Todd McShay has SEC star as No. 1 NFL Draft prospect in college football

Todd McShay joined the Paul Finebaum Show on Friday afternoon, and the host and NFL Draft expert discussed none other than Alabama star pass rusher Will Anderson Jr.

Anderson’s sack numbers are down this season. There could be several reasons for that, but McShay is convinced that coordinators are making sure they are accounting for the pass rusher on every play. And that’s, in part, causing decreased sack numbers.

Anderson recorded a whopping 17.5 sacks in 2021. He was widely proclaimed as the top defensive player in college football, and most figure he should have been deserving of Heisman Trophy hype. This year, however, Anderson has recorded just 8 sacks.

McShay isn’t worried, and he still has Anderson as the top prospect in college football.

“The first thing they (opposing coordinators) do when they’re getting ready for Alabama week, offense, their meetings they’re figuring out, ‘Okay, what are we going to do to take that guy out of the picture. We gotta make sure Will Anderson doesn’t beat us,’” McShay said. “I don’t think there’s a player in the country that gets more attention on the defensive side than Will Anderson does on a weekly basis, and he still has 30 pressures to this point, one of only 2 guys.”

Some are saying that Anderson is a different player this year; McShay doesn’t see it.

“In part watching it because every week you keep telling me someone else has been on the show talking about how Will Anderson’s not the same player. I don’t see that,” McShay added. “I will give you that he has missed some sacks, he’s left some plays on the field by missing tackles and not finishing — a little bit more so than a year ago. And that’s why his sack number, tackle numbers will probably be down from a year ago, when the season ends. But he’s one of 2 players in the country with 30 pressures this year. So you’re talking about an elite level.”

Will Anderson be the first defensive player off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft?