Jahvaree Ritzie DL North Carolina | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Jahvaree Ritzie DL North Carolina
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| SUB-POSITION: DT 3-TECH | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 02/27/2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 time: 4.95 seconds (51%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 22.1 DOB: 01/31/2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| SUB-POSITION: DT 3-TECH | |
| Last Updated: 02/27/2025 | |
| Draft Year: 2025 | |
| 40 time: 4.95 seconds (51%*) | |
| Age: 22.1 DOB: 01/31/2003 | |
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SHARE THIS PROFILE:
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| Overall Rating: | 81.4 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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78% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Tackling: |
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78% |
| Pass Rush: |
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66% |
| Run Defense: |
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63% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
UDFA
Overall Rank:
#254
Position rank:
#56
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| College Games: 51 College Snaps: 1770 | ||
ESPN RATING: 81/100
College Combine Results
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247 RATING: 95/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.9 (97%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Butler - Tennessee |
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80% |
| Gabe Hall - Baylor |
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77% |
| Justin Eboigbe - Alabama |
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72% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Born in Kernersville, North Carolina, Jahvaree Ritzie arrived at Chapel Hill as a highly touted four-star recruit who ranked 71st nationally according to 247Sports. The athletic defensive lineman hails from an athletic bloodline – his mother Kindra competed as a college heptathlete at SUNY Brockport, while his brother Jahnaul is a track and field athlete at Charlotte. Ritzie's multi-sport background shined at Glenn High School where he was a two-time MVP in track and field, placing fourth in the shot put at the indoor state meet with a career-best 57-foot throw.At North Carolina, Ritzie developed gradually over four seasons, appearing in 51 games with increasing responsibility each year. His freshman campaign saw him appear in all 13 games with 25 tackles and a sack before taking on a larger role as a sophomore with 48 tackles across 14 games (7 starts). His junior season yielded similar production (25 tackles, half a sack) before a breakout senior campaign where he notched 40 tackles (20 solo) and 6.5 sacks. The highlight of his final season came against Virginia when he recorded his first career interception and returned it for a touchdown, while his three-sack performance against Minnesota in the opener earned him Outland Trophy National Player of the Week and ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors.
Standing at 6'4" and 296 pounds, Ritzie brings solid size to the defensive interior, though his production doesn't fully reflect his athletic pedigree. The former Tar Heel's versatility was on display throughout his career, lining up in various techniques along the defensive front in both odd and even fronts. He showed some flashes of disruptive ability during his senior season, particularly as a pass rusher, but lacked the consistency to dominate regularly at the collegiate level.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Frame carries his weight well with room to add more functional mass in an NFL strength program without sacrificing his modest movement skills.
- Shows proper technique setting initial contact with good base width, allowing him to maintain leverage against single blocks in the run game.
- Flashes the ability to punch and release from blocks with enough fluidity to make plays outside his gap when left unaccounted for.
- Multi-alignment capability allows defensive coordinators to deploy him across different fronts without exposing technical deficiencies.
- Keeps his legs churning through contact, creating problems for blockers who don't sustain through the whistle or finish blocks properly.
- Demonstrated improved pass rush planning as a senior, particularly against Minnesota where he collected three sacks in a statement performance.
- Motor runs consistently hot – rarely takes plays off and shows the kind of effort coaches appreciate when studying the end of game situations.
- Shows enough awareness to get his hands up in passing lanes when rush stalls, evidenced by his pick-six against Virginia in his senior season.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Lacks the explosive first step and twitchy movement skills required to consistently threaten gaps as a penetrating interior defender.
- Hand technique still developing – tends to allow offensive linemen inside his frame too often, neutralizing his leverage advantage.
- Gets washed out against double teams with concerning frequency, showing limited ability to split or anchor against coordinated blocks.
- Struggles maintaining his balance through contact when forced to redirect, limiting his ability to recover when initially beaten.
- Pass rush arsenal remains limited – relies too heavily on bull rush without complementary counters when primary move gets stalled out.
Scouting Report: Summary
Ritzie profiles as a rotational defensive lineman who will need specific scheme fits to maximize his somewhat limited toolset. His best role would come in a 4-3 system as a base end who can reduce inside on passing downs, though he lacks the twitch to be a consistent disruptor from interior alignments. His moderate athleticism gives him a floor as a potential depth piece, but the ceiling appears capped without significant technical development.What you're getting with Ritzie is a coach's player who brings versatility to the defensive front without dominant traits in any one area. His flashes against Minnesota and the highlight-reel interception return against Virginia show there's untapped potential, but I came away from the tape concerned about his ability to consistently defeat NFL-caliber blockers. Teams running multiple fronts will value his experience playing across the line, but he'll need refining of his hand technique to stick long-term.
Expect Ritzie to hear his name called on day three of the draft, where a team with strong defensive line development will take a chance on his frame and motor. Given his college trajectory of steady improvement each season, there's reason to believe he could outperform his draft position if he lands with the right position coach who can unlock more consistent technique to complement his effort.
Written By:
Felix Green (ACC)
Jahvaree Ritzie percentiles vs other Defensive Lines (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Jahvaree Ritzie (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
338.3
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
82.0
*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.