A closer look at Norell Pollard

Given the relatively lukewarm reception that Washington’s drafting of – arguably – the best defensive tackle in the 2024 class that Johnny Newton received in some circles, its understandable why an undrafted free agent at the position has merited barely a whisper.

Most Washington fans are, with good reason, focused on positions of greater need for the organization than one of the strongest units on the team. That focus elsewhere, however, has allowed one of the more intriguing UDFA additions to fly under the radar.

Virginia Tech’s Norell Pollard was a 5-year starter in Blacksburg, accumulating over 2,300 career snaps. In each of the past two seasons, he’s had at least 30 QB pressures, and has totaled 5 sacks, as well as 10.5 tackles for a loss.

At 6’, 283 lbs, Pollard is considered seriously undersized for an NFL defensive tackle, but he’s an elite athlete and put up some of the best pass rushing metrics in college football last year. In fact, his pass rush win rate was better than even Newton’s last season.

Pollard drew heavy interest in the lead up to the draft – where there seemed to be recognition that he was either a late Day 3 or UDFA option – by the Browns, Rams, and Titans, among several other teams.

From his draft profile:

Every cycle, sawed-off disruptors go overlooked in the NFL Draft and end up securing rotational roles at the NFL level. Norell Pollard could be one of those players in the 2024 NFL Draft cycle. At 6’0″, 288 pounds, Pollard — who amassed four sacks and 7.5 TFLs in 2023 — has the leverage, motor, and shock in his hands to exceed his draft billing.

Asked about his pass rushing style before the draft, he offered:

I’m like a Swiss army knife. Most of my moves are based around my quickness. My spin move is a go-to for me as a counter. The coaching staff wanted us to play in a set line. We wanted to play off the offensive linemen. We made sure we went straight every snap.

Your first move should be a chop-rip every time. We went straight every rep. It’s a chop-rip, and then you work off of that depending on how the offensive linemen reacts. If he oversteps, I can go inside. The staff taught us not to have a predetermined move. We had to get a natural feel for it.

I also hit offensive linemen with power. That makes me a more dynamic rusher because people think I’m undersized. They underestimate my strength. Once I stick that second foot in the ground, I get into their chest and win with power.

My pass-rushing arsenal has a little bit of everything. I like to mix some of everything in there. I always like to go straight first though. That’s how I set everything up. That’s the way we were coached.

It’s going to be interesting to see how Pollard fits in Washington’s increasingly crowded defensive line room, alongside depth players like Phil Mathis, John Ridgeway, Haggai Ndubuisi, and Benning Potoa’e. The more, the merrier, I say.