Editor’s Note: This is the fourth installment in our summer series breaking down UVa’s schemes, concepts, and personnel as the Hoos head toward the fall and presumably the 2020 football season. You can check out our first piece here, which focuses on the tight end position, our second right here, which focuses on the QB battle to come, and then our third piece here that breaks down the way UVa uses quarterback runs.

2019 Review:

Snowden was expected to be a big part of Virginia’s defense in 2019 and he was just that. In his junior campaign, Snowden started every game and was a steady force in UVa’s defense throughout the nine-win campaign.

Statistically, Snowden had his best season as a Wahoo in his second full year as a starter. His 72 tackles (36 solo, 36 assists) were third-best on the team. He also finished third on the team in sacks (five) and tackles for loss (11). Snowden also racked up nine QB hurries, four pass break-ups, and a 24-yard reception on a trick play.

Snowden was a reliable defender, near the top of ProFootballFocus’ grades throughout the season. He finished the year with the top tackling grade on the defense (87.4), up big from his 69.3 grade in 2018. Snowden was used as a pass rusher on 256 of his 779 snaps and was the most often-used pass rusher on the team, outside of the defensive linemen.

Of Virginia’s regular starters, Snowden had the fifth-highest pass coverage grade (64.8), allowing just one passing touchdown on the season. Snowden was also disciplined, picking up just two total penalties on the year.

In a 3-4 defense, the outside linebacker is a primary pass rusher who is going to attempt to make plays in the backfield or at the line of scrimmage. Pass-rushing ability is the biggest skill required to play the position and UVa is lucky to have two edge rushers with elite athleticism who can really get after opposing quarterbacks.

Snowden excels as a pass rusher but also uses his size to disrupt pass attempts by getting in the passing lanes and deflecting throws. As a sophomore in 2018, he batted down seven throws at the line of scrimmage and last fall he deflected four more, including two in the win over Florida State.

On the example below, Snowden knows a quick throw is coming to his side and although he is sealed off from the quarterback by running back Cam Akers, he simply stands his ground and uses his big 6-foot-7 frame and long arms to time the throw perfectly and bat it down.

Athleticism and skill are obviously necessary qualities for a pass rusher to have but so too is tenacity. Many pass rushers will give up on a play if the quarterback is able to evade their tackle attempt and run away, but Snowden has a fantastic motor and will force opposing passers to run for their lives until they make a throw or get taken down.

This next play, also against FSU, is a perfect example of just that. Snowden gets a clean rush on James Blackman and although the QB gets away from the rush and out into space, Snowden keeps chase and eventually brings him down at the line of scrimmage. On this play, Snowden’s motor but also his speed are on full display.

Snowden’s best game of the season came in the comeback win over Old Dominion, when the junior linebacker racked up 15 tackles and three sacks, helping to shut out the Monarchs in the second half.

The play below was one of those sacks and demonstrates both athleticism and good technique. Notice how Snowden gets a good first step on the tackle at the snap, which puts him in a great spot to get the backfield. Notice too the great bend he shows, working around the tackle’s block and to the quarterback. Stiffer athletes wouldn’t have been able to turn that corner and get off the block but Snowden, an excellent athlete, ca and does.

This next play is similar but is even more of a clean rush from Snowden: The left tackle knows what is coming but Snowden’s first step at the snap is just too quick and gives the Monarch no chance to make the block.

This final pass rush example shows that Snowden has more than one move to get to the quarterback. On this play in the Orange Bowl, he fakes a typical outside rush and then cuts back inside the right tackle and into the backfield. The tackle lets Snowden go by assuming he’ll get help from the guard to his left, but Snowden is too quick and gets by both lineman and to the quarterback with relative ease.

Snowden isn’t used in a pure coverage role all that often in UVa’s defense. Of his 779 snaps in 2019 only 179, or a little over 10 per game, were in a coverage role.

Still, he demonstrates the ability to cover the pass and make plays in space. One quality that stands out on tape is his ability to play sound in zone coverage, read the play correctly, and then use his athleticism to get downfield quickly and make a sound tackle.

On this play against ODU, Snowden (in yellow) is lined up in coverage outside of the hashes, rather than in his normal alignment just off tackle. Snowden does a great job on this play dropping into coverage, quickly identifying the screen, and pushing up the field to make an open-field stop, and nearly forcing a safety in the process.

