Clev Lubin

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Not This Again

Prior to the 2023 NFL draft, there was an edge rusher named Nick Herbig that I almost always drafted in the 4th or 5th round of draft simulators. He had a fantastic final season at Wisconsin. His tape was phenomenal. He was extremely explosive and very fast, had long arms and was an outstanding athlete. There was one glaring problem. He didn't physically look like a starting EDGE defender in the pros. He was too slender, too short, lacking in body mass and muscle. I didn't think he'd be strong enough to hold up in the run game. His pass rushing was almost all based on his fantastic quickness, he wasn't big enough to use power moves. Still, even though I wasn't sure how to use him, he was such a good player, I thought that trying him at ILB would be the best way to give him a chance to succeed at the NFL level.

It has only taken Herbig 3 NFL seasons to prove nearly everyone wrong, including me. Herbig was drafted late in the 4th round, 4 slots after the Rams surprisingly reached early for Stetson Bennett. In 2025, Herbig had the 7th highest PFF grade among EDGE defenders in the NFL. He had the best Pass Rush Win Rate in the NFL, per ESPN, even better than Myles Garrett. Per SISdatahub stats, Herbig had as many sacks as Jared Verse despite only having 66% as many pass rush opportunities. The Steelers signed him to a new $100 million contract this year. If the Rams had drafted Herbig instead of Bennett back in 2023, for better or worse, I bet Myles Garrett wouldn't be on our roster today.

Clev Lubin is an undersized EDGE rusher from Louisville. He was one of the most successful pass rushers in the entire country in 2025. Lubin was once a zero star recruit and now some draft experts see him as a fringe 1st round draft prospect.

I like how Lubin plays. He's a smart player with a high motor. As soon as you look at the guy, however, there's a very obvious problem: he's too small. So, guess what? I think he should try to change positions and become an ILB. Sound familiar?

The Rams have successfully done this with a player relatively recently. Cory Littleton (Rams UDFA 2016) was primarily an EDGE rusher in college. He started out as a DE then played SAM OLB his final season at Washington. The Rams converted him into an ILB. Littleton was a special teams star, a good pass coverage LB and a reliable tackler. He played well enough to earn a lucrative free agent contract from the Raiders.

Am I wrong about Lubin just as I was wrong about Herbig? Do you think Lubin can become a good NFL starter at EDGE? If so, does he merit top consideration for the Rams in the 2nd round next year?

 

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Part 1: Background

Name, Schools: Clevmer Lubin. 5th year redshirt senior. Louisville 2025 to 2026, Coastal Carolina in 2024, Western Iowa in 2023, Army in 2022. [I'm very disappointed in Clev. All he had to do is transfer again for 2026 and we could have crammed the name of another school in there. Preferably one with a very long name. Is there a Western Massachusetts Polytechnic Institute of Haberdashery that has a football team?]

Size, projected speed: Listed as 6'3'' tall, 260 pounds. Draftbuzz 4.65 seconds in 40. Brian Bosarge 4.60 to 4.70 seconds in 40. Draftscout 4.64 seconds in 40, 6' 2 3/4'' tall.

One of 7 kids, the 2nd youngest. Very lightly recruited from NY. After high school he prepped for 2021 season at US Military Academy Preparatory School.

Was a RB and DE in HS. In 2019 as JR, had 1,062 rushing yards. In 2020 as a SR, had 1,053 rushing yards. Was a good basketball player in HS.

Won JUCO national title playing for Iowa Western in 2023. Listed as 6'3'' tall and 245 pounds in 2023.

Listed by Coastal Carolina as 6'3'' tall and 245 pounds in 2024.

Had the 3rd most QB pressures (64) among power conference players in 2025, behind only David Bailey (2nd overall pick in 2026 draft) and Reuben Bain, Jr. (15th overall pick in 2026 draft).

Some fans have compared him to Elvis Dumervil, who played at Louisville and was a 4th round pick in 2006 by the Denver Broncos. Despite being very short, Dumervil become a very successful NFL pass rusher. Team's DC says that Lubin is a vocal, energetic and emotional leader. Lubin had a friend and HS teammate who wore number 50 and passed away. Lubin says that when he was in JUCO he changed his jersey number to 50 to honor his late friend.

