Vincent Anthony Jr. DE/EDGE Duke |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #7 SUB-POSITION: EDGE RUSHER | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/23/2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.84 seconds (45%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 22.3 DOB: 04/26/2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jersey: #7 | |
| SUB-POSITION: EDGE RUSHER | |
| Last Updated: 03/23/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.84 seconds (45%*) | |
| Age: 22.3 DOB: 04/26/2004 | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
| Overall Rating: | 79.9 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
|
75% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Tackling: |
|
50% |
| Pass Rush: |
|
71% |
| Run Defense: |
|
61% |
|
DRAFT PROJECTION:
7th
Overall Rank:
#238
Position rank:
#53 (DL)
|
||
| College Games: 48 College Snaps: 1714 | ||
ESPN RATING: 77/100
College Combine Results
|
||
247 RATING: 93/100
|
||
|
RIVALS RATING: 5.8 (95%)
|
||
| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Myles Cole - Texas Tech |
|
80% |
| Ali Gaye - LSU |
|
73% |
| Ochaun Mathis - Nebraska |
|
67% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Football heritage shaped Vincent Anthony Jr. long before he suited up at Jordan High School in Durham, North Carolina, where his father Vincent Sr. had played at nearby North Carolina Central in the late 1980s. A three-year letterman, Anthony compiled 127 tackles, 39 TFL, and 19 sacks over his final two prep seasons and participated in the 2022 All-American Bowl. He carried four-star ratings from 247Sports and Rivals while ESPN pegged him as a three-star and the state's 24th-ranked prospect.Anthony enrolled early at Duke in January 2022 and started 12 of 13 games as a true freshman, earning the team's rookie of the year award and Academic All-ACC honors. His sophomore year was limited to 11 appearances and four starts, but he still logged two sacks in a reserve role. The junior season brought a significant step forward: 25 tackles, 9.5 TFL, five sacks, and 13 quarterback pressures, which earned him the program's most improved player award.
As a senior in 2025, Anthony posted 33 tackles, 13 TFL, and 7.5 sacks while earning Honorable Mention All-ACC. He was part of a Duke program that won 35 games over his four years, captured the school's first ACC title since 1962, and made four consecutive bowl games.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Long arms let him stab into tackles' chests before they can get set at the top of the set.
- Fluid bend around the corner, dips his inside shoulder and flattens to the quarterback naturally.
- Ghost move and euro step are legitimate weapons; watch the Illinois game for the full toolbox.
- Hands stay busy throughout the rush, swatting and ripping to keep blockers from locking on.
- First step wins him the edge early; tackles are already in recovery before contact arrives.
- Looked comfortable dropping into flat zones as a senior, carrying backs out of the backfield cleanly.
- Chases from the backside with effort you can't coach, finishing plays away from his gap.
- Three-sack game against ranked Illinois showed his rush plan working at its sharpest.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Gets walked back into the B-gap on run plays; tight ends and guards move him off his spot.
- Too many arm tackles and lunges in the open field, especially on outside zone reads.
- Light frame shows up on film when guards pull or fullbacks kick out on his edge.
- Inside counter moves look labored; hips are tight when he tries to redirect back inside.
- Jumped offsides and drew holding flags too often as a senior, undoing good rush reps.
- Offensive coordinators started running at his side late in games, and he couldn't hold up.
- Lacks the closing burst to finish on quarterbacks who move in the pocket.
Scouting Report: Summary
Anthony fits best as a sub-package pass rusher in a 4-3 scheme where he can work off the edge on obvious passing downs. When you isolate his one-on-one rush reps, there is real juice there. The ghost move, the euro step, the bend at the top of the arc; those are tools an NFL pass-rush coach can sharpen. In a reduced role where he only has to worry about getting to the quarterback, his length and elusiveness give offensive tackles problems they have to game-plan for.The tape gets harder to watch on early downs. When he has to set an edge against tight ends chipping or guards pulling to his side, he gets knocked off his spot. There were games in 2025 where offenses identified his edge as the soft point in Duke's front and attacked it with outside zone and kick-out blocks in the second half. His tackling also fell apart as the season wore on, with too many plays where he had a runner in his grasp and could not finish. An NFL strength program can add weight, but the question is whether he can anchor at 265 or 270 without losing the hip flexibility that makes his rush work.
A team with established starters at edge and patience to let a developmental piece grow is the ideal landing spot. Anthony is a special teams contributor early, learning behind veterans and adding strength in the weight room. If the tackling cleans up and the body fills out, there is a path to situational pass-rush snaps by his second year. The rush moves give you something to work with, but this is a project, not a plug-and-play addition.
Vincent Anthony Jr. percentiles vs other Defensive Ends (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Vincent Anthony Jr. (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
224.3
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
55.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.