| Edge |
| 1) Will Anderson, Alabama |
| 2) Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech |
| 3) Nolan Smith, Georgia |
| 4) Lukas Van Ness, Iowa |
| 5) Myles Murphy, Clemson |
| 6) B.J. Ojulari, LSU |
| 7) Adetomiwa Edabawore |
| 8) Keion White, Georgia Tech |
| 9) Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame |
| 10) Byron Young, Tennessee |
| 11) Derick Hall, Auburn |
| 12) Will McDonald, Iowa State |
| 13) Tuli Tuiopulotu, USC |
| 14) Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State |
| 15) Zach Harrison, Ohio State |
| 16) KJ Henry, Clemson |
| 17) Colby Wooden, Auburn |
| 18) Mike Morris, Michigan |
| 19) Nick Herbig, Wisconsin |
| 20) Isaiah McGuire, Missouri |
| 21) Tavius Robinson, Ole Miss |
| 22) Andre Carter II, Army |
| 23) Robert Beal Jr, Georgia |
| 24) Yaya Diaby, Louisville |
| 25) Dylan Horton, TCU |
| 26) DJ Johnson, Oregon |
| 27) Habakkuk Baldonado, Pitt |
| 28) Brenton Cox Jr, Florida |
| 29) Tyler Lacy, Oklahoma State |
| 30) Ali Gaye, LSU |
| 31) Ochaun Mathis, Nebraska |
| 32) Ikenna Enechukwu, Rice |
| 33) Tyrus Wheat, Mississippi State |
| 34) Villami Fehoko, San Jose State |
| 35) Jose Ramirez, Eastern Michigan |
| 36) Eku Leota, Auburn |
| 37) MJ Anderson, Iowa State |
| 38) Lonnie Phelps, Kansas |
| 39) Nick Hampton, Appalachian State |
| 40) Thomas Incoom, Central Michigan |
| 41) Titus Leo, Wagner |
| 42) Karl Brooks, Bowling Green |
| 43) Garrett Nelson, Nebraska |
| 44) Isaiah Land, Florida A&M |
Will Anderson, Alabama (6'34/253)
Arm: 33.875”
40-Yard Dash: 4.6s (96%)
Shuttle: N/A
3-Cone: N/A
Vertical: N/A
Broad: N/A
RAS: N/A
The unquestioned king of the 2023 edge class, Anderson blends productivity, pedigree and projectable traits better than any other player in this year’s group. In addition to being invited to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist, he also won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and Bronco Nagurski Trophy in each of the past two seasons. A prototype 3-4 outside linebacker, Anderson is a complete defender who has a vast well of techniques at his disposal to bypass blockers and create havoc for SEC quarterbacks. The Alabama superstar sets as strong an edge as can be expected from a 253-pound OLB thanks to his linear, balanced frame and powerful lower half. Educated hands, supersonic get-off and speed-to-power transition make Anderson a near lock to be a formidable defensive weapon and Pro Bowler. Anderson is the prohibitive -400 favorite in the betting markets to be the top defensive player selected in the 2023 Draft (Tyree Wilson and Jalen Carter both #2 at +650).
Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech (6'55/271)
Arm: 35.375”
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Shuttle: N/A
3-Cone: N/A
Vertical: N/A
Broad: N/A
RAS: N/A
I’m always interested in the trajectory of the high first-round prospects in each draft class. Players that weren’t five-star recruits who have been rubber stamped for greatness since their Pee-Wee football days, they are often judged by how they play against their high profile opponents. Wilson’s draft stock has experienced a precipitous rise over the course of the 2022 season, as the Red Raiders DE had been hovering around the 1.18-1.31 range for the first 9 weeks of the season heading into their high profile Week 10 game at FBS National Title runner-up, TCU. On a big stage against the undefeated Horned Frogs, Wilson produced season highs with seven pressures and three QB hits. Tech badgered QB Max Duggan all game long with just their front-four thanks to Wilson’s relentless effort, which allowed them to bring their safeties up and challenge TCU to beat them over the top. HC Sonny Dykes was forced to employ designed rollouts, quick passes and draw plays to keep Duggan clean after he got blasted by Wilson on an inside rip early in Q1:
Texas Tech Edge #19 Tyree Wilson was being mocked in the 1.18+ range heading into Week 9 against TCU
— Eric Froton (@CFFroton) March 27, 2023
He piled up 7 Pressures and had been a consensus Top-10 pick ever since
Here, Wilson crosses the face of #77 Brandon Coleman and delivers a shot on Duggan during a Q1 3rd Down: pic.twitter.com/bjKiKwlqus
Here’s a telling two-play sequence from the second half, as Wilson #19 escorts TCU LT Brandon Coleman #77 into QB Max Duggan’s lap. On the next play, TCU OC Garrett Riley metaphorically threw his hands up and ordered a LG/LT double-team with a chip from the RB for good measure in order to finally keep the Texas Tech havoc maven out of the backfield:
Texas Tech DE Tyree Wilson (6’55/271) escorts TCU LT into the backfield to disrupt Max Duggan’s throw
— Eric Froton (@CFFroton) March 27, 2023
The QBs frustration was palpable, so the next play Wilson is keyed on, leaving the rest of the DL singled up to flush Duggan for an incompletion
He then destroys IOL for a Stop pic.twitter.com/finSzdLors
Unfortunately Wilson was injured for the remainder of the year the very next week against Kansas, but the rangy athletic dynamo’s sensational game against TCU clearly changed his perception in the draft community, though his second-half against a solid SEC program Mississippi State was a sight to behold as well. From December onwards, and despite not being able to participate in testing due to injury, Wilson has steadfastly remained in the top-10 in the majority of mock drafts, with the Seahawks currently the favorite to land his services with the 1.5 selection.
Nolan Smith, Georgia (6'22/238)
Arm: 32.625”
40-Yard Dash: 4.39s (99%)
Shuttle: N/A
3-Cone: N/A
Vertical: 41.5” (99%)
Broad: 10'08” (98%)
RAS: 9.23
A former number one overall rated recruit from the 2019 prep cycle according to 247Sports, the IMG Academy product has been a fixture on the vaunted Georgia defense since arriving on campus in 2019. An ace closer, Smith only missed eight tackle attempts in his four years as a Bulldog and is almost impossible to beat to the sideline on outside runs. Despite being undersized by traditional standards, his bend, get off and ability to flatten after blowing away tackles with his blinding speed are rare, even in a loaded edge class. Smith’s 4.39s 40 is the second fastest time ever run by an edge defender while his blistering 1.47s 10-yard split portrays the limitless athletic traits Smith possesses, which bodes well for his transition to the next level as an omnipresent standup 3-4 linebacker who never comes off the field. There’s quite a wide range of possibilities in his draft projection, with Atlanta being his absolute ceiling at the 1.08 and the consensus destination being New Orleans at 1.29 (15%). He had been holding steady with an average mock draft selection of 36th overall through February, but after his 93rd percentile Combine showing Smith is now going off the board with the 21st selection on average.
Lukas Van Ness, Iowa (6'5/272)
Arm: 34”
40-Yard Dash: 4.58s (98%)
Shuttle: 4.32 (83%)
3-Cone 7.02 (90%)
Vertical: 31” (43%)
Broad: 9'10” (77%)
RAS: 9.38
Van Ness is a chiseled war horse who attacks blockers with destructive force and has the size to kick inside or stay on the Edge. He played almost exclusively three-tech in 2021, but moved along the formation this season (172 snaps Inside/59 OVT/227 OUT) which allowed Van Ness to be isolated against tackles as opposed to navigating the interior. He looked much more comfortable in that setting, unleashing a ferocious bull rush that is one of the best in this class but lacking nuance in his pass rush toolkit due to being a relatively raw third-year player who played limited snaps due to the hierarchical Iowa depth chart that can over-emphasize seniority at times. Against Ohio State’s two standout 2023 first-round caliber Tackles, he Cocaine-Bear-Pawed the gargantuan 6'82/374-pound RT Dawand Jones and demonstrably got the best of Paris Johnson. Van Ness should be a plus edge-setter right out of the gate, but if he can fine-tune his hand fighting and harness his physical gifts he can be a 10-year defensive anchor in a 4-3 alignment. The second team All-Big Ten selection is currently projected to go in the 10-20 overall range, but his landing spot projections are all over the map. Pittsburgh is the very slight favorite to take Van Ness with the 17th pick according to NFL Mock Draft Database, but Daniel Jeremiah just mocked him to Philadelphia with the 10 pick.
