Disclaimer: Our Grades are based on a mixture of current skill and potential, there is no saying they will reach their full potential 

*Click on the Player Names to See Their Full NFL Draft Profiles

1. Myles Murphy

6”5, 275

Round: 1

Grade: 80% (All Pro Potential)

Comp: More Developed Travon Walker

Summary:

Myles Murphy is our favorite edge from this class. He has some of the best burst you will see from a pass rusher, and has elite size to pair with this athleticism. His combine testing should be off the charts for his size. He also has a variety of pass rushing moves to choose from and will only get better at the next level.

The comp is a hard one to come up with. His game has flashes of Myles Garrett and Jason Pierre Paul, but he measured and tested very close to last year’s #1 overall pick, Travon Walker. That being said, his development as a run stopper and pass rusher is decently ahead of where Walker was last year.

2. Will Anderson

6”4, 243

Round: 1

Grade: 66% (Starter Potential) *But with a ton of upside

Comp: Josh Allen

Summary:

Anderson is in the conversation for the first overall pick. However, we feel there are some slight concerns. For someone with his sack numbers, he is more unpolished than you may think. His pass rushing move set is limited. He has great athletic upside, and offers a ton of versatility, but he needs more development than people think.

3. Lukas Van Ness

6”5, 269

Round: 1

Grade: 73%

Comp: Dre’Mont Jones

Summary:

Van Ness comes with the best flexibility at D line in the draft. He was a defensive tackle last year with 7 sacks, and converted to end this year and still produced 6.5 sacks. On top of this he dropped into coverage and blocked a couple punts. Teams will love his ability to play all over the line and play it well. At end, he will be much more of a run defender initially. On the inside, though, he may be a better pass rusher due to his initial burst. He could balk up and play more inside, or stay his current weight and be flexible. We imagine he will find a role very similar to Dre’Mont Jones at the next level.

4. Nolan Smith

6”3, 235

Round: 1

Grade: Developmental Prospect, Elite Athlete

Comp: Haason Reddick

Summary:

A very good athlete with a long way to go in pass rushing development, Nolan Smith may find himself playing much more of a hybrid role between rushing and dropping back than he has thus far. His speed and burst shows there is a ton of potential as a rusher, but he needs to learn even one effective pass rushing move. A swipe move would serve him greatly. The torn pec drops him a little for us, but he could be a second round steal for a team. He may take some time before results as a pass rusher are seen.

5. Felix Anudike-Uzomah

6”3, 255

Round: 1/2

Comp

Summary:

He has some of the bigger potential of Edge’s in this class. Uzomah shows an advanced feel for his position with pretty good pass moves and counter moves including pulls, spins, bull rushes, and swim moves. He has a decent get off on the snap and has a lot of film fighting through double teams with strength and a high motor. Uzomah also seems to be a very smart player and can diagnose plays quicker than most. Do not be surprised if he sneaks into the first round.

6. Isaiah Foskey

6”5, 265

Round: 2

Grade: 71% (Potential Pro Bowl)

Comp: Jayson Oweh

Summary:

Foskey is a great athlete with a decent feel for the pass rushing position. He needs more time to develop his technique to catch up to his athleticism, however he should be a very good prospect with flexibility to play in different alignments on the defense while he develops.

7. Tyree Wilson

6”6, 275

Round: 1/2

Grade: 65% (Starter Potential)

Comp: Anthony Nelson

Summary:

Wilson possesses a ton of strength at the edge position. He should be an immediate factor in the run defense. However, he is extremely raw when it comes to pass rushing. He needs a lot of development and patience before he becomes a factor here. He is worth a gamble, but does carry a fair amount of risk.

8. Zach Harrison

6”5 ½ , 274

Round: 2/3

Comp: Marcus Davenport 

Summary:

An elite size speed prospect, Harrison has never broken out and realized his insane potential while at Ohio State. That being said he reportedly runs in the 4.5s (which does show on tape) at almost 6″6. This elite combination alone should get him drafted on day 2 by a team that could look to truly unlock him.

