs as a receiver, which shows ball skills, body control, and hands that translate to tipped passes, strip attempts, and coverage drops in a hybrid front

Areas to Improve

• Functional mass and play strength — this is the whole evaluation. At 215 he cannot hold the point against a Big Ten offensive tackle, and he must add 30-40 pounds without losing the 4.58 burst
• Pad level and bend — long rushers rise out of their stance; he needs to learn to drop his weight through contact and flatten the arc at the top rather than running the hoop wide
• Pass-rush plan — he won in high school on length and first-step advantage. He skipped a senior season, which cost him a year of technical development, so the counters (long-arm to cross-chop, inside spin, hand replacement) are still being built at the college level
• Run-game discipline — he needs reps on setting a hard edge, spilling versus boxing, and holding gap integrity against zone-read and pin-pull looks

College Projection

Already on campus. He burned three games of eligibility as a true freshman in 2025, which reads as a redshirt-preserving cameo role rather than a rotation piece. Realistic timeline: 2026 as a situational third-down rusher and special-teams contributor while he adds weight, 2027 as a rotational end with a defined pass-rush package, and a starting role by 2028 if the frame fills out as projected. The reclass means he is physically a year behind his class peers, so patience is required — measuring him against 2026 true freshmen who had a full senior year of development is the wrong comparison.

NFL Outlook

Genuine Day 2 traits if the body develops. The length-plus-speed combination — 83-inch wingspan, 4.58 at the position — is the exact profile NFL teams draft on projection, and rushers with those arms rarely last past the third round when they also have production. The floor risk is real: if he tops out around 240 he becomes a stand-up rush specialist in a 3-4 or a hybrid SAM rather than a three-down defensive end, which caps him in the Day 3 range. Track his listed weight each August — that number, more than his sack total, is his draft grade.

Best Fit

He is already in a good one. Rutgers gives him a Big Ten development runway with no pressure to play early, which is exactly what a 215-pound reclass needs. Schematically he is best in an odd or multiple front that lets him stand up as a rush end and attack from a two-point stance, where his length works in space and he is not asked to two-gap. A defense that uses wide-9 alignments and simulated pressures to get him one-on-one against tackles will maximize him; a heavy four-down even front asking him to hold the edge against double teams will expose the frame before it is ready.