ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay emphatically reasserts that Alabama's Will Anderson is the top prospect

Todd McShay, the ESPN draft expert and college football analyst, is tired of having to talk about Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson’s lackluster production in 2022. He and Paul Finebaum got to air out their frustrations on Friday evening when McShay, once again, was teed up to talk about Anderson.

Yes, his sack total is down from a year ago when he was on a record-setting pace at times. But McShay is looking past that to the pressure totals, where Anderson leads the country along with Texas Tech edge rusher Tyree Wilson, another projected Top 10 or 20 draft pick, and to the undeniable ability seen on tape.

“In part watching it because every week you keep telling me someone else has been on the show talking about how Will Anderson’s not the same player. I don’t see that,” McShay said. “I will give you that he has missed some sacks, he’s left some plays on the field by missing tackles and not finishing, a little bit more-so than a year ago. And that’s why his sack number, tackle numbers will probably be down from a year ago, when the season ends. But he’s one of two players in the country with 30 pressures this year. So you’re talking about an elite level.”

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McShay brought up another point to defend Anderson: He’s getting the most attention from opposing offenses. From sliding protection to double-teams and chips, Anderson has had it all thrown his way this year.

With that in mind, McShay is happy to stump for Anderson as the No. 1 prospect in college football.

 the first thing they do when they’re getting ready for Alabama week, offense, their meetings they’re figuring out ‘OK, what are we going to do to take that guy out of the picture. We gotta make sure Will Anderson doesn’t beat us,'” McShay said. “… I don’t think there’s a player in the country that gets more attention on the defensive side than Will Anderson does on a weekly basis. And he still has 30 pressures to this point, one of only two guys.” 

Once McShay’s latest extended defense of Anderson had wrapped up, Finebaum offered an olive branch.

“I’m going to retire the question, Todd, if that’s OK with you,” Finebaum said, soliciting a chuckle from the pair.