10 best edge rushers in 2024 NFL Draft, ranked

The 2024 NFL Draft is approaching. With the NFL Combine, Senior Bowl, and other major pre-draft events over, it’s time for final rankings and grades for prospects. We assembled a panel of top draft experts from across SB Nation’s network and released consensus rankings for each position group.

This time we will focus on edge rushers. This group isn’t talked about within the top five due to the abundance of talent (and need) at quarterback and wide receiver, but make no mistake, this is a very promising “big three” group. This is an interesting class. All could be included in the conversation within the top 10 candidates. There is also a relative abundance of talent on Day 2, giving the team ample opportunity to shore up its pass rush.

Read SB Nation’s consensus top 10 rankings of edge rushers in the 2024 NFL Draft.

10. Gabriel Murphy, UCLA

While Laiatu Ratu receives most of the praise and ranks fairly high in the rankings, the player across from him at UCLA also had a great career. Gabriel Murphy is actually a player similar to Latu in many ways. He wins with advanced technique, skillfully evades opponents in both the run and passing game, and has the athleticism to finish when the opportunity presents itself.Murphy impressed with combine Powered by 8.95 RASproving that his athletic flashes recorded on tape were no mirage.

Murphy’s problems stem from his lack of ideal size. He is petite at 6’2,247, and his arms are short at just 30.5 inches. This is below his 6th percentile for this position. Length wasn’t an issue in college because of his technical ability and use of his hands, but it’s a whole different story in the NFL. Can Murphy overcome his limitations against the longer, more athletic tackles in the league? That’s the big problem keeping him from higher up in this ranking.

9. Jonah Ellis, Utah

If you like watching high-energy, relentless pass rushers, Utah’s Jonah Ellis will check those boxes. He has a non-stop motor and the ability to outperform his competition and create a very good pass rush. Ellis made great strides in his technique in his 2023, adding more counters to his game and improving his hand usage and placement. He is a plus athlete who can bend the edge and has good overall explosiveness.

The main issue for Ellis is size, an issue that ultimately led to his younger brother Caden transitioning to an off-ball role in the NFL. Jonah weighs in at 6’2,248 and his arm length is slightly better at 33 inches, but definitely on the small side for the NFL level. Ellis also has a lot of room for improvement in strength. That’s because he was outpaced by bigger, more physical tackles and couldn’t make a difference against the run. Ellis may be designated as a pass rusher in the NFL, but he has the toolkit to carve out a valuable role there.

8. Adisa Isaac, Pennsylvania

Penn State’s Adisa Isaac is a high-energy, athletic edge rusher entering the conversation on Day 2 of an eye-popping 2023 season. Isaac has good size at 6’4,247 and ticks the length box with her arm lengths of almost 34 inches.He impressed at the NFL Combine For RAS 9.00 And we were able to finish off a fulfilling week of practice at the Senior Bowl.

Isaac has the ideal explosiveness and flexibility to succeed at the NFL level, and combines that with an advanced repertoire of pass-rushing moves. His hands are quick and strong. He’s a productive, instinctive pass rusher who also contributed to the run at a high level this year. However, strength is an area of ​​his game that needs improvement. He doesn’t generate much power on the rush and could be replaced by a more physical offensive lineman. Isaac has some startup side as a pass rusher, but it’s questionable whether he’ll be as effective against the run in the NFL.

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

7. Chris Braswell (Alabama)

Alabama’s Chris Braswell, the unanimous No. 7 edge rusher in our panel’s rankings, is a solid all-around player who meets the requirements of NFL teams, but he doesn’t excel in any particular area. Not. Braswell has an excellent physique at over 6’3,250 tall and his over 33 inch arms and tested as a very good athlete at his NFL combine. Equipped with 8.66 RAS. He had 13 sacks opposite Dallas Turner in 2023, was a successful pass rusher, and showed some flashes on special teams, including blocking a punt and scoring a TD.

Braswell is not fit enough to earn a full-time role at this stage. He didn’t stand out against his competition at the Senior Bowl, but that dampened his stock a bit. His explosive characteristics make him a dangerous pass-rushing presence, but he doesn’t have the strength against the run to match his size. Technically, Braswell still has a lot to learn in terms of counters and hand techniques. He has high status, but will need significant development to become a full-time starter.

6. Darius Robinson, Missouri

Speaking of the Senior Bowl, one of the biggest winners and risers was Missouri’s Darius Robinson. Robinson dominated practice that week and jumped into the conversation early on the second day (and possibly even the first round). Robinson’s hallmark is his versatility, with his 6’5, 285 frame (his arms are 34.5 inches!) and great athleticism giving him the ability to line up in a variety of positions on the defensive line.

Robinson’s power on offense is overwhelming, especially when combined with his length. He is a three-down player who can play outside on early downs and provides the flexibility to shift inside in pass-rush situations. Technically speaking, Robinson still has work to do in developing a rush counter, as he lacks a pass-rush plan and is difficult to recover from if he loses initial contact. Still, his personality and positional versatility should make him an attractive target for any defense.

