Rashard Lawrence NFL scouting report and player comparison

When you sit back and look at the Arizona Cardinals haul from the 2020 NFL Draft you see the potential.

You see why Steve Keim is “at peace” and you see why fans are hopeful for the return of football.

We’ll keep the positivity going while also giving a look at maybe why each of the newest members of the Arizona Cardinals could be contributors for the team and in the NFL. We’ll also look at what could be their fatal flaw and hinder them making it.

As I’ve talked about throughout the draft process when it comes to NFL player comparisons they should be done on a spectrum.

That spectrum gives us a range of outcomes and what we believe could be their ceiling and floor.

Today, we take a look at both fourth round picks, starting with LSU defensive tackle Rashard Lawrence.

Lawrence was a big time recruit out of high school, but never quite made that jump.

He was a three year starter and defensive captain for LSU, and topped out statistically his junior season, finishing with four sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss and capped it off with a defensive player of the game in their bowl game.

Yet, Lawrence had maybe his most important season in 2019 as he was allowing others to make plays more consistently.

That’s what Lawrence has become, a leader and someone who allows others to shine while he quietly goes about his business as a 34 defensive end.

His high end comp is that of Sylvester Williams, the former first round pick of the Denver Broncos. He never lived up to the first round status, but he was a consistent producer for a long time who is still playing in the league.

Low end is a bit of a concern because he actually models some or the concerns of Eddie Vanderdoes, who was a fourth round pick for the Raiders three years ago. Vanderdoes had an injury history when coming out and started one season and has since played 78 snaps.

Lawrence is the type of player every team needs, let’s hope he can stay healthy coming out.