Top 2023 Gwinnett County Pass Rushers

It’s tougher to find a more talent-rich area in the country than in Gwinnett County. Like Miami, Houston, and Los Angeles, Atlanta is a major city with excellent football in the metro-area, and Gwinnett County is a place full of some of the state’s top programs and players. Here are some top pass-rushing juniors who got to the QB early and often this past fall... &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="34064" first="Kayden" last="McDonald"] - DL - North Gwinnett</strong> One of the top 2023 defensive line prospects in all of Georgia, McDonald is a thick, powerful 6-foot-3 325-pounds with lots of sudden quickness for his size. You don’t normally see interior defensive linemen towards the top of the sack leader in the state, but that’s how good MCDonald was this past season, playing against some of the best competition in the state. The dominant defensive tackle had a record seven sacks against South Forsyth in the playoffs, showing he can be an absolute game-changer there. His quickness of the ball for someone his size makes him on of the state’s best. He plays with leverage and it’s easy to see his strength and raw power when he’s running through opposing offensive linemen in the trenches. McDonald had 19 sacks, 2nd most in the 2023 class, and 15 more QB hurries. &nbsp; <strong><a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/local/player/stats.aspx?athleteid=a21c54e8-25e6-4642-905e-975d5331e095&amp;ssid=97e3f828-856d-419e-b94f-7f41319fe3d3"><span class="first-name">Dion</span> Crawford - LB - Collins Hill</a></strong> One of the more productive linebackers in all of 7A, Crawford is coming off an incredible junior season where he made 86 total tackles and 22.5 TFLs to go along with his 13.5 sacks, getting to the QB about once again.  Crawford led an impressive Collins Hill defense all the way to the 7A state championship as he got after the quarterback throughout the season. He’s great when blitzing and closes extremely well when he’s near the ball carrier or QB. He had an incredibly impressive junior season so far and could see his recruitment pick up because of it. &nbsp; <strong><a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/local/player/stats.aspx?athleteid=9efc6bd1-2aa6-4dbc-b003-db22a567019a&amp;ssid=97e3f828-856d-419e-b94f-7f41319fe3d3"><span class="first-name">Jalen</span> Smith</a> - LB - Grayson</strong> Just a junior, Smith tackled just about everything in sight this season, making 173 tackles, leading the team by a mile. He’s a quick-reacting linebacker who closes well on the ball carrier. He’s instinctive and has a true nose for the football. He roams the field at middle linebacker and shows quickness and burst to the ball. He’s a sure tackler and can by physical in the run game, but he also proved to be one of the better pass rushers in the county as well, getting to the QB 10 times and hurrying the passer another 13 times. He can run down the ball-carrier in the run game, but his ability to get after the passer could lead to more D1 interest soon. &nbsp; <strong><a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/local/player/stats.aspx?athleteid=c51c74d1-dd0a-489f-ad13-02588b94b1ad&amp;ssid=97e3f828-856d-419e-b94f-7f41319fe3d3"><span class="first-name">Tyler</span> Walton</a> - DE - North Gwinnett</strong> Another North Gwinnett Bulldog who had a big junior season, Walton is a long, athletic EDGE defender at 6-foot-4 225-pounds who knows how to a deliver a big hit when he gets to the QB. He looks the part physically and made his name known across the region as a promising defender who can help stop the run and hold the edge, but also come after the passer in passing downs. Walton has 8 sacks on the season and hurried the QB another 18 times, showing he’s one of the top 2023 EDGE defenders in one of the toughest regions across the state.