The top-heavy 2023 NFL Draft EDGE class set the bar high for the following cycle. Can the 2024 NFL Draft EDGE class match up?
There might not be a Will Anderson Jr.-level prospect in the 2024 cycle, but names like Dallas Turner, Jared Verse, Chop Robinson, and others should populate Round 1.
Ranking the EDGEs in the 2024 NFL Draft
The 2023 NFL Draft had it all at the EDGE position. It wasn’t simply a deep class. It was a diverse class with a barrage of player types, from power rushers to finesse rushers and everything in between. Pass rush has always been an indispensable area for coaches, but especially in the modern NFL, it’s one of the most important components of the game itself.
Every pass-rushing unit, to function properly, needs both top-end talent and reliable depth. And looking at the 2024 NFL Draft class at the surface level, it appears to have a good mix of both. Let’s dive into the early film observations and see who leads off our list of 2024 EDGE prospects.
10) Adisa Isaac, Penn State
The Penn State Nittany Lions boast one of the nation’s most exciting duos outside the tackle. You’ll see Chop Robinson much higher on this list, but his counterpart, Adisa Isaac, is also an arguable top-100 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft and a high-upside talent rushing off the edge.
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Isaac put up four sacks and 11 TFLs in 2022, showing off his range in pursuit and his well-rounded pallet of traits. And already in 2023, he’s achieved career-high sack numbers. At 6’4″, 254 pounds, Isaac has a little bit of everything — explosiveness, ankle flexion, length, and power capacity.
A torn Achilles in 2021 delayed Isaac’s development somewhat, but he’s returned with a vengeance and could be an early-round prospect.
9) Brandon Dorlus, Oregon
Brandon Dorlus provides a unique mold of defensive lineman for evaluators in the 2024 NFL Draft cycle. At 6’3″, 280 pounds, Dorlus has the size, mass, and elite proportional length to line up at 3-tech or shade over 1-tech, but he’s also athletic and explosive enough to function as a stand-up EDGE or swerve across the line on stunts like a battering ram.
This year, Dorlus has played at EDGE much more often, and opposite Jordan Burch, he’s been an absolute wrecking ball against offensive tackles — securing four sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss in eight games to this point. Dorlus’ versatility, power profile, and violent hands have him surging up the 2024 NFL Draft board.
8) Bralen Trice, Washington
In 2022, Bralen Trice amassed nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss. Not only did he produce at a high clip, but he also provided evaluators with many high-level reps. The production hasn’t come as often in 2023, but Trice’s traits still pop on tape, and he appears to be ramping up as the season nears its end.
At 6’4″ and 260 pounds, Trice has the ideal size and power profile. He can assuredly go through you if he wants to — Trice has the shock in his hands and the force at contact to win head-on. But for his size, he’s also a surprisingly twitched-up, agile mover who has enough burst to threaten the apex.
Trice isn’t much of a bender, but his violent, high-energy style yields results.
7) J.T. Tuimoloau, Ohio State
A five-star recruit who broke out in 2022, J.T. Tuimoloau‘s production has been a bit up and down in 2023. He disappears as a pass rusher sometimes, but one of his best games came against potential top-10 pick Olu Fashanu. Tuimoloau’s power can be overwhelming, and his flashes of hand usage and peak pass-rush execution are top-tier.
Tuimoloau is just built differently. He’s 6’4″, 277 pounds, and yet, he’s an explosive long-strider who bounds off the line. Tuimoloau has terrifying power capacity with his burst and length, but he’s also surprisingly nimble for his size and has a nose for the football in close quarters. His size, power, and pedigree will keep him in the early-round discussion.
6) Landon Jackson, Arkansas
It’s tough to strike the balance of being a riser while also being under the radar, but Arkansas’ Landon Jackson successfully claims both labels. With 5.5 sacks and 10.5 TFLs so far in 2023, he’s established himself as a legitimate pass-rushing force. And yet, there’s still more work to be done before he can rise into the consensus top five.
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At 6’7″, 281 pounds, Jackson has swarming length to go along with unnatural flexibility and bend capacity. And particularly in a 3.5-sack outing against Alabama, he showed he can win with precise and urgent pass-rush combos. Consistency is what Jackson should ultimately strive for, but he has intriguing tools.
