The 2022 NFL Draft produced a total of 5 EDGE rushers in the first round, notably 3 out of the first 5 picks, including #1 overall pick Travon Walker out of Georgia. It was afterward a really deep EDGE rusher class in other rounds as well, and the outlook for the 2023 NFL draft may not be as star-studded at the top, but it still promises to be a deep draft full of options. Here are my initial top 5 EDGE rushers rankings ahead of the 2022 college football season:
1. WILL ANDERSON JR, ALABAMA, 6’4’’ 243 LBS
STRENGTHS:
- Long, strong-framed, powerful, and explosive edge rusher prospect
- Flexible knee bender that wins a lot with low pad level and shoots his hands on blockers’ chest quickly to gain leverage.
- Shows really good burst and acceleration pursuing QBs
- Really fast snap anticipation and excellent quickness off the ball
- Super strong overall body strength w/ strong powerful hands jolt blockers at POA
- Stacks blockers to set the edge w strong arm extensions,
- Powerful wrap-up tackler, incredible explosiveness thru contact,
- Powerful bull rusher
- Excellent speed bending the corner as a stunt man coming inside on stunts
- Incredible motor on plays to his side or within the box
- Highly productive since his freshman year, even when he commands opposite offenses’ attention
- Can drop back in zone coverage and good awareness to disrupt receivers’ lanes.
- Versatile, lines up in so many different spots from EDGE rusher, to 3-tech, 5-tech, and off-the-ball LB.
WEAKNESSES:
- Inconsistent at disengaging from blocks properly, can expose his chest too much when not splitting blockers
- Needs to improve his motor pursuing away from the ball, jogs too much when the action is not near him instead of hustling down the field to help his teammates
- Lacks counter moves, which leads him to be stalled by more powerful and technically refined blockers
- A bit high cut built, doesn’t have the oily hips to smoothly change directions laterally, will need to improve there to be able to counter the athletic tackles in the pros.
- Lacks experience speed-rushing from the outside as most of his sacks come from twists where he bursts from the outside to the inside, or when he can beat a blocker bull rushing him. Would seem to have the ability to be used there with his ability to stunt inside with burst.
- Needs to round out his overall pass rush game plan to avoid being schemed out in the pros.
PRO COMP: Khalil Mack
DRAFT PROJECTION: Top-5
OVERALL: Incredibly explosive, bendy, strong, and dominant edge rusher prospect that affects the game both versus the run and the pass. Anderson jr brings a lot more versatility than his stats would suggest. He is still relatively raw in his pass rush toolbox to fully expect him to dominate any tackle in the NFL, he will need to develop more there in order for him to become the All-Pro Edge Rusher he has the potential to become. I do see a player with the makeup to be a defensive player of the year type player in the pros.
2. NOLAN SMITH, GEORGIA, 6’3’’ 235 lbs
STRENGTHS:
- Incredibly explosive twitchy athlete with an impressive get off
- Good arm length to create distance between him and blockers
- Great pursuit speed to track down ball carriers from the backside and downfield
- Great quickness off the ball
- Great flexibility to bend and turn the corner vs outside run and to speed rush to disrupt the opponent’s backfield
- Stronger at the point of attack than perceived, really strong enough hands to stack and shed blockers
- Makes a lot of tackles at and behind the line of scrimmage, really disruptive
- Fluid pass dropper in zone coverage and can make tackles in space and defend the pass as well
- Incredibly high motor to fight for positioning
- Strong wrap-up tackler
- Can turn speed into power in a bull rush
- A High IQ and high-energy player that can be moved in different spots in Georgia’s defense and respected team leader, can also be an off-the-ball outside linebacker prospect with his skill set.
WEAKNESSES:
- Lacks variety in pass rush moves.
- For as fast as he gets into the backfield, he severely lacks in pass rush production (8.5 sacks in 3 years), missing the finishing abilities to make more plays on the QBs, not only sacks but also QB hits. Needs to track QBs with more balance in the pocket, and come more under control.
- He is a strong player, but how much will he be able to keep playing on the edge being a sub 240lbs player vs 310+ lbs OTs in the NFL is a major question.
- Positional versatility is not necessarily a strength factoring his weight being undersized for an EDGE player, where his skill set fits best instead of being an off-ball linebacker.
PRO COMP: Tyus Bowser/T.J. Watt
DRAFT PROJECTION: Top-15
OVERALL: Incredibly explosive and athletic EDGE prospect that plays with more physicality and strength at the point of attack given his frame than you would expect. Has the bend, speed, and get-off of elite pass-rushers, but needs to round out his game by adding pass rush moves in order to be fully reliable in the NFL. He has the floor of a player who can at least provide run stopping and decent pass rush off the edge and off the ball, but I believe if he goes to a blitz-heavy defense that finds creative ways to use him rushing the passer while he figures out his one on one game, I believe he can become a double-digit sack artist in the NFL.
3. ISAIAH FOSKEY, NOTRE DAME, 6’5’’ 260 LBS
STRENGTHS:
- Prototypical size with the ideal blend of strength and speed
- Good athlete that can fluidly change directions in space
- Good redirection abilities towards ball carriers in space and from engaging with a blocker.
