Aaron Lewis, EDGE, Rutgers
Size:
Height: 6’5” | Weight: 260 lbs
Accomplishments:
All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (2023) • Third-Team All-Big Ten (2022)
“Aaron Lewis is a defensive line prospect with alignment versatility and leveraging to impact the game in multiple ways along the defensive front.”
Strengths:
Alignment versatility
Vertical rusher who wins with power moves
Good and effective zone run defender
Concerns:
Hip and ankle flexibility
Arm length
Anchoring vs. power run concepts
Bending around the corner
Film Analysis:
Aaron Lewis is a solid pass rusher with a strong motor. He plays until the whistle is blown, trying to work past his blocker into the backfield. Lewis is a power striker, creating soft angles to win the track past the OT. He has a strong club, push/pull, long-arm, and club/rip maneuver combination. As a result, Lewis is good at getting past his blocker on the edges. He is an effective rusher heading up to guards on the interior OL. Lewis is quick enough to put pressure on interior OL trying not to lose ground. He does a nice job fitting through small creases in the OL’s blocking scheme to knife into the backfield.
He does a good job using leverage to set harder edges for the ball-carrier. He gets his hands underneath the OT’s pads to stack, peek, and shed if the ball-carrier bounces the run in his direction. Lewis is a good zone-run defender. He strikes reach blocks well and keeps his feet moving laterally to stay within range to make a play on the football.
Lewis lacks ankle and hip flexion to bend at the top of his rush and corner to the QB. He wins the edge with quick moves to dislodge the OT’s hands, but when that fails, he struggles to win his reps. Lewis’ arm length/wingspan is functional but it lacks the arm length to win a boxing/striking match with longer-armed OTs. This limits his ability to convert speed to power and run through the OT’s chest. Lewis has balance issues to stay upright upon contact. Against power/gap scheme runs, Lewis struggles to anchor down at the point of attack. He lacks lower-body strength, making it difficult to maintain his position without being pushed off his spot.
Overall, Lewis projects as a versatile rotational defensive lineman. He fits the best in an attacking defensive scheme that prioritizes vertical displacement at the line of scrimmage.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Scheme Specific Contributor
Written By: Damian Parson
Exposures: Wisconsin (2023), Ohio State (2023), Michigan (2023), Virginia Tech (2023)
