Dallas City News

We continue our 2024 NFL Draft scouting reports, now reviewing players in the Dallas Cowboys rookie draft class. Today we look at seventh-round draft pick Justin Rogers from Auburn.

Justin Rogers
NT
Auburn Tigers
Senior
6’5”
330 lbs
Hand size- 10 1/8” (61%)
Arm Length- 33” (43%)
Wingspan- 79 1/4” (38%)

History:
Justin Rogers was assigned a four-star recruit rating out of high school and had 47 offers before opting to play at Kentucky in 2020. His first year at Kentucky was quiet playing in only 56 snaps across seven games. In his limited playing time, Rogers recorded seven tackles.

The next year, Rogers featured in all 12 games for Kentucky and played a total of 209 snaps. He made 17 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss while also adding four pressures and one sack.

In 2022, Rogers had more playing time again. He played in all 13 games for Kentucky and played a total of 450 snaps. He had 11 pressures and one sack as a pass rusher and as a run-stopper he had 35 tackles and one tackle for loss.

In 2023, Rogers was contemplating entering the NFL Draft, instead he entered the transfer portal and enrolled at Auburn. He played 375 snaps in 13 games for Auburn and registered nine pressures, one sack, 17 tackles and two tackles for loss.

2023 Statistics:
375 Defensive snaps
17 Tackles
2 Tackles for Loss
9 Total Pressures
1 Sack
7 Defensive Stops
0 Penalties

NFL Combine/Pro Day:
40 Yard Dash- 5.53s (2%) (P)
Vertical- 24.5” (5%)
Broad- 99” (7%)
Shuttle- 4.87s (7%)
Bench- 21 (21%)

Awards:
N/A

Scorecard:
Overall- 53.2
Speed- 51
Acceleration- 57
Agility- 49
Strength- 69
Tackling- 70
Pass Rush- 63
Run Stop- 70
Discipline- 97

THE GOOD:

• A big bodied guy that knows how to sink his weight and anchor extremely well
• Has very good functional strength
• Gets low and squats down well creating an impossible low center of gravity to shift
• Shows a good understanding of playing the 3-tech position as well as at nose tackle, providing a level of versatility
• Fights consistently with his hands to disengage from blocks
• A surprisingly fast first-step for guy his size

THE BAD:

• Provides nothing as a chaser for the ball carrier
• Lack of speed is also seen as a pass rusher
• His squatty play-style reduces his effectiveness to penetrate the line as a rusher

THE FIT:
Justin Rogers is best served as a run-stopping 1-tech or nose tackle. His run defense and ability to hold the A-gaps is very effective, but his pass rushing is extremely limited. His size and strength suits him best as an early down defender to help stuff the inside gaps on running plays.

His solid and strong anchor is fantastic to help him defend the run but this is also his downfall. He anchors down and squats low on every play which reduces his ability to explode forward and offer much as a pass rusher.

Overall, Rogers is an interesting draft prospect that could work out nicely as a run stuffing nose tackle on odd fronts or add a little more versatility on even fronts. His abilities should provide good depth at the inside defensive line.

COMPARISON:-
Nesta Jade Silvera, Las Vegas Raiders

GRADE:
UDFA grade

CONSENSUS RANKING:95 1
315th
(Consensus ranking based on the average ranking from 90 major scoring services)