- Versatile, is often used as an off-the-ball LB, and actually moves like a pretty athletic one at the second level
- Good variety of pass-rush moves can use speed rush, pretty good one arm stack to turn the corner on tackles, uses hand swipes well.
- Pretty use of hands against the run, places them into blockers chest and can drive them back into the backfield
WEAKNESSES:
- For all of his physical gifts, he doesn’t play with a consistent motor nor with enough violence in his hands to jolt and dominate blockers consistently.
- Not the most flexible lower body, lacks knee bend to fully turn the corner on a speed rush.
- Lacks the killer instincts to consistently finish off plays, at times has a clear opportunity to sack QB or hit him without roughing the passer, but seems to overthink and not be as instinctual, and I believe he is the type of player who should be challenging Will Anderson jr for the top EDGE position, but this is where the differences of level of play and dominance begin
PRO COMP: Bud Dupree
DRAFT PROJECTION: Top-15
OVERALL: Prototypical EDGE rusher prospect with the perfect blend of size, speed, and strength coupled with a nice pass rush repertoire. Although he is a highly versatile and productive defender, there were too many spurts where he tends to overthink plays instead of using his instincts to dominate his opposition and takeover games which are lacking from being considered a truly high-end prospect. I do believe he has the makeup to step up that part of his game as a leader for the Irish this year, so do not be surprised if he becomes a player that challenges Will Anderson jr for the top EDGE rusher prospect spot in the 2023 NFL Draft. He would be an ideal 3-4 Outside Linebacker prospect, but can also be a really good 4-3 weakside Defensive End for any scheme. I project Foskey to be a Pro Bowl-caliber EDGE rusher within his first 3-4 years in the NFL.
4. B.J. OJULARI, LSU 6’3’’ 244 lbs
STRENGTHS:
- Really fast pass rusher with a quick explosive get-off and has the speed and burst to threaten the corner
- Impeccable flexibility and change of directions skills
- Long arms and adequate to hold versus blockers at the point of attack
- Good quickness to be slippery versus blockers
- Really high motor to pursuit plays on front and backside
- Really high IQ, recognizes blocking schemes, and has the awareness to avoid chop blocks routinely
- Doesn’t shy from physicality vs blockers and can play with enough leverage
- Knack for making plays behind the line of scrimmage
- Variety of pass rush moves to complement his speed, like the euro step, and dip and rip
WEAKNESSES:
- Undersized EDGE rusher and his adequate strength in college will be tested in the pros vs more powerful and technically refined blockers
- Can be out of control a lot when coming fast in the backfield to attempt to make a play, left a lot of sacks on the field because of that
- Lacks the hand skills to disengage efficiently from blockers who have quick and powerful hand placement during blocks
PRO COMP: Harold Landry III
DRAFT PROJECTION: First Round
OVERALL: Highly disruptive and athletic edge player with pretty good speed, high football IQ, and incredible lateral range. He projects at the very least as a key pass rush specialist on passing downs in the Pros. With more refinement with his hands’ usage as well as bulking up more while becoming stronger at the point of attack, he would be a terrific 3-4 Outside Linebacker who, similar to his brother Azeez Ojulari of the New York Giants, can be a regular starter in the league that can play the run well and maybe consistently is an 8-10 sacks per year type of player.
5. TYREE WILSON, TEXAS TECH 6’6’’ 275 lbs
STRENGTHS:
- Humongous size, really big frame and long arms
- Heavy violent hands to jolt blockers at the point of attack and can really drive them back into play in the backfield
- High motor every snap and to pursue downfield
- Really good lower body strength to anchor down versus the run
- Improving pass rush moves later in the year really showed off, especially in the bowl game vs Mississippi State, where he displayed really good moves and agility to beat blockers and be disruptive vs the pass.
- Can dip and rip and turn the corner.
- Lots of experience on stunts and twists and can be really powerful on inside rushes
- Has shown the ability to make plays in space at times, surprisingly nimble
WEAKNESSES:
- Lacks elite explosiveness, is not a dynamic or flexible athlete, just average
- Tends to be a late reactor off the snap
- Needs to improve his leverage and balance vs blockers, will be pushed off the line not based on lack of strength, but losing leverage at times
- Needs to use their hands to better disengage from blockers, but got better there throughout the season
PRO COMP: Preston Smith
DRAFT PROJECTION: Late-1st/Early-2nd
OVERALL: Heavy-handed jumbo-sized EDGE prospect with good enough athleticism but wins playing with power and subtle agility. Profiles as a 5 tech base end that can be used a lot on twists games or can be used as a 3 tech on passing downs with his power, length, and budding pass rushing abilities. Can stand to improve lower body flexibility and overall core strength and balance to learn to play with leverage, but his high motor from snap to snap shows a player that has the work ethic to work on himself and become an adequate starter on the EDGE. Can even be a rush LB in a stack and shed 3-4 style defense similar to the one played by the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers.
Other names to watch: Myles Murphy (Clemson), Habakkuk Baldonado (PITT), Andre Carter II (ARMY), Felix Anudike-Uzomah (Kansas State), Will McDonald (Iowa State)