Our next play is another great example of Snowden dropping into zone coverage, reading and reacting. Lined up over a receiver in the slot, Snowden follows the route until the receiver crosses out of his zone, and picks up another receiver, who is targeted coming into Snowden’s zone from the other side of the field. He quickly reads the play, reacts and makes a great open-field tackle.

On the next one, Snowden handles his coverage responsibilities and does a great job containing a quarterback scramble. On this play from the first half of the win over Virginia Tech, he is responsible for the running back drifting out of the backfield. Snowden covers that assignment easily and when Hendon Hooker takes off, the now senior linebacker did a great job forcing Hooker back towards the middle of the field and keeping contain and corralling the quarterback before a couple of teammates finished him off.

On this play against William & Mary, Snowden shows how big of an asset it is to have a super-athletic outside linebacker on both sides of UVa’s defense. QB Hollis Mathis, not a slow player by any means, takes off around the right side on a quarterback sweep play. He likely beats most edge players to the outside but not Snowden, who reads the play and runs down the quarterback with ease.

There have been a number of plays over his three years in Charlottesville where Snowden’s athleticism allows him to run down a quarterback that may think he can out-run all pursuing defenders to the edge. This play is a great example of that.

The next example is another play that shows how his athleticism can break up a scheme. Miami is running a stretch play to the left, with blockers crashing down to open up a running lane on the outside. Snowden is on the back side of this play and isn’t really accounted for. The thinking is that Snowden would have so far to run to catch up to the ball carrier that he doesn’t really need to be blocked.

But he is so athletic that he easily runs down the Miami running back, and makes a stop behind the line of scrimmage.

Lastly, Travis Etienne was a handful for Virginia’s defense in the ACC title game but on this play, Snowden corralled him. Etienne was trying to bounce this play outside and if he can get into space, it’s trouble for the defense. Instead, Snowden forces Etienne out wide and causes him to reset the run. By the time he goes to bounce it back inside, reinforcements have arrived and the play is shut down.

2019 Review:

A very strong case could be made that Taylor was the best player on Virginia’s defense in 2019. In fact, after watching all 14 games again, I would make that case myself.

Taylor was certainly UVa’s most-improved defender, going from a role player to a bonafide difference maker on the 2019 unit. He played 673 snaps in the 14-game season, sixth-most on the D.

The Maryland native finished the year with 57 tackles, seven sacks (second most on the team) and a team-high 13.5 tackles for loss. He also excelled in coverage, intercepting a pair of passes against Virginia Tech, and breaking up four passes throughout the season.

Taylor also finished with the second-highest overall defensivee grade in 2019 per PFF, behind only Eli Hanback. He put up above average numbers in tackling, pass rush, and coverage, where his 89.7 grade was by far the highest on the team.

No disrespect to Snowden, who is an excellent pass rusher in his own right, but Taylor is likely just as good or perhaps slightly better as an all-around pass rusher at this point. He didn’t have more than one sack in any game but he was consistent with seven sacks on the season.

Taylor created 26 pressures on 203 pass rush plays, for a 13 percent success rate. For comparison, Snowden created 36 pressures on 256 attempts, or 14 percent.

On this first play below, Taylor demonstrates both speed and strength on the rush. A great first step at the snap gives Taylor the edge, and while the tackle does a decent job recovering Taylor powers through the block attempt and bends around to the quarterback. Even while fighting through a block, Taylor quickly eats up 10 yards and is in the backfield to make the play.

Taylor gets a free rush on this play against Notre Dame and forces an intentional grounding from Ian Book. While the rush itself was a pretty easy one, note the quick change of direction to keep the pursuit going when Book tries to escape. Taylor gets in the backfield to make the play but quickly pivots to his right and keeps chase, not over-pursuing.

The next example is another rush where Taylor gets such a quick first step, the left tackle really has no chance. He also does a great job wrestling down the quarterback as he tried to step up in the pocket and evade the pressure.

