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Draftanomics
Prospect dossier

Yhonzae Pierre

EDGE · Alabama · 2027 NFL Draft class

Public Draft Board rank #43·22 contributing sources·Board as of August 31, 2026
Draftanomics scouting
Preseason edition · August 24, 20264 min read

Master scouting report

Pierre projects as a versatile edge with early-down run value and a useful role in a pressure package. Snap anticipation, quick diagnosis and closing burst drive his disruption. He needs a more connected rush sequence and controlled tackle finishes to become a dependable three-down starter.

By Draftanomics · Sources & edition · Print report

01Career And Production

Pierre moved from a reserve role into 12 starts in 2025 and led Alabama with eight sacks. He added 52 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, nine quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles across 15 games.

02Get Off

Pierre anticipates the snap well and accelerates quickly enough to threaten a tackle before the pass set settles. Pierre times blitzes from depth, loops through traffic and finds openings beyond a wide speed track.

03Speed Rush

Pierre can attack an outside shoulder, but his pass rush is more varied than a pure speed-edge label suggests. Much of his 2025 pressure came through recognition, effort and offensive-line movement, with enough bend and lateral quickness to keep developing. NFL tackles will force him to prove he can shorten the corner after contact instead of staying on a wide track.

04Power And Hands

At Alabama's current 253-pound listing, Pierre has enough strength to set an edge and compress a soft corner, but he is not built to win every snap through mass. His bull rush and speed-to-power give him a foundation, with the full pass-rush sequence still unfinished. The next step is connecting his long arm, swipe or inside move to the leverage created by the first two steps.

05Counters

Pierre has the lateral quickness to cross a tackle's face when the outside set opens an inside lane. He does not yet have a reliable sequence for the snaps when the tackle stays square and absorbs the first contact. A cleaner counter would separate repeatable NFL pressure from sacks created by scheme, pursuit or a late escape from the pocket.

06Run Defense

Run defense was Pierre’s most convincing phase in 2025, combining quick diagnosis, leverage and the ability to stack and shed before closing the lane. He has adequate strength to hold the edge.

07Tackling And Finish

Pierre closes quickly and has the range to reach plays beyond his initial alignment. Three forced fumbles in 2025 show his ability to attack the ball at the quarterback. He does not always arrive balanced or complete the wrap, allowing missed tackles despite favorable closing speed.

08Coverage And Space

Pierre has worked off the ball, dropped into hook and flat zones and looped through traffic on stunts. That experience broadens the disguise available before the snap. His awareness in coverage is less developed than his work moving forward, so drops should complement his edge and pressure assignments rather than become a primary role.

09Alignment Versatility

Pierre can rush from either edge, play with a hand down or stand up outside the tackle. Reduced alignments create inside matchups without asking him to absorb double teams. That flexibility suits a multiple front, provided he maintains gap discipline when the call moves him around.

10Development And Outlook

Pierre's first starting season produced disruption from conventional edge rushes, movement and pursuit. His less developed phase is defeating a square tackle who absorbs the opening move. Connecting the counter to his initial leverage would make his pressure less dependent on timing, scheme-created lanes or second effort.

The case for the player

Strengths

  • Explosive get-off immediately threatens a tackle's outside shoulder.

  • He led Alabama with eight sacks and added 14.5 tackles for loss in 2025.

  • Compact leverage creates useful speed-to-power against taller tackles.

  • Closing burst expands his pursuit and finishing range.

  • Three forced fumbles show disruptive finishing at the quarterback.

  • He can rush from either edge, stand up or reduce inside on passing downs.

The questions that remain

Concerns

  • His counter sequence is late when a tackle controls the initial speed rush.

  • Missed tackles show that closing speed does not always become a secure finish.

  • Coverage awareness is less developed than his work moving forward.

Building the fit

NFL role and scheme fit

Pierre fits as a stand-up edge or weak-side end in a multiple front. Let him set and shed the edge on early downs, then use wide alignments, stunts and selected reduced rushes to vary his path to the passer. Occasional hook and flat drops can disguise the call. His immediate value is a versatile rotation role with starting potential; frequent man coverage and repeated isolated rushes against a square tackle expose less developed parts of his game.

The Draftanomics view

Bottom line

Pierre has the run recognition, leverage and alignment flexibility to contribute beyond a pass-rush-only assignment. Eight sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss establish productive starting work, but the rush remains less polished than the totals suggest. A connected counter and more secure tackling would support a three-down NFL role; the present value comes from combining his edge work with movement and pressure packages.

Sources & edition

The Draftanomics assessment, synthesized from attributed reporting. Role and development language expresses scouting opinion.

Original analysis through August 24, 2026. Restoration reviewed September 6, 2026; this is not an in-season update. No new Draftanomics all-22 review is included.