2023 (Iowa Western, 12 games) 55 tackles, 31 solo, 11.5 sacks, 23.5 TFLs, 4 FF, 3 FR
2024 (Coastal Carolina, 10 games) 44 tackles, 24 solo, 9.5 sacks, 12 TFLs, 3 FF, FR, 3 PD
2025 (Louisville, 13 games) 61 tackles, 35 solo, 8.5 sacks, 13.5 TFLs, 3 FF, 5 PD

PFF big board 47 overall. Over last 2 seasons has a 92.8 PFF grade. His 24% pass rush win rate led power conference players in 2025.
DraftBuzz: Late 1st round projection, 32nd overall prospect, 7th ranked LB. (+) Top tier pass rusher, sets stout edge, 33 run stops, comfortable dropping into coverage, only 4 misseed tackles, well-rounded with high floor but not a high ceiling. (-) Ordinary burst, wins with power more than by bending corner, good but not elite 1st step, hand counters stall vs longer OTs.
Drafttek 49
NFLMDD sim 89
PFSN sim 57. (+) 3rd in nation among EDGE defenders in PFSN impact score in 2025, 22.2% pressure rate, hyper-dense, great explosive athleticism, twitch, tenacity, energy, elite technician, stacks moves, sets up pass-rush reps, competent run defender. (-) Can struggle vs longer OTs, driven off line by combo blocks.
Sam Teets preliminary big board: Late 3rd to 4th round tier, 86 overall. In late November of 2025, Teets wrote: (+) Precise hand strikes, attacks OT's outside hand, elite motor, relentless pursuit, second effort rushes, quickly recognizes and redirects on screen passes. (-) Lacks mass and length to stack and shed blocks, arm length, average 1st step and bend, struggles to drop hips and flatten at top of rush.
Draftscout: Day 3.
Ian Cummings 3-round mock draft: Not selected.
Brian Bosarge: (+) Elite pass rusher, explosive block shedding, high end play recognition, lethal punch for strip sacks, scheme versatile. (-) Anchor vs double teams, straight-line speed.

 

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Part 1: Strengths

Very productive at 3 different schools the last 3 seasons. Stepping up to higher competition hasn't resulted in him hitting a ceiling in terms of statistical production. Not just the sacks, he also had a high number of tackles, solo tackles, forced fumbles and deflected passes. He wasn't a full-time player either, so if we adjusted it for production per snap, I bet he'd measure as one of the most disruptive defenders in the entire country last season.

Rare natural athleticism for his position. He played RB in high school. Army listed him as 6'3'' tall and 215 pounds in 2022. He had a bunch of points and rebounds as a high school basketball player. Even though he's bulked up and added considerable weight over the course of his career, he still retains some of that same athleticism and speed.

Sudden and twitchy transitions to toggle from reading the play to pass rushing, so he can stop his pass rush if he feels a screen or misdirection coming or conversely if he reads his keys after honoring a potential run threat, he can immediately charge upfield and try to pressure the QB. Comfortable athlete in space if lined up in the slot against bunch sets, can attack screens just as well as a safety or ILB. Actually, probably better, since he's 260 pounds. Excellent effective playmaking range in the flat area against screens or short passes. CJ Daniels, the rookie WR for the Rams from Miami, experienced the pain of Lubin's pursuit ability against short passes. On a run play, Lubin knocked the OL to the ground with a powerful shoulder charge, then did a Superman leap over the top of the fallen OL to tackle the RB. Quick reaction speed after the snap to take his 1st step, multiple times gained advantage before the OT's initial movement. If he's standing up and engaged on a block, he can scrape laterally down the LOS as if he's a stacked LB, showing good contact balance, body control and coordination. Good spin to redirect his body in opposite direction off of block to pursue the football.

Good change-of-direction to adjust to cuts by RBs and QBs and still get in on tackle, abnormally large short area tackling radius for an EDGE player. Comfortable and natural movement in space to drop into shallow pass coverage. Solid ability to gain proper depth in zone coverage.

Good fit for attack style defensive schemes, able to sell-out and penetrate in the backfield to disrupt runs by slanting inside of blocks, one situation where his smaller size becomes an advantage.

