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Our panel of draft analysts at SB Nation ranked the top-10 EDGE prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft.
One of the most coveted positions in all of football is edge rusher. With the NFL shifting more and more into a pass-heavy league, finding ways to neutralize opposing passing attacks has taken on even greater importance. Creating consistent pass rush is one of the best ways to do that, and teams are always on the lookout for top players on the outside.
This year’s EDGE class is very talented, with multiple prospects expected to be drafted in the top 10. As a whole, EDGE might be the deepest position group in the entire 2023 NFL Draft: The Draft Network currently lists 16 EDGE players in their top-100 prospects list, with 13 more in the top 150.
Our panel of NFL Draft analysts here at SB Nation came together to rank the top-10 edge rushers in this class. Check out our rankings below!
1: Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
The consensus top edge rusher and defensive player in the 2023 NFL Draft, Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. pops off the tape thanks to a unique blend of explosiveness, agility, and length. He’s been one of the most consistently productive pass rushers in college football, even if he couldn’t quite match his outstanding numbers from 2021 (17.5 sacks, 31.0 TFL, 101 total tackles). The one nitpick in Anderson’s game would be a lack of prototypical size at 6’3.5, as he played in the 230s but did manage to bulk up to 250 for the NFL Combine.
If the one flaw in Anderson’s game was size, that’s something that Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson has in spades. At nearly 6’6, 270 and with over 35” arms (96th percentile), Wilson is the prototype when it come to edge rushers. Wilson is a physically imposing presence on the edge with surprisingly good lateral mobility—this is a player who routinely rushed standing up and did so effectively. He’s raw as a pass rusher and isn’t as explosive as some of the other top prospects in this class. Wilson’s ability to immediately impact the run game along with his upside in the passing game make him a likely top-10 selection.
3: Nolan Smith, Georgia
This is where the ranking gets really interesting, as opinions are quite mixed on the next three prospects. Coming in third is Georgia’s Nolan Smith, one of the most athletic edge rushers we’ve seen in recent memory. Smith lit up the NFL Combine with a 4.39-second 40 and a 41.5” vertical jump, finishing with an elite 9.23 Relative Athletic Score (RAS). He’s a smaller prospect at just 6’2, 238, but his incredible ability as a run defender defies all logic. Smith is also a fiery personality with outstanding competitive toughness, and he’ll be a big boost to any locker room. He’s still got a lot of development to do as a pass rusher, but his attitude provides a lot of confidence in a long-term projection.
4: Myles Murphy, Clemson
A player who has slipped a bit from early draft rankings, Clemson’s Myles Murphy absolutely looks the part of a top EDGE prospect. Murphy easily checks the size (6’5, 268, 33.75” arms) and athleticism (9.71 RAS) boxes, and the traits are obvious on tape. His flashes and highlight reel plays are up there with the best prospects in the class. The issues with Murphy stem from a lack of consistency, particularly against the run, and good-but-not-great production. He’s much more of a project than initially expected, but Murphy’s ceiling is still quite high.
5: Lukas Van Ness, Iowa
Right behind Murphy is a prospect with a lot of similarities in Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness. Van Ness is a little bit taller, heavier, and longer (6’5, 272, 34” arms) and also tested out as an elite athlete with a 9.39 RAS. He’s also a flashy prospect with some really impressive reps on tape. Van Ness differs from Murphy in that his game tends to be more predicated on power at this stage, and he’s a more reliable run defender. His projection is even bigger than Murphy, however, as Van Ness only has two years of modest production to his resume. The frame and traits of a potential impact edge rusher are there, but there’s a lot of development needed before Van Ness can reach that ceiling.
6: Will McDonald IV, Iowa State
The biggest riser from this year’s pre-draft process, Iowa State’s Will McDonald IV burst onto the scene with a dominant performance at the Senior Bowl. He followed that up with a terrific Combine, finishing with an elite 9.67 RAS, that has vaulted him into late-first round consideration. McDonald is a surprisingly polished pass rusher who brings outstanding burst, bend, and length (34.875” arms) to the position. He’s a bit undersized at 6’3.5, 240, but doesn’t lack for physicality. McDonald isn’t likely to be more than a passable run defender at the NFL level, but his pass rushing prowess is more than enough to get him drafted in the top 50.
7: BJ Ojulari, LSU
LSU’s BJ Ojulari offers a lot of the same things as Will McDonald, but should be available a bit later in the draft. Both are undersized pass rushing specialists who win with their combination of explosiveness, bend, and length. Ojulari has McDonald beat in terms of lateral mobility, as his ability to turn the corner is quite special, but he’s got more work to do in terms of his technical polish and isn’t as physical at the point of attack. He’s clearly behind McDonald at this point, but offers a similar package of traits for an NFL team looking to add some speed to their defensive front.
8: Adetomiwa Adebawore, Northwestern
One of the most unique players in the class, Northwestern’s Adetomiwa Adebawore has also enjoyed a boost to his draft stock over the past few months. Adebawore has a non-traditional build at 6’2, 282 and nearly 34” arms, which has led to questions about his true position. In college, he played all along the defensive line from 7T to 1T—although his best fit might be on the interior. Adebawore had a fantastic Senior Bowl and followed it up with an incredible Combine, finishing with a 9.72 RAS. He’ll need a creative defensive coordinator to get the most out of him, but has a very high ceiling in the right situation.
Georgia Tech’s Keion White is an athletic marvel with an outstanding size profile at 6’5, 285 who has enjoyed a meteoric rise up draft boards. He got things started with a fantastic Senior Bowl week and continued on to have an incredible performance at the Combine (9.99 RAS). White is a rare mover at his size with surprising bend and explosiveness. At 285 pounds, he’s not at all out of place standing up and rushing off the edge but has some upside as an interior rusher as well. White has all the traits but never put up great sack numbers, and he’s still got a lot of development ahead of him.
10: Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State
One of the most polished pass rushers in the class, Kansas State’s Felix Anudike-Uzomah is a pro-ready third down specialist who can immediate create disruption off the edge. Anudike-Uzomah is explosive and bendy (8.73 RAS) and offers a solid overall size profile at 6’3, 255. He’s not just a one-trick speed rusher, however, as Anudike-Uzomah converts speed to power well and plays with more physicality than expected. He’s a sloppy run defender overall, but I believe the issues are all coachable. Anudike-Uzomah is one of the most intriguing Day 2 edge rushers in this class thanks to his immediate ability as a designated pass rusher and his potential 3-down upside.
