Solomon Byrd 2024 NFL Draft Profile
The USC defense stunk last season, thanks in large part to Alex Grinch, who is thankfully gone now. We covered Calen Bullock and sort of gave him a pass because he has the talent, but can we give a pass to Solomon Byrd? He had a fine Shrine Bowl but dropped a dud in the NFL Combine. What does his 2024 NFL Draft profile look like? Let’s talk about it.
Solomon, a former two-star recruit, has bounced around a fair share during his time in college. He originally committed to Wyoming, and was there from 2018-2021, opting out of the 2020 season. He would transfer to Georgia Tech for a cup of coffee before re-entering the transfer portal and winding up at USC. Already kind of a red flag but we press on. He was fine for the Trojans, although he did post a career-high in tackles (48) and had six sacks on the season.
Eh. That’s the only thing that comes to mind with Solomon Byrd. I watched a fair share of USC games this season, as I am the USC guy at the site. Nothing about his games necessarily stands out for me. He has good enough zone coverage skills to where you may play him more in that capacity instead of rushing the passer. The motor does run pretty hot, which is always a plus with the position. Long arms and strong legs are also a good combination to have.
Slow as dirt, though. His measurements, linked here, from the USC pro day are terrible. 5.01 40 time at 250 lbs is embarrassing. 18 reps on the bench press is a joke. Both of those would have finished last at the combine. He has next to no true athletic ability, and this is not something you can really correct in training camp. How can anyone willingly draft someone to rush the passer who could possibly be beaten out by Chickster in a 40-yard dash?
Undrafted. I wouldn’t dream of giving Solomon Byrd a call either to fill a practice squad or to be a body in training camp. Lack of production, not athletic in the slightest, and potentially afraid of competition since he barely tested at the combine. This may be a weaker EDGE Rusher class than in years past, but there are a great number of guys I would consider before Byrd.
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