Alabama edge-rusher Will Anderson Jr. is one of the top prospects of the 2023 NFL Draft. After a standout career with the Crimson Tide, the pass-rusher is now a top-five prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft. With the NFL’s annual selection conference just over two months away, here is a Will Anderson NFL draft profile that includes everything you need to know about the top prospect, including a Will Anderson scouting report and projections for where he’ll be drafted.

The Alabama defensive edge-rusher’s career so far

Will Anderson Jr. is a 6-foot-4, 243-pound pass-rusher from Hampton, Georgia, who played outside linebacker and defensive end for three seasons at Alabama. Coming out of Dutchtown High School, Anderson was a consensus four-star signed with the Crimson Tide over other SEC schools such as Auburn, LSU, and Tennessee, per RollTide.com.

Anderson immediately made an impact, winning a starting job as a true freshman and racking up 7.0 sacks and 10.5 tackles for a loss in his first season on campus. As a sophomore, the pass-rusher improved on his own lofty standards with a career year. He put up 17. 5 sacks and won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top defensive player.

In his third season in Tuscaloosa, Anderson’s stats slipped a bit (10.0 sacks), but he still won his second Nagurski Trophy, becoming just the second player in history (with Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald) to win the award twice.

Anderson took home a ton of hardware at the end of the 2022 season. In addition to the Nagurski Trophy, he also earned the Lott IMPACT Trophy for his impact on and off the field, the Bednarik Award, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, the Rotary Lombardi Award, and multiple First Team All-American nods.

Before the Will Anderson NFL draft announcement, the Georgia native finished his Crimson Tide career with 205 tackles, 62 tackles for a loss, 34.5 sacks, an interception, five passes defended, and a forced fumble. That sack total puts him second all-time at Alabama trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas.

With that type of college production, coupled with his potential to get better is why Will Anderson of Alabama is now a top-five prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Will Anderson scouting report

The Will Anderson scouting report is that he is a versatile, highly-athletic EDGE player. He is a strong power pass-rusher and excellent against the run.

Anderson’s strength and physicality allow him to blow up running plays by attacking offensive linemen and chasing down backs. He is already a dominant run player coming into the NFL.

On the pass-rush side, Anderson wins by overpowering linemen and by using his quickness on stunts and twists. He’s also comfortable lining up as a 3-, 4- or 5-technique, meaning he can play anywhere from in between the guard and tackle, heads-up on the tackle, or outside the tackle.

And from a non-technical standpoint, Anderson has the enthusiasm, passion, and character that any team would want from a franchise superstar.

The downsides on this Will Anderson scouting report are that, as a pass-rusher, he needs to develop more moves and be able to better use speed and finesse at times. Also, at his size, he projects as a 3-4 outside linebacker at the NFL level as opposed to a versatile, hand-in-the-dirt defensive lineman like he played at times in college.

Overall, though, the Will Anderson NFL draft stock continues to rise, and he will be a player who will hear his name called early on day one of the 2023 NFL Draft.

What team will select Will Anderson in the 2023 NFL Draft?

Will Anderson from Alabama will almost assuredly get drafted in the top five picks of the 2023 NFL Draft. This is a deep class of EDGE players, but Anderson is securely the No. 1 prospect at this premium position.

If the Chicago Bears keep the No. 1 pick and want to go with an EDGE over a DT (in Georgia’s Jalen Carter), Anderson could be the No. 1 overall pick. What is more likely, though, is that the Bears trade back to No. 4 with the Indianapolis Colts, and quarterbacks — including Anderson’s Alabama teammate Bryce Young — go No. 1 and No. 2.

If that happens, the Arizona Cardinals will have the first shot at Anderson with the No. 3 pick. After that, the Bears or Colts at No. 4 could take him. And if somehow the Will Anderson NFL draft slide continues past No. 4, the Seattle Seahawks will happily say his name with the No. 5 pick.

In the end, the most likely outcome is that Anderson is a Bear or Cardinal in 2023 and helps those franchises rebuild rosters that both suffer from a lack of impact players on the defensive side of the ball.