Quincy
Roche.
Quincy
Roche.
Miami (FL)· 6'3"· 243 lb· 4.79s 40
"A 6-3, 243-pound Temple-to-Miami edge with 26 college sacks and a 2019 AAC Defensive Player of the Year trophy - a Day 3 sub-package pass-rusher projection where hand craft and bend fought a light frame and average length."Pre-draft read
Operates as a technique-first edge rusher, relying on plan, hand placement, and bend. He primarily aligned as a wide-9 DE at Temple and transitioned to a stand-up rush linebacker at Miami. His most effective snaps occurred in obvious pass situations, attacking a fixed half-man. His signature trait was hand craft, frequently employing long-arm-to-chop and cross-chop rushes, timing swipes to the tackle punch.
He demonstrates legitimate bend at the top of the arc, flattening and dipping to the quarterback from a wide alignment, complemented by a functional spin counter off power. Against the run, he plays with leverage, setting the edge through pad level and precise hand placement. Pullers and combo blocks can displace his 243-pound frame when caught squarely.
A 3-4 front that asks outside linebackers to play with vision and bend, rather than length, at the point of attack, exemplified by a defensive philosophy emphasizing those traits in Pittsburgh.
Year 1 as a sub-package pass rusher, working to fill out his frame and improve against the run, with a ceiling as a reliable pass-down starter thanks to his hand craft and consistent bend.
A two-gap 3-4 or 4-3 heavy-front system that asks edge defenders to consistently convert speed-to-power and shed lead blockers at the point of attack.
Roche's hand craft, flexibility, and pass-rush plan give him a high floor as a viable sub-package option in a 3-4 or nickel 4-3, provided his limited frame is protected against opposing run schemes.
Quincy Roche (Miami EDGE) vs Florida State 2020
All-22 style cut-up showcasing hand craft and bend against ACC competition.
Miami's Quincy Roche 2020 Regular Season Highlights
Miami 2020 season reel with sack and TFL production.
Quincy Roche NFL Draft Tape
Pre-draft cut-up focused on pass-rush plan and counters.
Roche projected as a sub-package pass rusher, characterized by his advanced hand craft, bend, and a well-developed pass-rush plan. Teams acquiring Roche invested in a technician capable of contributing in obvious pass situations, where his sophisticated rush repertoire could overcome average physical traits. His 2019 season, which earned him AAC Defensive Player of the Year with 13 sacks and 19 tackles for loss, exemplified this capability.
He concluded a five-year collegiate career with 26 total sacks and 39 tackles for loss. Following four years at Temple, Roche transferred to Miami, where he validated his film against ACC competition, recording 14.5 TFL and 4.5 sacks in a shortened schedule. This included reps against NFL-caliber tackles, demonstrating his ability to apply his technique effectively at a higher level of competition.
Evaluators consistently placed him in the Round 4-6 window due to concerns regarding his light frame, average arm length, and questions about his NFL anchor. The evident trade-off was a productive pass rusher with advanced technique but lacking elite measurables, requiring a specific scheme fit. He was ultimately selected in Round 6, Pick 216 by Pittsburgh.
- 01
Advanced Hand Craft
Utilizes a developed long-arm-to-chop and cross-chop package, precisely timing swipes to the tackle punch, and reduces his surface area.
- 02
Arc Bend & Flexibility
Possesses legitimate ankle and hip flexibility to dip, flatten, and effectively turn the corner from wide alignments for quarterback finish.
- 03
Consistent Collegiate Production
Compiled 26 career sacks, 39 tackles for loss, earning 2019 AAC Defensive Player of the Year, with 14.5 TFL and 4.5 sacks at Miami.
- 04
Effective Counter Package
Employs a functional spin counter off power and an inside swim, preventing tackles from overcommitting without a return move.
- 05
High Football IQ
A studious pass rusher consistently observed setting up rushes across series, evident on tape and in interviews, translating to NFL.
- 01
Middling Frame & Anchor
At 243 pounds, he can be displaced by combo blocks and pullers; NFL run-down snaps would require either weight gain or specific scheme.
- 02
Limited Arm Length
Below-average arm length restricts the long-arm as a primary move against professional tackles and reduces resetting stalled rushes.
- 03
Average First Step
His get-off is good but not elite; his win rate on pure speed rushes decreases against tackles employing clean vertical sets.
- 04
Level of Competition
Primary production against AAC tackles, his Miami sample was a single shortened season, limiting prolonged top-tier ACC/SEC reps.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.79sp50
- Vertical
- 32.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 119inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- 23repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Temple | 12 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | Temple | 12 | 57 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | Temple | 12 | 49 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2020 | Miami | 10 | 45 | 4.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | — | 46 | 182 | 30.5 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
This prospect projects as a versatile sub-package hybrid edge/linebacker, using his football IQ and effort to contribute as a rotational pass rusher.
An undersized edge rusher who wins with elite bend and hand technique, Roche's ceiling requires maximizing his physical tools to become a consistent pass-rushing threat.
A technique-focused Day 3 edge defender, this player will likely cycle through practice squads and active rosters for a few seasons before their NFL career concludes.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. Roche spent four years at Temple as a technique-forward edge rusher, developing into the 2019 AAC Defensive Player of the Year with 13 sacks and 19 tackles for loss before graduate-transferring to Miami for 2020. In Coral Gables he lined up primarily as a stand-up rush end in an attacking four-man front opposite Jaelan Phillips, finishing with 45 tackles, 14.5 TFL, and 4.5 sacks in a shortened ACC schedule against a slate that included Andrew Thomas-caliber tackle play. Measurables landed at 6-3, 243 pounds with a Miami pro day that produced a 4.79 forty, 32.5-inch vertical, 119-inch broad, and 23 bench reps (RAS 7.51) - solid athletic markers with average length that read as a light 4-3 defensive end or 3-4 outside linebacker. Board consensus put him in the Round 4-6 range as a sub-package pass rusher with real hand and plan value.
NFL fit - Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh took Roche at 216 as a developmental edge behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, betting the organizational evaluators and position coaches could refine a technician into a rotational pass-rush piece. The scheme fit was clean on paper - the outside linebacker room valued speed-to-power and hand fits over pure length - but the depth was crowded with Melvin Ingram signing during camp. The projection was blunt: sub-package rush snaps in obvious pass situations, four-phase special-teams contribution, and a year of position coaching to add anchor and pro-level counters.
Retrospective. Pittsburgh's math went against him at final cuts and the Steelers waived Roche after training camp; the New York Giants claimed him and he spent his rookie year on their active roster, playing 12 games with rotational edge snaps before bouncing between the Giants, Titans, and Panthers practice squads over 2022-2023. He never carved out a defensive role beyond spot rush duty and was out of an active NFL rotation by 2024. The pick was on-tier: a Round-6 pass-rush technician who gave two organizations camp and depth value without breaking into a real rotation, exactly the outcome the length and anchor flags forecast.