Very good tackler. Textbook form, head up, wraps up securely with his arms and strikes with force while using his body weight to help bring down the runner. Excellent short area closing burst to hit QBs and RBs.

Has a variety of pass rush moves and approaches. Sometimes tries to speed rush outside, other times he attacks down the middle of the OL or goes inside. Solid timing to defeat initial punch by OT. Strong grip to throw OTs sideways and disengage from pass blocks.

High motor. Pursues sideline-to-sideline. Tremendous pursuit range and effort for his position. Sometimes a different defender would make a tackle as the play ends, Lubin is standing nearby and I'd be confused, wondering "Wasn't that guy lined up on the other side of the formation? How did he end up next to the ball?" and I had to go back and watch the play about 3 times to try to figure out what path he took to get all the way across the field.

Tries to punch the ball out from RBs as he makes the tackle. Look at his stats, he's caused a bunch of fumbles over the course of his career, 10 in 3 seasons.

Tough and passionate on field. Not intimidated by physical challenges such as pulling Ol or lead fullbacks.

Smart player on field. Patient vs read options and finds the ball with his eyes. Instincts against screens, fast to diagnose and respond. Anticipated flare pass to RB in flat, stopped his pass rush and adjusted his angle backwards, jumped in the air and deflected the ball to teammate for an INT. Read the movement of the TE, sniffed out trick play developing and blew it up.

Intelligent and mature. Has some natural leadership traits. Even though he only stayed at Army for one season, West Point doesn't grant admission to any random bum off the street. Intangibles to possibly be a candidate to captain an NFL team's defense. His coach said he wasn't afraid to hold other players accountable and say things that need to be said.

I was unable to find any info about major injuries with this prospect.

 

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Part 3: Weaknesses

Older prospect. I was unable to find any information about his exact age. He spent a year in prep school, then 5 in college, so he'll be 6 years out of HS, presumably 2 years older than an average draft prospect.

Doesn't have the right body type. His arms are very short. He's relatively short and has a narrow frame. He doesn't have powerful legs. His hips seem to be slightly high. He lacks flexibility and has tight hips. Very little about Lubin is prototypical for an NFL EDGE rusher. He doesn't look the part.

Concerning lack of leg drive. He doesn't have a powerful lower half, so he's not a true bull rusher.

A tweener who doesn't neatly fit into a specific NFL position. He's too small. Can get bullied by longer and stronger OTs, stuck on their blocks. Got mashed up by pulling guard.

His 1st step is quick, but his stride is too short. Not very explosive off the snap of the ball. He doesn't build enough speed or momentum with the first 2 steps out of his stance to stress a good OT. Occasionally, he takes a false step right after the snap. Not able to apply pressure in the first half second of the play with either threatening bull rush power or dynamic pass rush moves. Allows OTs to get their hands on him too easily.

Poor bend and hip fluidity at the apex. Lubin cannot sink his hips and bend the corner to flatten to the QB. If he tries to go outside of the LT with a speed move, when he gets to the top of his pass rush his body positioning is relatively weak. His momentum is angled too far upfield instead of being directed back into the LT or towards the QB, making it easier for the LT to recover and push him past the back of the pocket. He cannot fully activate his leg muscles from that position to generate force into the LT so that he can execute a counter or finishing move and cleanly get by the block.

Average hands. The timing of his initial swipe is fine. The problem is that he often misses due to his short arms. His hands also aren't heavy or violent enough, so even when he does connect, the OT isn't sufficiently disrupted.

Lubin had substantial production on effort sacks. He's a high energy, try hard guy, but he got sacks on plays where he didn't technically beat the pass block. Other times, he got secondary pass rush pressures or sacks where his initial pass rush move failed and he didn't win with a counter, but at some point in the middle of the play he disengages with brute power and strength, then is able to close in on the QB.

Some of the OTs he beat were garbage. They were incompetent. It happens in college. I'm not overly impressed by pass rush wins against terrible blocking. I want to see something that will translate to the NFL level.