11 original sentences are omitted pending further evidence or source-use review. The remainingassessment is expressed in revised house prose. Source links support the assessment; they do not represent independent votes or permission to reproduce an article.

View the 5 referenced sources
  • Yhonzae Pierre - Football - Alabama AthleticsAlabama Athletics

    Official 15 games/12 starts, 52 tackles/14.5 TFL/eight sacks/nine hurries/three FF and prior six tackles in 2024/no 2023 action. Current updated weight differs from Riney’s June edition.

  • 2027 NFL Scouting Report: Yhonzae Pierre - WalterFootballCharlie Campbell · August 19, 2026

    Read/react blitz timing, interior paths/edge loops, end/stand-up rush, bull/speed-to-power, quick closing and adequate edge strength; four-quarter mass and move repertoire concerns.

  • Yhonzae Pierre Early 2027 NFL Draft Elite ProfileAlain Pierre · July 30, 2026

    Run recognition/discipline, lockout and shed, flat/back coverage, bend/timing/motor, inconsistent speed-to-power and tackling. Wrong recruit stars and proprietary pressure count excluded.

  • 2027 Summer Scouting Report: Yhonzae PierreMason Riney · June 12, 2026

    Historical 253-pound listing, off-ball/edge/hook-flat roles, stunt processing and stack-shed/run leverage; bend/lateral agility, incomplete rush toolbox and effort. PFF charting excluded.

  • Yhonzae Pierre — retained nfl_draft_buzz evaluationNFL Draft Buzz

    Coverage dips and late high pads plus qualitative finish concern; all pressure, stop, missed-tackle figures and conflicting sacks excluded.

Read statement references

Every passage remains linked to its supporting sources. Open a section to inspect the assessment and its evidence.

Sources for overview
  1. House assessment

    Pierre projects as a versatile edge with early-down run value and a useful role in a pressure package. Snap anticipation, quick diagnosis and closing burst drive his disruption. He needs a more connected rush sequence and controlled tackle finishes to become a dependable three-down starter.

Sources for career and production
  1. Reported fact

    Pierre moved from a reserve role into 12 starts in 2025 and led Alabama with eight sacks.

  2. Reported fact

    He added 52 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, nine quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles across 15 games.

Sources for get off
  1. House assessment

    Pierre anticipates the snap well and accelerates quickly enough to threaten a tackle before the pass set settles.

  2. House assessment

    Pierre times blitzes from depth, loops through traffic and finds openings beyond a wide speed track.

Sources for speed rush
  1. House assessment

    Pierre can attack an outside shoulder, but his pass rush is more varied than a pure speed-edge label suggests.

  2. House assessment

    Much of his 2025 pressure came through recognition, effort and offensive-line movement, with enough bend and lateral quickness to keep developing.

  3. House assessment

    NFL tackles will force him to prove he can shorten the corner after contact instead of staying on a wide track.

Sources for power and hands
  1. House assessment

    At Alabama's current 253-pound listing, Pierre has enough strength to set an edge and compress a soft corner, but he is not built to win every snap through mass.

  2. House assessment

    His bull rush and speed-to-power give him a foundation, with the full pass-rush sequence still unfinished.

  3. House assessment

    The next step is connecting his long arm, swipe or inside move to the leverage created by the first two steps.

Sources for counters
  1. House assessment

    Pierre has the lateral quickness to cross a tackle's face when the outside set opens an inside lane.

  2. House assessment

    He does not yet have a reliable sequence for the snaps when the tackle stays square and absorbs the first contact.

  3. House assessment

    A cleaner counter would separate repeatable NFL pressure from sacks created by scheme, pursuit or a late escape from the pocket.

Sources for run defense
  1. House assessment

    Run defense was Pierre’s most convincing phase in 2025, combining quick diagnosis, leverage and the ability to stack and shed before closing the lane.

  2. House assessment

    He has adequate strength to hold the edge.

Sources for tackling and finish
  1. House assessment

    Pierre closes quickly and has the range to reach plays beyond his initial alignment. Three forced fumbles in 2025 show his ability to attack the ball at the quarterback. He does not always arrive balanced or complete the wrap, allowing missed tackles despite favorable closing speed.

Sources for coverage and space
  1. House assessment

    Pierre has worked off the ball, dropped into hook and flat zones and looped through traffic on stunts. That experience broadens the disguise available before the snap. His awareness in coverage is less developed than his work moving forward, so drops should complement his edge and pressure assignments rather than become a primary role.

Sources for alignment versatility
  1. House assessment

    Pierre can rush from either edge, play with a hand down or stand up outside the tackle.

  2. House assessment

    Reduced alignments create inside matchups without asking him to absorb double teams.