BJ Ojulari, LSU (6'23/248)
Arm: 34.25”
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Shuttle: N/A
3-Cone: N/A
Vertical: N/A
Broad: 10'06” (96%)
RAS: N/A
Ojulari has winning bloodlines, as his brother Aziz is a former second-round edge rusher from Georgia. A technical marvel, Ojulari approaches the diversity of his rush package with a creative mindset. He doesn’t just rush with a plan, he comes with the full story archetype of an epic novel. After a few series watching the LSU sensation, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see which arrow he will draw from his fathomless pass rush quiver next. He loves exploiting the outside shoulder of blockers with his burst, but can plant and cross face in an instant thanks to his ability to sharply corner. His 34.25” arms and 10 ½” hands help Ojulari to latch onto ball carriers and smother them like a lion taking down a gazelle, as his miniscule 2.9% missed tackle rate from the 2021 campaign will attest. His production profile was superb as well, generating 103 pressures over the last two seasons from an almost exclusively wide alignment. On the contrary, Ojulari wins with speed and savvy, but is going to have trouble overpowering NFL tackles unless he rocks up his frame a bit more. He needs to be able to threaten OLs with a credible bull rush to really unlock his full potential at the next level. Ojulari is well suited for standup OLB work in a 3-4 alignment and is being mocked most often to the Chargers at 21 and the Chiefs at 31. We saw his brother Aziz being mocked pre-draft in this same range, but ended up falling out of the first round to the Giants with the 50th overall selection. I think BJ is the better all-around prospect of the two and will probably end up sliding into the R2, 33-45 overall range due to his size.
Myles Murphy, Clemson (6'46/268)
Arm: 33.75”
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Shuttle: N/A
3-Cone: N/A
Vertical: N/A
Broad: N/A
RAS: N/A
Murphy arrived at Clemson alongside fellow premium five-star prospect Bryan Bresee and immediately became a fixture in the Tigers’ starting lineup. The consensus Freshman All-American earned an elite 92.5 run defense grade in his first season while forcing three fumbles and not missing a single tackle attempt all season. He went on to become a three-year All-ACC performer and the only player in the country to record 10 TFL and a forced fumble each year from 2020-22. A tenacious edge setter, Murphy has active hands and possesses the latent strength to control, then discard blockers regardless of their size. He gets right into contact and does not disguise his desire to overpower opponents rather than tactfully outmaneuver them. Run defense is second nature to Murphy, and while he has made strides with his rush package, there is still plenty of room for improvement. His draft projection has been one of the more interesting Edge storylines to follow in my opinion, as he has been considered the consensus 1.05 selection up until the Combine when he didn’t test after the betting markets projected him to be in the 4.55-4.57 range in the 40-yard dash. Murphy has since fallen to an average overall ranking of 15th over the last two weeks. However on Wednesday (3/22) The Athletic staff, PFN and Sporting News all mocked Murphy 1.08 to the Falcons, so it appears there could be some momentum building in that direction.
Adetomiwa Adebawore, Northwestern (6'2/282)
Arm: 33.875”
40-Yard Dash: 4.49s (99%)
Shuttle: 4.26s (99%)
3-Cone: 7.13s (99%)
Vertical: 37.5” (99%)
Broad: 10'05” (99%)
RAS: 9.70
Despite lacking desired length for edge work and having a three-tech frame, Adebawore is one of the great athletic marvels from the 2023 NFL Draft class. His 4.49s 40-yard dash is the 10th fastest Edge time in the history of the NFL Scouting Combine. If that weren’t impressive enough, he did it at 282 pounds which is 20+ pounds heavier than every single one of the 10 edge players ahead of him on that list (Amare Barno #1 All Time - 4.37). Though he had been a primary edge for his first three years on Northwestern’s campus, last year he logged 261 reps in the B-Gap compared to 440 on the outside. Adaboware’s 80.3 PFF pass rush grade is very solid, but there’s plenty of room for improvement in the run game as Adebawore missed 25.5% of his tackle attempts this year. A success story who bulldozed his way through just about every OL put in front of him last season, Adebawore was being considered as a likely mid-Day 3 selection before he absolutely took over the Senior Bowl’s 1-on-1 blocking sessions. Accordingly, Adebawore is now commonly being mocked to Philadelphia at 1.30 which would be an excellent result for the Eagles who would love to place Adebawore next to another freak in former Georgia DT Jordan Davis.
