There are going to be more edge rushers flying off of the board in the first two days than any other position group in the 2025 NFL draft. However, for as deep as this group is, there has also never been a group with so many widely known flaws. It makes it hard to separate the second-best edge from the eighth and the ninth-best edge from the 17th.
Of course, we have Abdul Carter, who, while he is great, he is still not on the Myles Garrett or Nick Bosa tier of prospect when they were coming out of college. From there, the questions begin.
Jalon Waker is expected to go next. The issue is that he spent most of his college career playing off-ball linebacker. That is not what he will be asked to do in the pros much. He is undersized, and while many will say he can translate similar to Micah Parsons, Parsons tested like an all-time great athlete at the NFL combine, while Walker sat out. This makes it easy to assume that he is not the athlete that Parsons is.
Shemar Stewart has the size and athleticism to be an elite edge rusher, the issue is he has 4.5 career sacks and just 1.5 last year.
Mykel Williams has been getting hype since his freshman year, but he never quite built on that season, either. He posted 4.5 sacks as a freshman, and his career high is five. Williams has a size similar to Stewart, but his Pro Day numbers looked much worse. He can defend the run, but without athletic traits or production to fall back on, he is a huge question.
James Pearce, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and Mike Green could be viewed as designated pass rushers at the next level. None of them have much work putting their hand on the ground to defend the run, and in the case of Green, he has short arms, exemplifying that he may have just one role. Ezeiruaku is a good rusher with the flexibility to bend around tackles, but lacks the burst needed to be a reliable threat.
Pearce and Green bring off of the field questions as well.
JT Tuimoloau looks like a high-floor, low-ceiling player. Nic Scourton had a much worse year in 2024 and did not test athletically for a reason. Landon Jackson has all the traits with limited applicable reps to match. Princely Umanmielen relies too much on athleticism for not being a high-end athlete. Jack Sawyer has short arms, Josiah Stewart, and Bradyn Swinson may be best as designated pass rushers. Femi Oladejo was playing linebacker early in this last season.
All of the edge rushers have major questions, but all bring enough upside that you cannot let them slip past round three. How will this group shake out, and when will teams feel is the right time to bet on their questions?
