The Jets recently signed edge defender Nate Lynn, who has already made an impact in preseason. Today, we break Lynn down in detail.
The 24-year old Lynn is listed at 6’3” and 256 pounds and was undrafted out of William & Mary in 2024. He is yet to make his NFL debut despite some solid preseason performances following a decorated college career at the FCS level.
Background
Lynn was a zero-star recruit in high school despite always having been big for his size and adjusting well to playing against older
competition.
At the end of his high school career, he got offers from three schools and opted to attend William & Mary where he started off as a rotational lineman and registered 14 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss in 12 games as a freshman.
His second season was disrupted by the pandemic, as the Tribe only played three games in a truncated schedule. He had seven tackles with one for a loss and broke up a pass.
2021 was a breakout campaign for Lynn, who was named as a first team FCS all-American after racking up 52 tackles, 12 sacks and six forced fumbles in 10 games.
In 2022, Lynn was productive again with 61 tackles, eight sacks and four forced fumbles. This time, he was a third team all-American.
He finished up a career where he set several school records by recording 58 tackles and eight sacks in 2023, earning second team all-American honors. He was also a first team all-CAA selection in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Having not been invited to the combine, Lynn went undrafted, but the Detroit Lions picked him up as an undrafted free agent and he had a solid training camp.
As preseason began, Lynn made an impact in his first game as he had a sack and initially was also credited with a strip sack, although the replay booth reversed this to an incomplete pass. Unfortunately, though, he suffered a season ending injury and had to spend the entire season on injured reserve.
In his second season, Lynn was again productive in preseason with 11 tackles and a sack in four games, albeit mostly against backups. However, he was released in final cuts and not retained.
The Titans added him to their practice squad after the bye week but never elevated him and, despite signing him to a futures deal after the season, they cut ties with him in April.
The Jets signed Lynn just over a week ago, but he already made a big impact in his first appearance with them in preseason.
Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Lynn brings to the table, based on in-depth research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
As noted, Lynn was big for his age as a youngster, but he was initially an interior defender at the collegiate level, a role he was undersized for. He has good size for an edge role at the NFL level, although he lacks ideal length.
At his pro day, Lynn’s workout numbers were slightly below average for his size across the board. He ran a 4.85 in the 40-yard dash and posted 20 bench press reps along with underwhelming explosiveness and agility numbers.
Usage
As noted, Lynn started off on the interior, playing primarily as a defensive tackle or 3-4 defensive end during his first two seasons.
He still lined up inside over the next three years, although his primary role was on the edge and by the end of his career he was playing almost exclusively outside.
Motor
Lynn brings aggressiveness and effort in the trenches and has proven capable of handling a starter’s workload by playing almost 700 snaps in 2022, including over 70 in two games. Here is an example of his hustle and effort in pursuit:
Pass rush
Lynn had a terrific pressure rate in college, along with a knack for finishing plays. Impressively, he’s also achieved the same kind of pressure rate in preseason action with four sacks in six games.
He showcases good burst off the edge and displays an ability to dip and bend.
However, he can also bring power as a bull rusher or on speed to power moves.
Run defense
Lynn has good strength to enable himself to hold his ground and set the edge in the running game. However, he can be controlled at the point of attack at times.
His performance grades on analysis sites such as Pro Football Focus were excellent in college and, while they haven’t been as consistent in preseason action, he has been in on several run stops near the line.
He has the ability to shoot gaps and beat blocks with his quickness but it will be important for him to show he can hold his ground on the edge and penetrate upfield when engaged with a tight end on stretch plays.
Technique
Lynn has a good first step but the key to his success is that he has good technique, based around patient and disciplined hand usage.
He pulled off an impressive spin move on one of his two sacks in his first Jets game, but this wasn’t the first time he has done that at the NFL level. It’s a move he has also pulled off at times in college.
Special teams
In college, Lynn’s only role on special teams was rushing kicks and punts and he failed to generate any production within that role, while also being called for one penalty.
At the pro level, he’s also blocked on the kickoff return units and covered kicks. He already shown a good knack for the latter as he’s been credited with a tackle three times in just eight plays.
He showcased excellent physicality on this play from last week’s game.
Tackling
Lynn has an impressive knack for forcing fumbles as he had 10 in his career, including six in one season. He hasn’t managed to do this in any of his preseason appearances so far, although he did have one strip sack overturned by the replay booth.
Missed tackles were a bit of a concern, as he had 25 in his last two college seasons combined. However, his missed tackle rate was much lower in his second season and he’s only missed one in preseason action.
Coverage
Dropping into coverage wasn’t something that Lynn was asked to do in college, although he did bat down a few passes at the line and was credited with a pass break-up.
In the Jets game last week, Lynn dropped with a receiver on this incompletion and was right with his man even though this would perhaps be categorized as a drop.
Instincts/Intelligence
Lynn notes the importance of making pre-snap reads in terms of recognizing formations and also noted that in his pre-game preparation, he would study the usual drop depth of opposing quarterbacks so he knew what depth to aim for when rushing. He showcased his ability to make instant reads and react well on this short pass.
However, he also jumped offside four times in his final college season.
Lynn was praised for his good academics while in high school.
Attitude/Demeanor
From being a zero-star high school recruit, to the death of one of his former coaches and mentors, and then suffering a serious injury in the middle of a breakout debut preseason game, Lynn has had to deal with plenty of adversity to make it this far.
He obviously has good toughness, determination and character, and was a team captain in his final season at William & Mary.
On-field discipline wasn’t a concern early in his career, as Lynn had just one defensive penalty in his first three seasons. However, as his playing time increased, he had 12 in his final two years. Three of his penalties in his final season were personal fouls: Roughing the passer, unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct.
Injuries
Lynn is now healthy having suffered a torn ligament in his shoulder two years ago that landed him on season-ending injured reserve.
During that time, he still attended meetings and leaned on the veterans on the Lions’ defensive line to learn how better to look after his body.
Scheme Fit
Despite his experience of playing inside, Lynn’s role with the Jets would be on the edge. However, he may be better equipped to hold up on running downs than some of the other players in the rotation so that could inform how he might be used if he makes the team.
He was a teammate of current Jets players Tim Patrick and Isaiah Williams in Detroit, and T’Vondre Sweat and Samuel Womack in Tennessee. He obviously also played for Aaron Glenn during his rookie season in Detroit.
Conclusions
Despite being a late arrival, Lynn has a genuine chance to make the roster and probably won’t clear waivers if the Jets try to sneak him onto the practice squad.
When we talk about a player making the most of his opportunities in preseason, Lynn’s performance against the Steelers is a perfect example of this. He not only flashed with the two sacks but also contributed against the run, in coverage and on special teams.
The top-four edge positions are locked in for the Jets right now, assuming everyone remains healthy, but it’s likely they will carry at least five edges so there is at least one spot up for grabs and Lynn has already made a case for himself being more worthy of that spot than the likes of Braiden McGregor and Tyler Baron.