  3. House assessment

    That flexibility suits a multiple front, provided he maintains gap discipline when the call moves him around.

Sources for development and outlook
  1. House assessment

    Pierre's first starting season produced disruption from conventional edge rushes, movement and pursuit. His less developed phase is defeating a square tackle who absorbs the opening move. Connecting the counter to his initial leverage would make his pressure less dependent on timing, scheme-created lanes or second effort.

Sources for strength
  1. House assessment

    Explosive get-off immediately threatens a tackle's outside shoulder.

Sources for strength
  1. Reported fact

    He led Alabama with eight sacks and added 14.5 tackles for loss in 2025.

Sources for strength
  1. House assessment

    Compact leverage creates useful speed-to-power against taller tackles.

Sources for strength
  1. House assessment

    Closing burst expands his pursuit and finishing range.

Sources for strength
  1. Reported fact

    Three forced fumbles show disruptive finishing at the quarterback.

Sources for strength
  1. House assessment

    He can rush from either edge, stand up or reduce inside on passing downs.

Sources for concern
  1. House assessment

    His counter sequence is late when a tackle controls the initial speed rush.

Sources for concern
  1. House assessment

    Missed tackles show that closing speed does not always become a secure finish.

Sources for concern
  1. House assessment

    Coverage awareness is less developed than his work moving forward.

Sources for nfl role and scheme fit
  1. House assessment

    Pierre fits as a stand-up edge or weak-side end in a multiple front. Let him set and shed the edge on early downs, then use wide alignments, stunts and selected reduced rushes to vary his path to the passer. Occasional hook and flat drops can disguise the call. His immediate value is a versatile rotation role with starting potential; frequent man coverage and repeated isolated rushes against a square tackle expose less developed parts of his game.

Sources for bottom line
  1. House assessment

    Pierre has the run recognition, leverage and alignment flexibility to contribute beyond a pass-rush-only assignment. Eight sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss establish productive starting work, but the rush remains less polished than the totals suggest. A connected counter and more secure tackling would support a three-down NFL role; the present value comes from combining his edge work with movement and pressure packages.

College record & draft context

College production, measurables, experience, and the prospect's place on the sealed Public Draft Board.

Public Draft Board

Public Draft Board rank
#43
Position rank
EDGE5
Contributing sources
22
Movement since prior snapshot
Up 26

Sealed snapshot as of August 31, 2026 · equal-weight aggregation of public boards, minimum 3 sources for a rank · The Public Draft Board

College production

Defense
StatisticSeason 2024Season 2025
Total tackles652
Solo tackles339
Tackles for loss0.514.5
Sacks08
Passes defended21
QB hurries08
Defensive TD00

Seasons of evidence: 2. Games played, snap counts, and usage shares are not in the retained data. An em dash means the value is not in the dataset, not zero.

Evidence notes

  • The retained data contains 2 seasons of defense production (2024–2025).
  • Defense tackles increased in each observed season (6 → 52).
  • The newest college season in the retained data is 2025; the 2026 season is not yet included.
  • No verified athletic testing is included in the sealed dataset for this prospect.
  • 22 contributing public boards rank this prospect; the Public Draft Board places him at #43.
  • The aggregate public rank rose 26 spots between the two most recent sealed weekly snapshots.

Each note restates a displayed fact. None is a forecast of NFL performance.

Experience and measurements

Listed height
6'3"
Listed weight
253 lb
Class
Senior
Age
Not in dataset
Recorded school
Alabama
Former school
Not in dataset
Hometown
Eufaula, AL
Jersey
#0
Recruiting stars
5-star
Recruiting rank
#31 nationally

"Not in dataset" means the value is absent from the sealed dossier dataset, not that it does not exist.

Athletic testing

Not included in the sealed dataset. No combine, pro-day, or RAS value is retained for the 2027 class; absence here does not mean no testing has taken place.

Listed roster height and weight (CollegeFootballData); no verified athletic testing is retained. Bio captured August 29, 2026.

Historical comparisons

Historical profile comparisons are being rebuilt.

Sources and methodology

  • Retained bio and measurements: Draftanomics prospect ingest (CollegeFootballData rosters and recruiting), retained seed data/seed/prospects_upcoming_full.parquet.
  • Retained college production: CollegeFootballData season statistics via the retained player cross-reference; position-relevant categories only; all-zero category rows dropped.
  • Age: unavailable — no birth date or age is retained for the 2027 class.
  • Transfer history: not retained — the page shows the current school and, where the frozen id names a different school, the former school.
  • Public Draft Board: sealed snapshot as of August 31, 2026; per-source ranks are not published under the aggregate-only source policy.

Board methodologyDossier methodologyResearch status

Board position reflects aggregated public opinion; the scouting report is a separate editorial assessment.