Thor Nystrom delivers the NFL Draft 2025 rankings for EDGE defenders, topped off by Abdul Carter.

Note: For clarification purposes, Georgia EDGE/LB hybrid Jalon Walker is being ranked with the linebackers—check back for those rankings on Monday! And while we’re on the topic of scheduling notes: The 2025 Thor500—my annual 500-player big board with 500 player comps—is scheduled to drop on Thursday, April 17! 

But first, let's talk some EDGE defenders.

1. Abdul Carter | Penn State | 6030/250 | RAS: N/A | Comp: Micah Parsons

Explosive, sleek, fire-starting force. Carter played only one season as an EDGE defender after spending his first two years as an off-ball linebacker. He was utterly dominant at his new post, leading the FBS with 22 TFL. Carter finished 97th-percentile or higher in PFF Pass Rush Grade, True Pass Set Rush Grade, Pass Rush Grade w/o Play Action, and Pass Rush Win %. Carter has slingshot propulsion off the snap, and he bends neater corners than Marie Kondo. 

Carter becomes a T-800 Terminator in pursuit, closing with ferocity and finishing with abject violence. This, of course, applies to his work in run defense as well. Carter is the ever-rare EDGE defender who can legitimately say he has a sideline-to-sideline impact in the run game. On multiple occasions, I saw him shed, get flat down the line, and chase down and finish a running back around the line of scrimmage outside the opposite tackle. A third-year declaree who just turned 21, it’s scary to think of the potential Carter has left to untap. His education as an EDGE defender has only just begun.

Thor's latest NFL Mock Draft places Carter on a team in need of a game-changers on the defensive line.

2. Mike Green | Marshall | 6031/251 | RAS: N/A | Comp: Robert Quinn

A sawed-off 6-foot-3, 251-pounder, Green has eye-popping burst off the snap. One of the coolest aspects of his game is the instant speed-to-power nuclear reaction this leads to—ask Josh Conerly Jr. about that. Green was the only EDGE defender in the FBS to receive PFF grades higher than 90.0 as a pass rusher and in run defense last season. He finished 95th-percentile in PFF True Pass Rush Grade and 99th-percentile in Run Defense Grade. His furious first step sets the table for a cornucopia of pass-rushing moves—the dips, the spins, the humps, the chops. 

He takes the lead in a rep early, and, when you force your hand to stop him, Green uses your movement against you to win in another way. Green’s unorthodox game, borne out of necessity to overcome a small frame and a lack of length, feels like an echo through time to his high school days as a standout wrestler—the hand usage, core strength, and understanding of leverage are all upper-tier on their own as isolated traits. Green led the FBS with 17 sacks in 2024. He’s a better run defender than you’d think because of his ability to shoot gaps and pull the pin out of the play’s grenade before it has begun. Green is far more of a havoc-wreaker than an edge-setter, but his team will learn to live with that.

3. Donovan Ezeiruaku | Boston College | 6024/248 | RAS: 8.12 | Comp: Harold Landry

 

Polished, reliable, and always working—Ezeiruaku is the antique watch of this edge class. He’s worked very hard to add bulk to his undersized frame, but is likely now maxed-out in that capacity. Ezeiruaku’s combination of technique and relentlessness inverts the way we think of winning on the football field. He doesn’t trump card offensive tackles with physical traits, but he puts his man on a tight-rope for four quarters, where any misstep is going to lead to a fall. That happened quite often last fall—Ezeiruaku’s 1.38 sacks per game led the FBS, and he won the Hendricks Award (nation's top DE) and ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors in addition to being named First-team All-American. 

Though Ezeiruaku has a sawed-off frame, he does have one genetic quirk that has proven very helpful in his vocation: Of my top-30 ranked edge defenders, Ezeiruaku is tied for the third-longest wingspan—only ⅛ inch shorter than Mykel Williams’! Ezeiruaku almost always gets his hands on his man first, and his superb hand usage generally stakes him to a big lead in the rep from there, setting the table for his shed & hunt routine. Ezeiruaku has natural limitations holding his ground to set a clean edge against hulking power tackles. I still like his run defense work—he’s extremely active, he’s always in the backfield, and he rarely misses tackles. He’s going to accumulate plenty of TFL in run defense as a 3-4 OLB in the NFL.

4. Mykel Williams | Georgia | 6051/260 | RAS: N/A | Comp: Chris Jones

You could argue that Williams is the best run-defending EDGE in this class—he finished 97th-percentile in PFF Run Defense Grade last season. Williams has a made-in-a-factory frame and high-octane athleticism. Like Travon Walker before him, Williams faces counting-stat questions. A heavily used rotation player his first three years on campus, Williams’ first season as a full-time starter in 2024 was mired by a serious ankle sprain in the opener, including the partial tearing of ligaments. Williams beat a 3-to-6 week recovery timeline by rushing back after only two games. He played limited snaps initially. In his first game with an increased workload, the regular-season game at Texas, Williams posted two sacks and had a third taken off the board due to a facemask flag. Williams has all the physical tools he needs to be a difference-maker in the NFL, including the second-longest wingspan of my top-30 ranked EDGE defenders. His work in run defense—which includes a consistent setting of a hard edge, and funneling the ball back inside to help when he can’t make the play— imbeds a reasonably high floor. The idea of untapped potential as a pass rusher sets an intriguingly high ceiling.