The final pass rush we're going to spotlight, this time against against Clemson, is similar to an example we showed of Snowden above from the Orange Bowl. UVa runs a great stunt at the snap, with Mandy Alonso taking his rush wide and Taylor cutting inside of him and into the gap. Because Taylor is so athletic and it takes Clemson’s line a second to recognize the scheme, by the time the tackle goes to chip Taylor he’s well on his way to Trevor Lawrence.

We mentioned Taylor’s absurd coverage grade earlier and it’s worth noting that the Wahoos used him differently than they used Snowden, particularly in the back half of the season. When the injuries starting cropping up in the secondary, Taylor was tasked with sometimes be used as a de facto defensive back. He did play a little bit of safety in his first spring practices and is certainly athletic enough to handle the position.

Taylor played 147 snaps at slot corner, eight more as a wide corner, and five snaps at free safety. That versatility was a huge asset to a defense that was struggling to stay healthy down the stretch.HIs most-important play of the year was his second interception against Virginia Tech, which set the Cavaliers up to take the lead late and ultimately win.

We have two angles of the play below. The first shows Taylor lined up at slot corner and dropping into coverage on the 3rd and long before making the play.

On the second clip, you can see Taylor set up well in coverage, keeping his eyes on the QB while keeping tabs on the pass catchers in the area, and then using his speed and length to get back and leap up for the interception. Having a 6-foot-4 linebacker in pass coverage is a nightmare for a quarterback on a throw like this, when getting over the defender’s head is paramount. Hooker may have underestimated Taylor’s leaping ability, and it cost him dearly.

Here’s another play with Taylor at slot corner, this time against William & Mary. He takes his man down the seam and gives the quarterback no room to make an easy throw with safety help over top. This is a straightforward assignment for Taylor and he handles it like a natural.

This last example really has nothing to do with scheme but is all about raw ability. Taylor drops into coverage and Florida throws a quick flat pass to an uncovered running back. He reads the throw and then races up to close down on the catch, making an excellent open-field tackle. This sort of reaction time, speed, and tackling ability is the difference between a flat pass for no gain and a potential huge play for an opponent.

One quality that stood out on tape when it comes to Taylor's run defense was his ability to read and react, and stay home when necessary. Yes, he did break contain a few times but over the course of a season those plays are bound to happen. But these first two examples show Taylor diagnose the play quickly, and make the play within his assignment.

On the first play, William & Mary gets way too cute on what was supposed to be a double-reverse pass. Taylor chases the first ball carrier but even before the pitch on the reverse, he sees the player drifting into a position to accept the pitch, and correctly reads the play. The result is a completely busted play for a big loss.

The second play is somewhat similar. Taylor sees Louisville’s Tutu Atwell coming in motion towards him and understands he has to contain any sweep play to his side. While evading his blocker, he sets the edge and makes the play, not allowing Atwell to find a lane to get outside for a big gain like the one he had earlier in the game.

This final clips shows Taylor quickly reading a relatively obvious quarterback power play on 4th and short. He gets off the ball quickly at the snap and before Duke's Quinton Harris can get back to the line of scrimmage, Taylor comes unblocked off the edge and corrals him. Taylor showed tenacity as a tackler throughout the season and did a great job on this play not allowing Harris to drag him to the line of scrimmage for a conversion.

After breaking down Taylor and Snowden for 14 games, it’s easy to see why UVa covets those types of players for the edge positions. Their speed is a real problem for a lot of offensive linemen, allowing them to create havoc in the backfield or contain plays before they can get to the edge be that against the run or the pass.

There are a lot of similarities between the two. Both do a great job knowing their roles and assignments, and then executing them. They are both strong tacklers and are rarely made to look foolish by an opponent. Each has great speed and bend off the edge that makes them a matchup nightmare for slower tackles, and almost guarantees a positive play for the defense if the offense misses a blocking assignment on one of them.

As for how they are different, Snowden has more length, which allows him to disrupt the passing game at the line of scrimmage in a way few players can. Taylor, meanwhile, is a more fluid pass defender who can line up in a number of different spots and flourish.

After playing a big role on Virginia’s defense last fall, the sky's the limit for Taylor and Snowden, both likely future pros, in 2020 and beyond. And with more promising talent in the pipeline at the position it seems that UVa’s coaches have figured out what they want from the position, have identified great fits for the system, and are using that position to create a lot of headaches for opposing offensive coordinators.

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