2025: Edge Defenders

Abdul Carter – EDGE – Penn State – 99

Lots of the offensive lineman in this class have film against Abdul Carter. I quickly found that tape to be useless because Carter manhandled every last one of them. In the college football playoff he was the best defensive player despite playing with one arm. He’s the guy you dream about adding to your defense and giving everyone else a one on one matchup. Is he Micah Parsons, or god forbide I say the name Lawrence Taylor? The realistic answer is crazy, it’s maybe. Please for the love of god let him drop to #4 this year or I will forever curse Jerod Mayo and Joe Milton.

Okay guess I should tell you about Carter. He has good size, not overwhelming like Myles Garrett which is why he’s not a 100. But you’re not looking for a classic 4-3 DE, you’re looking for a guy to stand up on the edge and wreck an entire half of the field for the offense. This is your guy. His tenacity is unstoppable, his quickness is unmatchable, his style is impeccable (okay that last one was a direct Mike Tyson rip-off). You get the point, lineman can’t keep up with him and when they get their hands on him he either drives them back, or gets to their hip, or throws their hands off entirely. Abdul Carter is a game wrecker and would be worthy of the #1 pick.

Mykel Williams – EDGE – Georgia – 91

First thing I noticed, I don’t think he likes contact. Not a violent striker by any stretch. Williams has the size and tools that you dream about but he doesn’t use them. The talent is so valuable that he belongs in the first round, but why couldn’t he translate talent to impact? There are flashes where he holds the edge with one arm and makes the tackle with the other, but all too often he lets lineman control him. Maybe Georgia’s read a react scheme for edge players limits their ability to be explosive and disruptive, but after the Travon Walker experiment, I’m less inclined to bet on their talents in the absence of production.

Mike Green – EDGE – Marshall – 89

This kid dominated Senior Bowl practices so much that he didn’t need to play the game to make his impact felt. Possible character concerns after being essentially booted from the Virginia football team, Green rebounded to lead the nation in sacks for Marshall in 2024. Dip and rip extraordinaire, Green has multiple pass rush tools and is surprisingly elusive. The main drawback is length, at 6’3” and 32” arms, Mike struggles to set the edge in the run game and cannot generate enough control in a bull rush. Still a valuable player in the Clay Matthews mold, just without the necessary length for those two critical components of edge play which drops him to round 2 for me.

Nic Scourton – EDGE – Texas A&M – 88

Classic worker on the edge. Doesn’t have elite physical traits but he grinds and grinds and gets results. How did Trey Hendrickson get so good? I don’t know, but if I draft Nic Scourton I would tell him to study Trey Hendrickson for a month straight and then train to the max to replicate what he saw. Enough size and a fantastic motor, Scourton is a high floor prospect that should contribute.

Shemar Stewart – EDGE – Texas A&M – 88

What an absolute stud athlete, like Jadaveon Clowney level athlete. He will get drafted in the teens hoping he’ll become Jason Pierre-Paul but the bust potential is strong in this one. Less than 5 career sacks in 3 years of college ball while playing across from Nic Scourton. The offensive lineman in this class handled Stewart, although in many cases he was close to getting to the QB but couldn’t get the final push. Shemar is puzzling, and tantalizingly close to a great player, but we just haven’t seen it.

Jack Sawyer – EDGE – Ohio State – 84

Lunch pail. Blue collar. Works a union job. Whatever cliché describes a guy that isn’t flashy but gets the job done. Low ceiling high floor type of player that should contribute in a rotation but won’t make a probowl. He’s got more juice in his lower body than teammate JT which pushes him slightly above upwards on my board.

JT Tuimoloau – EDGE – Ohio State – 82

A former top 5 high school recruit, JT parlayed that momentum into 3 straight first team All-Big 10 selections. He is perfectly built to set the edge and power rush the QB. There aren’t many 12 sack seasons in his future, but this is a starting caliber player that is unlikely to be a bust.

James Pearce Jr. – EDGE – Tennessee – 82

Pearce is a frustrating prospect because he is so close to being a top level talent. His arms are a little too short, his weight is a little too low, he’s not quite explosive enough to be the player you want. The biggest drawback to his game is lack of lateral movement, he does not change direction well, which would be okay if he had a strong bull rush or consistently won the corner. The problem is he doesn’t. I’d love to love him, especially since he produced for the Vols, but I don’t, so end of day 2 it is.

Josaiah Stewart – EDGE – Michigan - 80

Really fun tape, he’s got short arms so he’s learned to play with extremely active hands and a high motor. The Josh Uche comparison is too easy – and inaccurate. Uche won with speed, Stewart has speed plus pass rush savvy. Stewart belongs on the sub package or with help in the run game, but he should boost a pass rush that needs a threat off the edge.