When former Missouri edge rusher Damon Wilson II committed to the Miami Hurricanes, it registered immediately as one of the most significant portal additions of the cycle. Miami added production, length, and experience off the edge. But it was what came next that reframed the moment entirely.
“This young man,” ESPN’s Louis Riddick wrote on X, “will be a top 10 pick in the 2027 draft.”
It was not phrased as a possibility or a projection. It was a statement.
Riddick went on to explain that he had seen Wilson play live twice during the 2025 season, a detail that mattered. This was not evaluation by reputation or highlight tape. It was firsthand. In a single sentence, Riddick shifted Wilson’s commitment from a college football transaction into something much bigger: an NFL development story already underway.
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He also pointed directly to the context that made Miami such a natural landing spot. “Jason Taylor got another one to work with,” Riddick added, a line that quietly carried weight. Jason Taylor is not just another position coach. He is one of the sport’s modern edge-rushing standards, and his presence continues to pull elite pass rushers to “The U.”
Wilson’s résumé supports the confidence. After beginning his career with the Georgia Bulldogs, he took a noticeable leap in 2025 with the Missouri Tigers. He finished the season with nine sacks, double-digit quarterback pressures, and second team All-SEC honors. Week after week, he showed the ability to win off the snap, flatten to the quarterback, and finish.
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In the portal era, it is easy for moves like this to blur together. Names change jerseys. Announcements stack up. But sometimes a voice cuts through and gives clarity. Riddick’s did.
Miami did not just add an experienced edge rusher. According to one of ESPN’s most respected evaluators, it just added a future top-ten NFL Draft pick, and a player who now steps into a room built to turn that belief into reality.
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