5. James Pearce Jr. | Tennessee | 6052/245 | RAS: 9.4 | Comp: Brian Burns

As a 245-pound one-trick-pony, Pearce isn’t for everyone. But he is extremely disruptive, and you can send him from anywhere. Pearce’s calling cards are vicious acceleration and speed off the edge—he ran a 4.47 40 at 245 pounds wearing a performance hoodie at the NFL Combine!—with Gumby-like bend. The past two seasons, Pearce generated pressure on 107 of 500 pass-rushing snaps (21.4%). In terms of pure pass-rushing, Pearce has an argument against anyone in this class outside of Abdul Carter. And though I’m not the biggest fan of his run defense, Pearce’s work in this area is probably too easily dismissed as non-viable in the NFL. His PFF grade in that area jumped from 67.7 in 2023 to 84.1 in 2024. Pearce misses too many tackles—20.9% career missed tackle rate—and he lacks the sand in the pants to set a hard edge. However, as the 3-4 OLB he is projected to be, Pearce’s ability to throw a wrench into the gears of a play right after the snap has, at minimum, rotational value. If he adds a little weight and cleans up his tackling technique, he’ll be, if nothing else, usable on those downs. But you’re drafting Pearce to harass quarterbacks, and that’s exactly what he’s going to do.

6. Shemar Stewart | Texas A&M | 6050/267 | RAS: 10 | Comp: Rashaan Gary

Stewart stands alone historically at the EDGE position with a perfect 10.0 RAS score. A top-10 overall recruit in 2022, Stewart played 1,255 snaps over three seasons but accrued only 4.5 career sacks (exactly 1.5 each season). Last year, Stewart finished 54th-percentile in pressure rate on true pass sets. There is a black-box feel to this part of the evaluation, but I will offer the following in his defense: 1) Stewart was unblockable at the Senior Bowl, 2) A&M teammate Nic Scourton told us at the NFL Combine that the Aggies’ defensive scheme cleaves pass-rushing stats because, as is the case at Georgia, it doesn’t allow the down linemen to always pin their ears back, 3) In the 2015 NFL Draft, an SEC EDGE rusher with dynamite athleticism but only 4.5 career sacks over three seasons—same as Stewart—fell to the 88th overall pick. His name is Danielle Hunter, and he has 99.5 career sacks and counting. Here’s one thing we can say for certain about Stewart: He’s an incredible run defender. Last season, Stewart graded positively on 23.8% of reps and was 99th-percentile in PFF run defense grade. Stewart will provide his team with premium versatility, with a frame that can comfortably hold nearly 300 pounds, and the ability to move up and down the line as needed.

7. Nic Scourton | Texas A&M | 6026/257 | RAS: N/A | Comp: Trey Hendrickson

Scourton cut down from a listed 285 for the NFL Combine. Don’t let that fool you. This is a muscled-up, powerful, bully-ball edge defender with long arms. Scourton sets a hard edge in the run game and uses speed-to-power machinations to win as a pass-rusher. He’s a linear athlete who does not profile as a superstar, but rather a potential key cog. In a base defense, Scourton projects best as a 3-4 DE. But he could also receive interest from 4-3 teams looking to improve their run defense with an enforcer.

8. Landon Jackson | Arkansas | 6060/264 | RAS: 9.78 | Comp: Chris Kelsay

Jackson is a towering tone-setter. He’s an extremely gifted run defender who sets a hard edge. Jackson isn’t a twitchy freak, but he was a productive pass rusher in the SEC due to his length—longest wingspan of my top-30 ranked EDGE defenders—active hands, and variety of pass-rushing moves. Jackson’s die-on-the-sword motor and well-rounded game will appeal to teams shopping for an edge defender in Round 2.

Best of the rest…

 

9. JT Tuimoloau | Ohio State | 6042/265 | RAS: 9.33 | Comp: Clelin Ferrell

10. Princely Umanmielen | Mississippi | 6043/244 | RAS: 8.98 | Comp: Boye Mafe

11. Jack Sawyer | Ohio State | 6042/260 | RAS: N/A | Comp: Sam Hubbard

12. Josaiah Stewart | Michigan | 6010/249 | RAS: N/A | Comp: Josh Uche

13. David Walker | Central Arkansas | 6007/263 | RAS: 8.62 | Comp: Brandon Graham

14. Jared Ivey | Mississippi | 6057/274 | RAS: 2.00 | Comp: Denico Autry 

15. Bradyn Swinson | LSU | 6035/255 | RAS: N/A | Comp: Malcolm Koonce

16. Elijah Roberts | SMU | 6035/285 | RAS: 6.82 | Comp: Tank Carradine