Will Heldt DE/EDGE Clemson |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Scouting Report: Weaknesses

• Ordinary timed speed limits the pure bend around the corner
• Relies on technique and length more than rare burst
• Anchor can be tested by the biggest tackles on power downs
• Pass-rush plan leans on long-arm power without an elite counter

Scouting Report: Summary

Heldt is a complete, well-rounded edge whose even, well-rounded game tells the story of a player without a soft spot, and he led Clemson with ten sacks and forty-five pressures after arriving from Purdue. He beat South Carolina for two sacks and eight pressures, closed Syracuse with two more sacks, and finishes as a tackler at a high level with only three misses all year. The length lets him stack, set the edge, and disengage, which makes him useful on every down.

The ceiling is shaped by ordinary athleticism. His timed speed is average, so he wins with technique, length, and a long-arm more than rare bend around the corner, and his anchor can be tested by the biggest tackles on power downs. The rush plan is sound but lacks an elite counter to fall back on. He is a high-floor producer rather than a high-ceiling athlete, which is a fine thing to be.

The projection is a reliable three-down starter who rushes, sets the edge, and tackles, the kind of player whose floor is high even if the upside is capped. Two straight productive seasons against ACC and Big Ten tackles make the tape easy to trust. He grades in the Day 2 range as a plug-and-play edge, a sound, low-variance addition to a front seven.