9. Nick Herbig

6”2, 240

Round: 2

Comp:

Summary:

For someone as good as Herbig is and with the production he had (47 tackles, 11 sacks) we are surprised he is not getting discussed more. Herbig has some of the best bend in the class, and incredible hand placement to move blockers and get them off of him. He is incredibly high effort and is usually down the field 20 yards making tackles when players break free. He definitely needs to add some strength, though he showed up to the combine almost 15 pounds more than his listed weight  and still ran a 4.65. He also put up 25 on the bench which is a good sign.

10. Will McDonald IV  

6”4, 239

Round: 2

Comp: Boye Mafe

Summary:

McDonald has great athleticism and can explode off the edge. He has good hand usage and a decent set of pass rushing moves. However, he should add some strength or else he may not factor into the run game much. 

11. BJ Ojulari  

6”3, 250

Round: 3

Grade: 58%

Comp: Arden Key

Summary:

LSU hurt his development by asking him to drop back as much as they did. It is obvious early on in his tape that he does not have a good feel for it, but they called it a ton anyway. Ojulari is nothing special as an athlete, but has advanced technical development as a pass rusher. He has a decent array of moves and counter moves. If he can continue developing here he could overcome his average athleticism and be a productive pass rusher. For now though, he should slot in as a rotational rusher who should not be counted on to contribute as a run defender.

12. Byron Young

6”2, 250

Round: 4

Comp

Summary:

Young is an explosive athlete off of the edge with some of the best jumps in the class. His combine performance showed how much upside he possesses athletically. However, he needs a ton of development in the technical areas as almost all of his sacks came by just being faster. He is also 25 already which means his developmental window is smaller than others and it may drop him to the third when he has the skill of a 2nd rounder.

13. KJ Henry

6”4, 251

Round: 3/4

Comp

Summary:

Henry is one of the best run defenders in this class. Unfortunately, his pass rushing development is so far behind. He relies heavily on a pull move and needs to learn a lot at the position. He still carries a lot of upside and can be valuable as a rookie on early downs while he crafts his pass rushing.

14. Keion White

6”5, 289

Round: 3/4

Grade: 54%

Comp: Heavier Amare Barno

Summary:

It is shocking to us that some NFL analysts have him as a first rounder, let alone a top ten pick. White has almost no plan at pass rush with athleticism that is much more evident when he runs straight versus actually engaging a blocker. He is overpowered constantly in the run game and we do not see where he offers value as a first rounder. That being said, a team could overdraft and spend a day 2 pick  and hope that they can bulk him up and kick him inside where he may fare better and better use his elite athleticism.

15. Andre Carter 

6”6 ½ , 256

Round: 3/4

Comp

Summary:

Carter has great size and length for the position. His athletic testing is average but on tape it shows he has enough to rush and also drop back in coverage. He has some development to do and need training at the NFL level to increase his strength and athletic ability but the potential is there.

16. Derek Parish

6”0, 241

Round: 4

Comp: Josh Uche (but it is not the best comp)

Summary:

If his size scares you away, we do not blame you. There are not a ton of examples of pass rushers his size succeeding at the NFL. Despite this, Parish plays with an insane motor and never takes a play off. He is coming off a torn bicep which is a factor, but his amazing pro day both athletically and strength (27 reps) shows his upside. The comp to Uche is not perfect, but like Uche, Parish may take a couple years until a team fully unlocks his athletic potential. His arms seem to be pretty short (29 which is in the 1% from what we could find) which could be a major issue at the next level but time will tell.

17. Tuli Tuipulotu

6”3 , 266

Round: 5

Comp: Drake Jackson

Summary:

This is the second year in a row USC has had a pass rusher that were not impressed with despite pre draft hype. He has done no testing whatsoever so it is somewhat difficult to gauge his athleticism. He also is not a great tackler and amassed most of his sacks this past season against the lesser competition USC faced. This is not a knock necessarily but his games against ranked opponents were a lot less impressive.