Sahir West DL UCLA |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #15 SUB-POSITION: VERSATILE DL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 10/07/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2027 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.80 seconds (77%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #15 | |
| SUB-POSITION: VERSATILE DL | |
| Last Updated: 10/07/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2027 | |
| Forty time: 4.80 seconds (77%*) | |
| Overall Rating: | 82.1 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
|
79% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Tackling: |
|
89% |
| Pass Rush: |
|
81% |
| Run Defense: |
|
81% |
|
DRAFT PROJECTION:
5th
Overall Rank:
#163
Position rank:
#25 (DL)
|
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| College Games: 20 College Snaps: 773 | ||
| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Gracen Halton - Oklahoma |
|
86% |
| Nelson Ceaser - Houston |
|
82% |
| Isaiah McGuire - Missouri |
|
81% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Sahir West posted 63 tackles and 10 sacks as a junior at Mount Saint Joseph in Baltimore and drew late Big Ten interest before signing with James Madison. He appeared in two games in 2024 to preserve his redshirt, then broke out in 2025, starting all 14 games for a Dukes team that reached the College Football Playoff.West finished that season with seven sacks, 14 tackles for loss and 45 total tackles, and he saved his best for the Sun Belt Championship Game against Troy, setting title-game records with three sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss. The year earned him Sun Belt Freshman of the Year honors and first-team Freshman All-America recognition from The Athletic.
When head coach Bob Chesney and defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler left for UCLA, West followed them, picking the Bruins despite a push from Ohio State. He has started all four games at defensive end for an unbeaten UCLA team, opening with a sack in the 45-24 win at Cal and adding another in the 54-3 rout of Maryland.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Versatile alignments, rushing from outside the tackle and reducing inside on passing downs
- Wraps up reliably, with no missed tackles this fall and three in all of 2025
- Holds the point against the run with heavy hands and a low pad level
- Took over the Sun Belt title game with three sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss against Troy
- Steady pressure producer, with 34 pressures in 2025 and 14 more in four games at UCLA
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Between positions at 6-foot-3 and 279 pounds, short for the edge and light inside
- Pass rush relies on effort and power while he builds a counter plan
- Rush production has cooled since the opener, with four or fewer pressures each week
- Most of his starting tape came against Sun Belt offensive lines
Scouting Report: Summary
West is the rare transfer who brought his coaching staff with him, and UCLA is getting the same disruptive, hard-working end who took over the Sun Belt a year ago. He is a compact, powerful defender with heavy hands and a low center of gravity, which lets him hold the point against the run and push the pocket from both edge and interior alignments. When James Madison needed a signature performance in the conference title game, he produced one of the best single-game efforts in the country, and he started his Bruins career with seven pressures at Cal.However, his body type invites questions. At 6-foot-3 and 279 pounds he sits between positions, short for an every-down edge and light for a full-time interior lineman, and his rush leans on effort and power rather than a developed plan. The production has also tapered since the opener, and the bulk of his best tape still comes against Sun Belt competition. He is a redshirt sophomore in eligibility, so the decision to declare is far from certain.
Overall, West is a versatile, physical front-seven player whose stock could rise quickly with a strong second half in the Big Ten. He projects as a fifth-round defensive lineman whose ideal role is a big end in an odd front or a rotational rusher who slides inside on third down, with starting upside if his pass-rush plan matures.
How other scouting services rate Sahir West (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
158.5
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
25.0
*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.
