Whether you’re looking for a 4-3 defensive end with the power to bulldoze a straight line to the quarterback, or an outside linebacker with the speed and bend to leave offensive tackles clutching at thin air, our 2025 NFL Draft EDGE Rankings showcase that there is a little bit of something for every defensive type in this pass rush class.
10) Bradyn Swinson, LSU
Bradyn Swinson was a late bloomer after beginning his career at Oregon with minimal production, but his breakout at LSU in 2024 — to the tune of 8.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss — makes it impossible to overlook his tape. At 6’3″, 255 pounds, with over 33″ arms, Swinson has virtually every trait you could seek in an edge rusher.
He’s explosive off the edge, he has great bend and sinking capacity around the apex, he can channel speed-to-power and attack blockers inside their frame, and he has the sturdiness in run defense to set the edge and wall off pullers. There’s still room to reach a greater level of consistency in both phases, but Swinson is trending up fast after 2024, and his motor is an undeniable strength.
9) Princely Umanmielen, Ole Miss
Princely Umanmielen’s collegiate production speaks for itself (17.5 sacks and 26 TFLs over the past two seasons), but it’s his physical attributes and high motor that make Umanmielen an intriguing prospect.
He’s explosive off the snap and has the speed to give opposing offensive tackles fits off the edge. His combination of speed and length gives him significant physical upside to work with at the next level. Umanmielen could struggle early in his NFL career against the run due to play strength, but he has the flexibility to acquire leverage, and the spatial IQ to thrive in gap pursuit.
His best role early on would likely be as a pass-rushing specialist in a base 3-4 scheme. Even there, he has to improve his power element, but the upside with his length and hyper-elite first-step quickness is truly extraordinary.
8) Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
Nic Scourton might be the most aesthetically pleasing pass rusher in the class. He’s wise beyond his years regarding his arsenal of rush moves, and his well-developed frame is NFL-ready despite only being 20 years old. Unfortunately, gaining unnecessary weight for the 2024 season likely hurt his NFL Draft stock.
At a more “natural” weight of around 265 pounds, Scourton would still offer a steady base as an edge setter while improving his initial get-off and bend. That bend at his density is a thing to behold. His ankles allow him to run under the table, and his hips hinge smoothly to soften rush angles while his hands dissect blocks through the outside shoulder.
If he becomes more consistent as a run defender, Scourton could be one of the league’s best dual-threat EDGE defenders. His fluidity and manipulative nature as he closes the gap on blockers makes him potent on both outside rushes and inside counters, and he’s a prime candidate to move about the formation on obvious passing downs to find matchups to exploit.
7) Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College
The sack production from 2024 speaks volumes, but Donovan Ezeiruaku’s tape is flooded with pro-ready technique. He uses his hands incredibly well, and he plays with relentless passion when he’s chasing down the ball.
His sack total doesn’t just consist of proverbial empty calories; Ezeiruaku earns his sacks with active rush angle manipulation and intelligent hand application and counter work, emboldened by his natural leverage, burst, bend, and proportional length. Because of his smaller frame, Ezeiruaku could struggle against the run early in his NFL career.
Additionally, while he has good tools overall, he doesn’t quite have elite size-adjusted speed and burst. Still, as a stand-up outside linebacker in a base 3-4 system, Ezeiruaku has the skill set to be a solid starter fairly early in his career, particularly on pass-rushing downs.
6) Mykel Williams, Georgia
- Selected by the San Francisco 49ers
- 11th overall selection
- Second EDGE selected
At 6’5” and 260 pounds, Mykel Williams is built like a prototypical defensive end. The Georgia Bulldog possesses elite physical gifts to be a tone-setter in the run game but is yet to offer enough as a pass rusher.
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However, Williams is a fantastic run defender, allowing him to make an impact as a rookie. The Bulldog is physical at the point of attack and has the upper body strength to stack and shed blockers. Meanwhile, although he is raw as a pass rusher, he has overall agility and sudden pouncing movement, which means he can develop in this area if a team can coach it into him.
5) Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
- Selected by the Cincinnati Bengals
- 17th overall selection
- Fourth EDGE selected
An upside gamble in every sense of the word, Shemar Stewart has become one of the most polarizing prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. At 6’5″, 267 pounds, with over 34″ arms, he tested as the most athletic EDGE prospect ever, with a 4.59 40-yard dash, a 40″ vertical, and a 10’11” broad jump.
On the flip side, he never eclipsed 1.5 sacks in a single season at the collegiate level, and has startlingly low production rates as both a pass-rusher and run-stopper. The tape tells a story you might expect: Stewart has rare explosiveness, twitch, and energy for his size, and can channel his traits into awesome power, but he’s also very inconsistent and uncontrolled right now.
At the very least, he can play from different alignments and play contain, and at his max potential, his ceiling is as high as can be — but it also may take him at least a couple years to near that ceiling.
4) Mike Green, Marshall
With 17 sacks, Mike Green led the FBS in sacks in 2024 to propel himself up draft boards and into first-round discussion. The Marshall Thundering Herd defender converted over a quarter of his pressures into sacks this past year, showcasing an elite ability to finish plays.
At 6’3” and 251 pounds, Green has an explosive first step and impressive flexibility. His pass rush arsenal is diverse, and his speed-to-power conversion is developed from wide alignments. Meanwhile, Green is a firm run defender. His wrestling background shows up when needing to get off blocks while his strong base and high motor transition to productivity.
3) James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
- Selected by the Atlanta Falcons
- 26th overall selection (via trade)
- Fifth EDGE taken
Pearce is an explosive edge rusher with the athleticism and the motor to generate consistent pressure as a pass rusher. He’s shown that his combination of first-step acceleration, counter agility, and speed-to-power allows him to beat NFL-caliber offensive linemen at the point of attack on a consistent basis.
He knows what moves to use against certain offensive linemen, and he executes those moves with precise timing and placement. Though he projects better as a stand-up edge rusher in a 3-4 base defense, Pearce can rush with his hand in the dirt and could fare well in a 4-3 base system if he can add more mass to his frame.
Pearce’s run defense projection is much less clear with his lower early-down usage and below-average proportional length, and teams will have to assess his mindset. But he’s ultimately one of the most prolific pass-rush producers in the class, and his upside is tantalizing.
2) Jalon Walker, Georgia
- Selected by the Atlanta Falcons
- 15th overall selection
- Third EDGE taken
Jalon Walker’s projection to the NFL is extremely unique. He has the build and athletic tools of an inside linebacker but found success at Georgia by being deployed primarily as a blitzing pass rusher and attacking SAM-backer.
A prospect as athletic as Walker will likely find a successful role in the NFL, but there are debates surrounding what the best role for him is. Walker doesn’t have high-end gap instincts or coverage ability, nor does he have the size to consistently set the edge and encumber duo blocks.
That said, he’s an explosive QB spy and pursuit threat, a capable pull slabber, and a wide-alignment menace with a sound speed-to-power profile. In the right defensive system with a creative, forward-thinking defensive coordinator, Walker can flourish.
1) Abdul Carter, Penn State
- Selected by the New York Giants
- Third overall selection
- First EDGE taken
There is a reason Abdul Carter is considered one of the top overall prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft and is drawing comparisons to Micah Parsons. It is more than the school he plays for and the number he wears.
KEEP READING: Most NFL Draft Picks by School
The Penn State Nittany Lion is a violent mover and displays elite physical gifts. In his first year as an exclusive pass rusher in 2024 after converting from linebacker, Carter recorded 12 sacks and an FBS-leading 24 TFLs.
Carter’s natural flexibility, volcanic acceleration, physicality, and pass-rushing tools can take over games. Plus, he is only scratching the surface of what he can become.
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