In an extensive interview on the Hochman and Crowder Show on Thursday afternoon on WQAM, one of the things Miami Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz discussed was the need for defensive end, Greg Rousseau, to continue to improve for the 2021 NFL Draft.
Rising redshirt sophomore defensive end Greg Rousseau had a breakout season in 2019 with 19.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks. The 2021 NFL Mock Drafts have Rousseau as a consensus top 10 pick. Entering the 2021 season, Miami Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz said Rousseau still has improvements to make.
During an appearance on the Hochman and Crowder Show on WQAM Thursday afternoon, the potential that Rousseau has in the NFL was one of the topics that Diaz discussed. At 6’6 253 pounds as a former high school wide receiver and safety, Greg Rousseau has the athleticism to be an elite NFL pass rusher.
The player Rousseau most often gets compared to is former Miami Hurricanes star, DE Calais Campbell. Campbell was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and is a four-time All-Pro. The future is bright for Rousseau. With another season like he had in 2019, Rousseau will be a cinch All-American.
Led by Rousseau Miami will have one of the best pass rushes in the country. Rousseau, graduate transfer Quincy Roche and rising redshirt junior Jaelan Phillips should make game planning difficult for opposing offensive coordinators. Rousseau has also shown versatility by playing defensive tackle on passing downs.
"“Greg knows this. Where was Jonathan Garvin this time last year on different Draft boards? No one knew that Joe Burrow would’ve been the first pick in the Draft and no one ever thought the Dolphins would’ve gotten Tua [Tagovailoa] at five this time last year. So things change, so let’s focus on what’s real.Greg knows that he did a lot of good things this past year, but there’s some big improvements that he needs to make in his game to really become the guy that we want him to be and Greg knows it. That’s the best thing about Greg is he’s a better person even than he is as a player.But we went through and we showed him some cut-ups from this year, and some different ways he can improve his game, not just to help next April, but to help the Miami Hurricanes September-January.”"
Rousseau is the leading returning sacker in the country entering 2020. With 15.5 sacks in 2019, Rousseau was second nationally only behind Heisman Trophy Finalist Chase Young of Ohio State. Roche finished seventh nationally with 13 sacks in 2020. Phillips was the top recruit in the nation in 2017.
Rousseau, Roche, Phillips and redshirt freshman Jahfari Harvey give Miami a deep and talented corps of pass rushers in 2020. The constant pressure that Rousseau will lead on the Hurricanes defensive line will help the rest of the Miami defense. Rousseau will be one of the favorites to win ACC Defensive Player of the Year.