I didn't think that he earned several of his QB pressures and sacks. Several times, the QB was flushed into him by a different defender. Other times, stupid QBs moved into his path, compromising a block by the OT that should have been good enough for the QB to make the pass. One time, the RB chip block inadvertently knocked Lubin inside of the OT, giving him a free path to the QB. Got a sack fumble where the QB held the ball too long. There was a critical play late in the 4th quarter where Lubin has a great opportunity to get a sack but his hips are too tight and his arms are short, so when the QB moves laterally to evade, Lubin can't redirect and ends up just missing the QB.

What really concerned me is that on long 3rd downs where it was an obvious passing situation, Lubin wasn't dominant in those situations. A top pass rusher has a big advantage on those types of plays, because he doesn't have to respect the run. Too often, Lubin got locked up and wasn't able to generate pressure.

Another thing that bothered me is Lubin can be effectively solo blocked by a good blocking TE on both run and pass plays. You shouldn't be able to block an elite pass rushing EDGE with just a TE.

Doesn't give strong or effective jams to TEs or WRs coming off the LOS when he's lined up over them, allowing them to get off the line too cleanly.

His pad level is too upright off the snap.

He's a very quick jumper, which helps him deflect passes at the line. On the other hand, he's short with short arms, so I'm not sure he'll be as successful in the NFL vs taller QBs getting so many deflections. Some of those passes might go barely over his fingertips. Similar thing in pass coverage, his lack of length makes it more challenging for him to get in passing lanes, the QB can more easily shape throws over or around him to get it into zone voids.

Probably due to his hip tightness, he's not dynamic as a looper. He has excellent closing burst once he gets to the portion where he can run downhill in a straight line, but he lacks ideal lateral agility at the beginning portion as he begins to fold behind the other defender.

Even though he's a good tackler in general, there was one play where he missed a TFL due to his arms being too short. His body was in decent position, but when he tried to grab the runner making a jump cut, his reach wasn't long enough.

I don't think he can reliably cover in man. On a wheel route, he wasn't great flipping his hips to carry the route down the sideline, ending up in trail position and he doesn't have enough speed to makeup the gap. Likely would struggle against COD moves by RBs and TEs. So, I think he'll be limited to just shallow zone coverage responsibilities when not used as a pass rusher. His short arms will limit his ability to challenge the catch point even when he's close to the intended receiver. If he makes plays against the pass, it likely will be due to his football IQ, allowing him to jump routes, not because of his size, agility or length.

Doesn't set the edge with proper technique. One example, basic run towards the left, Lubin is in good position, but his outside arm isn't freed up and he loses outside containment. The RB gets an easy 10 yards and Lubin claps his hands in frustration after the play, knowing he didn't do his job.

He wasn't a full-time player. Got rotated out. One reason he could play with high energy was he was able to rest for extended periods.

 

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Part 4: Draft Grade and Pro Comp

4th round grade. Tedy Bruschi (3rd round 1996, New England Patriots, Arizona).

Bruschi was drafted in the bottom half of the 3rd round. He was a fantastic player for Arizona, part of the Desert Swarm defense. He was primarily a defensive lineman in college. Too small to play DE in the NFL, he became a LB. He was an All-Pro level player and a key player on multiple Super Bowl winning teams.

As a pure EDGE rusher, I think that Clev Lubin only has an average ceiling. He could be a situational pass rusher or rotational backup, but I'm not confident that he'll ever become a good starter. I just think that he's too limited by his lack of elite physical tools. I'm more excited about his potential if he's used as an ILB or at least as a hybrid player, like a SAM OLB. He's a smart player, a very good tackler and pursues the ball with conviction, so there are play traits that translate well to playing LB. He could still rush the passer the same way we used Littleton as a pass rusher. In fact, he might be more effective as a pass rusher going against guards and centers on the interior instead of having to try to get around the edge against OTs. Lubin has very good closing burst in a straight line. He doesn't need to flatten around the corner if he's pass rushing up the middle. With his size, he could run over pass blocking RBs. Lubin prefers power rushing anyway and his tackling and redirect ability would be useful against athletic QBs trying to scramble up the middle. Let Myles Garrett bring the heat off the edge and flush the QB into players like Lubin waiting near the front of the pocket.

All the draft boards and simulators list Lubin as an EDGE defender. I see him as a potential in-the-box thumper ILB on early downs who can still stay on the field on 3rd downs due to his pass rushing skills.