Keion White, Georgia Tech (6'47/285)
Arm: 34”
40-Yard Dash: 4.79s (98%)
Shuttle: N/A
3-Cone: N/A
Vertical: 34” (96%)
Broad: 9'09” (98%)
RAS: 9.91
A five-year collegiate player who played tight end as a freshman for Old Dominion, White transitioned to D as a sophomore and thrived. He recorded a 31.3% pass rush win rate with a superb 90.4 PFF pass rush grade in 2019, both top-15 marks nationally, before jumping over to Georgia Tech to compete in the P5. Though White only logged 72 reps for the previous two years, he returned to top form with 54 tackles, 14 TFL and 7.5 sacks (5th in ACC). His basketball background shows up in his agility and balance, as White has an unnatural fluidity for a 285-pounder. In addition to his super-heavyweight Edge measurements, the former two-star recruit has premium flexibility for a man his size, explodes into contact and works like a berserker to get off blocks. He backed up the tape by dropping a 98th percentile 4.79s 40-yard dash and a scorching 9.91 RAS that left the Yellowjackets defensive leader with few peers in terms of raw, untapped potential. Though he’s lacking technical refinement, White could very well land in the first round but is currently being mocked to the Rams with the 36th overall selection at a 20% rate. He’s likely to be slotted in the #26-40 range.
Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame (6'5/264)
Arm: 34”
40-Yard Dash: 4.58s (98%)
Shuttle: 4.41S (66%)
3-Cone: 7.28S (73%)
Vertical: 34” (96%)
Broad: 9'09” (98%)
RAS: 9.59
Notre Dame’s all-time sack leader, Foskey led the nation with six forced fumbles while tallying 12.5 TFL and 11.0 sacks en route to a Second Team All-American nod. A fully formed 4-3 base DE, Foskey wins with superior hand placement which helps him to gain leverage and keep tackles at bay with a stifling long-arm move. He gets off the ball in a flash, a fact that was solidified by his 4.58s 40 time (97th%) and sterling 9.59 RAS. The Irish edge setter brandishes the requisite flexibility and speed to run the arc, but can also get right up in an opposing tackle’s kitchen thanks to his long frame and a spirited bull rush. Ramps down very efficiently and works hard to disengage and earn secondary sack opportunities. Like most rangy, young edges who need time to grow into their frames, Foskey can play with a high pad level at times which exposes his chest and stalls out power rushes. He has a consensus ranking of 53rd overall to the Bears, which would be a sensational landing spot for the fledgling defensive end. However we’ve seen a few recent mocks with Foskey ending up in the 1.15-1.27 range which would have to be considered a huge win should it come to pass.
Byron Young, Tennessee (6'23/250)
40-Yard Dash: 4.4s (100%)
Shuttle: N/A
3-Cone: 7.19s (98%)
Vertical: 38” (99.9%)
Broad: 11'00” (100%)
RAS: 9.16
Arm: 32.5”
A true speed-merchant who struck fear in the hearts of SEC left tackles with his 1.62 10-yard split acceleration, Young is a hypersonic edge who rang up 42 pressures, 12 TFL and 7.0 sacks en route to an All-SEC First Team nod. The JUCO transfer was out of football for a year and a half after high school before getting a shot at Georgia Military College and parlaying that opportunity into a scholarship at UT. Young is verifiably athletic and versatile, dropping into coverage when called upon and chasing down plays thanks to his hot running motor. Though his expeditious first step is a core weapon that all his counters stem from, he sometimes gets knocked off his rush line and can be handled by physical tight ends. He struggles to disengage from blockers in run defense and will be 25 years old during the season, which in theory limits upside since he has to be more proficient in his pass rush mechanics. However when it comes to running the loop and stressing tackles with topflight acceleration, Young has rare, native athleticism that he used to torture 2023 NFL Draft caliber offensive linemen at the Senior Bowl. NFL Mock Draft Database’s composite rankings have Young being taken in late Day 2, but I think he has the measurables to slide into the late-second/early third round.