5. Bralen Trice, Washington

Washington’s Bralen Trice is a physical edge rusher with a non-stop motor and absolutely ridiculous pressure numbers over the past two seasons. Trice hit a ridiculous rushing record of 53 in 2023 (and 46 in 2022!). This shows how relentless he is. He is 6’3.5,245 tall and has a solid physique, but lacks the ideal arm length (32.5 inches). While Trice has good straight-line explosiveness and athleticism, he lacks flexibility and isn’t particularly agile. The production of his bags was born out of his outstanding efforts. Trice never gives up on the play and always works his way back to QB.

Trice has a very high floor due to his physicality and play against the run, and could carve out a role as a base package defender early on. The question is whether his pass rush performance can remain this high at the NFL level. At the NFL level, his lack of length and advanced technique could create a bigger mismatch. If Trice can develop better counters and hand usage to complement his strength, he could become a three-down NFL starter.

Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

4. Chop Robinson, Pennsylvania

Chop Robinson, the near-unanimous No. 4 overall pick in our panel’s rankings, is the newest addition to the ultra-athletic crop of prospects coming out of Penn State.If it weren’t for Miles Cole’s completely ridiculous test on his size, Robinson would have had the highest RAS of all pass rushers at the NFL Combine at 9:70. Robinson, who is approximately 6’3.254 tall, recorded an impressive 4.48.40 with a 10-yard split of 1.53 seconds and a short shuttle of 4.25 seconds. When evaluating Robinson, his explosiveness, agility, and flexibility definitely jump off the tape.

There are some length questions (arms are just 32.5 inches), but otherwise Robinson looks like a typical NFL 3-4 OLB with a very high ceiling. The reason he’s not higher on this list is simply that Robinson’s great traits haven’t translated into production so far. Robinson recorded just 3.0 sacks in 2023 and 5.0 sacks in 2022. He lacks technical ability at this stage and has little to say about pass-rush plans or counters. Robinson requires a lot of development before reaching his ceiling, so he carries a greater risk than the prospects above him, but his ceiling is higher than anyone in the class.

3. Laiatu Ratu, UCLA

We’re now in the “big three” edge rushing prospects and I think you have to make a case for each of them at the top of the class. UCLA’s Laiatu Latu placed him third, but don’t be fooled. Latu is one of the most polished and technically advanced edge rushers I’ve ever scouted out of college. He has a deep and diverse repertoire of moves and counters, and knows when to deploy them. As his outrageous performance (15.0 sacks in 2023) shows, college linemen couldn’t keep him blocking for long. That technique extends to the run game, with Latu playing above his weight class thanks to his ability to break blocks.

There were doubts about Latu’s athletic ability heading into the NFL combine, but he tested very well from Indianapolis to his pro day and was a surprise. Powered by Elite 9.31 RAS. He has good frame at nearly 6’5,260, but his arm length is a little below ideal standards at 32 5/8 inches. On film, Latu is arguably the top pass rusher in the class. Questions about his typical size and lack of athleticism, plus medical questions considering his brief medical retirement a few years ago, could see him fall into the mid-to-late first round.

Photo by Isaiah Vasquez/Getty Images

2. Jared Verse, florida

Florida State’s Jared Verse, a near-unanimous No. 2 overall pick (apart from me who took No. 1), falls right in between Latu and Turner in terms of his rating. Vaas is bigger, more physical, and more athletic than Ratu, but he is less polished as a technician. Although he is not at Turner’s level in terms of athleticism or elite length, he is much more complete in terms of technique and his ability against the run.

I love Verse’s consistent production and ability to instantly become a 3-down starter.To me, he checks all the boxes for a top 10 edge rusher, even if he doesn’t very Turner is an elite athlete. Verse’s 9.53 RAS That’s more than enough for me, and I like his ability to be an instant impact player more than betting on Turner’s traits. That being said, Vaas is a bit of a linear player and never has the great bending or cornering ability that Turner has. We’ve found that certain defenses prefer one skill set or the other depending on the scheme and the needs of the team.

1. Dallas Turner, Alabama

The top edge rusher in the class and a near-unanimous selection by our committee, Alabama’s Dallas Turner is the prototype for the position in the NFL. Turner is a great athlete at nearly 6’3,247 with incredible length for his size (34 3/8 inch arms). his 9.30 las That includes a wild jump of 4.46 seconds 40, a vertical jump of 40.5 inches, and a broad jump of 10 feet, 7 inches. Turner is a complete physical player and absolutely has the potential to join the league’s most elite pass rushers.

But Turner is the most inexperienced of the top-edge prospects. His hands are erratic, he lacks a repertoire of movement and counters, and his play against the run is middling. Turner needs more development than Latu or Vaas, and his path to NFL success could be longer. He will likely grow into a three-down role while starting his career as a pass rush specialist. Either way, his ceiling is very high and he will almost certainly be drafted in the top 10.