Derek Rivers came to Youngstown State out of Fork Union Military Academy and lived in the backfield under the tutelage of coach Bo Pelini. Rivers set the Penguins all-time sack record at 37.5 while also having a whopping 56.5 tackles for loss.

Now he could become the highest draft pick to ever emerge from YSU, whose most notable NFL players were quarterback Ron Jaworski (taken No. 37 overall in 1973) and kicker Jeff Wilkins (undrafted).

YSU held its annual Pro Day on Tuesday. Both Marc Weems and Ryan Allison were there and confirmed that the Atlanta Falcons were one of the many teams having at least one representative on hand.

No questioning the star of this YSU pro day. Senior Derek Rivers has the attention of all these NFL scouts. pic.twitter.com/XCl0Dwm2Cr — Ryan Allison (@Ryan27WKBN) March 14, 2017

Atlanta tied the Patriots with 34 sacks in 2016, good for No. 16 in the league. Most of those came from outside linebacker Vic Beasley, though, and the Falcons are looking to add more juice opposite of him. Rivers could be just the answer Atlanta needs. Let’s take a look at how Rivers stacks up for the Falcons in this deep EDGE class.

Player Profile

Rivers excelled in the broad jump and three-cone drill, both of which are important metrics in talent evaluation for general manager Thomas Dimitroff and Atlanta’s scouting department. He has the speed and length that coach Quinn desires from his EDGE defenders.

On film, his burst and ability to run the arc are among the best in this class.

Very impressed with Derek Rivers' explosiveness. Elite first step and does a nice job of converting speed into power. pic.twitter.com/0ChbaGKK72 — Alex Reno (@alex_reno) February 15, 2017

From all accounts, Rivers is also a great teammate and locker room guy who expects to be a leader wherever he ends up. He shows a good motor and checks the boxes when it comes to competitiveness and toughness.

How would the Falcons feature him?

Rivers would best fit the LEO and SAM positions in Quinn’s defense.

It’s still uncertain whether veteran defensive end Dwight Freeney, who was credited with 18 QB hurries in 2016, will be re-signed for another season. Also, Adrian Clayborn has only one season left on his contract. At some point, the Falcons will look to move on Brooks Reed as well. So, drafting an edge like Rivers makes sense on multiple levels.

Although Rivers rushed primarily from the left side in college, he was successful when rushing from the right at the Senior Bowl. He also looked fluid in linebacker drills, suggesting he could have the athletic talent to succeed in the NFL at dropping back and covering, something the Penguins rarely asked him to do.

Rivers will need to show he can play with more power and improve his awareness and discipline against the run, but he can immediately rush the passer from a wide position opposite of Beasley in nickel packages while improving on setting the edge.

Rivers will eventually be expected to play the same type of role on defense as Cliff Avril on the Seattle Seahawks and would provide valuable insurance against an injury to its predominant pass rusher.

Highlights

Draft Projection: Late 1st – 2nd Round

It’s doubtful that Rivers will make it to the Falcons second-round pick. The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be enamored with him and the Cleveland Browns have also shown a great deal of interest. Because he is coming from a smaller program, teams may have some questions about the level of competition but don’t be surprised if someone takes him late in the first round.