Ultra-talented defensive end Patrick Payton gains 15 pounds this offseason

Florida State's defense will have to replace several contributors from last season's squad such as defensive end Jared Verse, defensive tackles Braden Fiske and Fabien Lovett Sr., linebackers Kalen DeLoach and Tatum Bethune, cornerbacks Renardo Green and Jarrian Jones, and safety Akeem Dent.

There will need to be new faces that emerge as the leaders of the unit. Defensive coordinator Adam Fuller will be pushing several guys to become household names. One name that I want to focus on is defensive end Patrick Payton.

During today's media session, Florida State head football coach Mike Norvell stated that Payton has gained fifteen pounds this offseason. According to the Seminoles' official roster, the Miami (FL) native is listed at 6'5" and 254 pounds.

For reference, ultra-talented pass rusher Jared Verse was actually listed at 6'4" and 260 pounds on the roster this past season. He ended up recording eighteen sacks in two seasons in Tallahassee.

This could be a massive statistical season for the former Class of 2021 four-star defensive end prospect Patrick Payton, who recorded 44 total tackles (14.5 for loss) and seven sacks during the 2023 season.

He has progressively gotten better and transformed his body since arriving in Tallahassee where he was listed under 200 pounds. This speaks volumes to the strength and conditioning coaches with this university.

We have already seen evidence of defensive tackle Joshua Farmer transforming his body to be an effective force in the middle of the defense.

I am a huge fan of Payton adding the extra weight to his frame. I realize that some individuals are concerned with the pass rusher being "too slow" with getting after the quarterback. While Payton did record seven sacks last season, he also had ten pass breakups.

Being able to have active hands and breaking up passes is great, but there were times when you would like Payton to get bulkier to wreak havoc on opposing offensive linemen so that you don't have to rely on batting passes down.