NFL Draft
3/19/25
5 min read
Kaimon Rucker 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For North Carolina Tar Heels EDGE
Height: 6010 (verified)
Weight: 254lbs (verified)
Year: Redshirt Senior
Pro Comparison: Jonah Elliss
Scouting Overview
North Carolina Tar Heels edge defender Kaimon Rucker projects as a developmental prospect at the NFL level. Rucker is missing the ideal length, punch power, and anchor to play along the line of scrimmage as an every-down player, but his rush IQ and low center of gravity running the loop give him an opportunity to earn snaps in a role-specific situation.
Rucker’s been a productive pass rusher throughout his five years at Chapel Hill and is a worthy contender to earn game-day snaps throughout his rookie contract.
2025 NFL Combine Results
| Position | Name | School | 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Split | Broad Jump | Vertical Jump | 3-Cone Drill | 20-Yard Shuttle | Bench Press |
| EDGE | Kaimon Rucker | North Carolina | 27 |
Positives
- Developed pass rush profile with a variety of counters and good cornering ability to flatten and win angles off the edge
- Possesses good initial quickness and carries pace through the turn
- Shows effective short-area agility and change-of-direction skills
Negatives
- Shorter stature and lack of length pose challenges for dictating terms with hand blows and block deconstruction
- Run defending profile is a challenge amid a lack of point of point-of-attack upside
- Does not offer the same appeal as a second-effort pass rusher vs. successfully forcing a miss at first contact
Background
Rucker is from Hartwell, GA, and played high school football for Hart County HS. There, he was a 3-star recruit (247 Sports) who also participated in track and field as a shot put thrower. Rucker generated interest as a defensive end from programs such as Louisville, App State, Navy, Georgia Tech, and others before committing to North Carolina as a member of their 2020 recruiting class.
Rucker played in 10 games as a true freshman in 2020 but retained his four years of playing eligibility, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic policy. He took on a bigger role for the team in 2021, starting 10 of the 13 games he played in. He was a major contributor again in 2022, with 14 games played (four starts) before assuming a full-time starting role in 2023. That season, he started all 13 games for the program and was named Second Team All-ACC for his play. Rucker posted career bests, with 8.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss that season.
Rucker played in eight games as a fifth-year senior in 2024, aggravating a summer knee injury in the weight room early in the season and missing a month of games as a result.
Tale Of The Tape
Rucker has appeal as a pass rusher that’s worth betting on late in the draft, even if he doesn’t fit the traditional mold of a starter on the edge. Rucker, in some ways, can use his compact stature to his advantage — his strike zone and surface area running through the range of tackles is tighter than others with bigger bodies and taller pads. As a result, you will see him successfully dip around the outside arc and turn the corner when he’s able to force missed punches.
As a pass rusher, he’s predominantly worked from a 2-point stance and as a wide-angled rusher. He lacks appeal as a power rusher due to only a sufficient first step and, too often, will get his rushes neutralized and stall out. His best wins come with finesse counters, and he’ll take surprisingly tight turns on tackles. That said, he’s not particularly explosive or twitchy in short spaces, either.
What you’re left with is a bit of a tweener profile. However, he does offer good reactive instincts with his hands to throw an appropriate counter as he runs into a tackle’s punch radius. His missing length forces him to play these reps with consistent timing, or else he risks getting his charge offset and stalling his upfield rush.
Pressure schemes that like to mug interior gaps will offer Rucker the best opportunity to hit. He’s efficient with his angles, and his low center of gravity allows him to take appropriately tight angles.
As a run defender, Rucker showcases some hardship with anchoring at the point of attack. He’ll recognize developing blocks when left uncovered in space, but his ability to throw his frame into a block and uncover is irregular.
Rucker will be charged with learning how to navigate pressing and extending on the edge in order to stay clean and turn ball carriers back inside. As is, he lacks the reach, the punch power, or the anchor to hold firm — before you factor in his need to play with leverage and angles based on alignment.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Rucker projects as a rush linebacker from a 2-point stance. As an odd front defender, Rucker could be a rotational pass-rush specialist who plays a defined share of obvious pass-rush opportunities while getting the chance to develop and fortify the other areas of his game.
Grade: 70.00/100.00, Fifth Round Value
Big Board Rank: 199
Position Rank: EDGE18
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