5) Laiatu Latu, UCLA
No 2024 NFL Draft EDGE prospect has been more productive over the past two seasons combined than UCLA’s Laiatu Latu. Latu had 10.5 sacks and 12.5 TFLs in an eye-catching 2022 campaign. And so far in 2023, he’s added 9.5 sacks and 13 TFLs to his career totals. If production is any indication, Latu should be in the Round 1 conversation.
At 6’5″, 265 pounds, Latu checks the size box as well, and he’s also an impressively flexible mover — able to pry past blocks with ankle flexion, brisk agility, and savvy weight distribution. Latu can still be a more disciplined run defender, but he’s an absolute pass-rushing technician whose reliability on the attack is matched by few.
4) Jared Verse, Florida State
Florida State’s Jared Verse entered the 2023 season as our top EDGE prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft class. Since the start of the year, he’s fallen down our board a bit. It’s not a production issue — though Verse’s numbers have fallen a bit since his nine-sack, 17-TFL 2022 campaign. Rather, it’s an issue of ultimate upside.
Verse visibly lacks elite bend and hip flexibility, and it often shows when he attempts to breach the apex. Even so, he’s still a superlative explosive force with an unnerving twitch, ruthless power, strength in run support, and fast hands on the attack. He’s a viable mid-to-late Round 1 prospect who can be a solid starter in the NFL.
3) Princely Umanmielen, Florida
There’s an ascending talent on the Florida defensive line who could have the highest ceiling in the 2024 NFL Draft EDGE class. That’s right — even rivaling the ceiling of Dallas Turner. Princely Umanmielen is his name. He has three sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss to this point, and his pass-rush productivity only reinforces his standing as a potential Round 1 prospect.
All of the tools are there with Umanmielen. At around 6’4″ and 250 pounds, he offers volcanic explosiveness and legitimate eye-catching bend and cornering speed around the arc, as well as the length to pry past blocks. He’s been a high-level run defender since 2022, and his pass-rushing upside is truly mind-boggling.
2) Chop Robinson, Penn State
Demeioun Robinson — better known by his very fitting nickname “Chop” — is a prospect we can reliably project near the top of the 2024 NFL Draft EDGE class. He might not have the elite length that other prospects possess. But with 8.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss over the past 19 games, Robinson has proven himself as a disruptive force all across the line.
At 6’3″, 254 pounds, Robinson is a hyperdense maniac with bristling explosiveness and searing bend, who can use his combination of athletic tools in tandem with his red-hot motor to pierce through gaps with extreme prejudice. His unique alignment versatility makes him a modern-age game-wrecker.
Who Is the Best EDGE in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Several prospects near the top of the 2024 NFL Draft EDGE board have the potential to challenge for the top positional spot. But right now, no prospect quite has the combined production and physical profile to unseat Dallas Turner in the top spot.
1) Dallas Turner, Alabama
In all likelihood, any prospect Alabama fields at the EDGE position in the 2024 NFL Draft cycle won’t grade as highly as Will Anderson Jr. did. But that’s a high bar to clear. Anderson was a clear blue-chip prospect with an immediate impact projection.
Dallas Turner‘s NFL transition might not be as smooth, but he has a ceiling in the same range. At 6’4″, 245 pounds, Turner first appears as more of a finesse-oriented player. He’s a bolt of lightning off the line with absurd hip flexibility and ankle flexion around the apex.
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Those two traits alone can be overwhelming for tackles. But just when you think you’ve figured Turner out, he’ll hit tackles with devastating long arms and bull rushes. With his length and burst, he has power on his side, too.
Turner is a true freak of nature, and those tools have led to production in 2023. He has seven sacks and 10.5 TFLs as of this writing. He’s still developing as a pass-rush technician, but the physical foundation to work with is tantalizing.
Honorable Mentions
- Chris Braswell, Alabama
- Ashton Gillotte, Louisville
- Jordan Burch, Oregon
- Patrick Payton, Florida State
- Darius Robinson, Missouri
- Jonah Elliss, Utah
- Jasheen Davis, Wake Forest
- Jack Sawyer, Ohio State
- Brennan Jackson, Washington State
- Fadil Diggs, Texas A&M
