Summary

Caden Curry (22 years old) is a stout, durable defensive end who has played his entire college career at Ohio State with no transfers. In 2025, Curry started throughout the season and posted those 66 tackles, 16.5 TFL, and 11 sacks, emerging as Ohio State’s top edge disruptor and a consistent finisher in high-leverage moments. His 2025 breakout earned him First-Team All-Big Ten recognition and built on his role on Ohio State’s 2024 national championship team. Curry has maintained solid academic standing and is widely viewed as a high-motor, team-oriented worker whose practice habits and physicality consistently draw praise, with no publicly reported significant off-field incidents. From an injury standpoint, he has been generally available with no major injuries publicly documented as causing extended absences, reinforcing his reliability as a foundational edge defender.

Strengths

First Step Burst: Times the snap well and gains immediate ground upfield, stressing offensive tackles early in reps. Moves well laterally for his size and can track plays in space.
Bull Rush: Flashes the ability to transition burst into knock-back force, collapsing the edge of the pocket. Uses clubs, swipes, and rips to disengage and prevent blockers from settling.
You Won’t Like Me When I’m Angry: Pissed off brand of football, pursuing relentlessly from the backside and competes through the whistle. Isn’t satisfied with just tackling ball carriers - he is looking to snatch their soul on every play. Stays alive late in reps, retraces when the QB moves, and creates cleanup production.
Three Down Defender: Sets a firm edge with physicality and forces runs back inside. Has the quickness to reduce inside on passing downs and attack guards with penetration.

Weaknesses

Turning a Corner: More linear than flexible, limiting tight turns at the top of the rush. More power/stride than true cornering flexibility, so tight-arc speed rushes can flatten out and drift past the QB.

Effort vs Dominance: A meaningful portion of pressure can come via stunts/extended reps, and he must prove consistent isolated wins vs NFL-caliber tackles.
Chain Reaction: When the first two steps don’t win, he’ll cycle back to power again instead of chaining moves with intentional sequencing and setup. Can get too far upfield chasing the sack, opening escape lanes when he doesn’t “cap” the rush with his outside hip.
Short Arms: Wildly short arm length. Will expose his chest/shoulders when he strikes outside, letting tackles latch and steer him through the arc (and creating hold-risk when he’s stressed).

Outlook

Curry projects as a high-motor, power-oriented edge defender with strong hands, disciplined edge-setting ability, and enough burst to threaten tackles when he converts speed to power. He fits best in 4-3 or multiple-front defenses that value sturdy defensive ends who can play early downs, reduce inside on passing situations, and collapse the pocket rather than operate strictly as wide-9 speed rushers. Curry is one of our “hidden gems” who is being extremely undervalued and should go much higher than consensus draft boards have him currently. With that being said, expect Curry to end up selected somewhere in day two.

Pro Comparison: Chris Long

Team Fits: JAX, DET, LV, NE, CHI

Report written by Filip Prus