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.

But first, let's talk some EDGE defenders.

2025 NFL Draft EDGE Rusher Rankings

UPDATE: Read THE THOR 500 here — Thor Nystrom's full ranks of the 500 best players in the 2025 NFL Draft!

OverallPositionNameSchoolHTWTRASAgeComp
2EDGE1Abdul CarterPenn State603625021.56Micah Parsons
11EDGE2Mike GreenMarshall603125121.74Robert Quinn
17EDGE3Donovan EzeiruakuBoston College60242488.1421.58Harold Landry
23EDGE4Mykel WilliamsGeorgia605126720.82Jason Pierre-Paul
26EDGE5James Pearce Jr.Tennessee60522459.421.53Brian Burns
28EDGE6Shemar StewartTexas A&M60502671021.45Rashaan Gary
36EDGE7Landon JacksonArkansas60602649.7822.31AJ Epenesa
46EDGE8Nic ScourtonTexas A&M602625720.66Trey Hendrickson
50EDGE9Princely UmanmielenOle Miss60432448.9923.02Boye Mafe
54EDGE10JT TuimoloauOhio State60422649.3421.96Clelin Ferrell
65EDGE11Bradyn SwinsonLSU603525522.81Malcolm Koonce
68EDGE12Jordan BurchOregon604127923.54Matthew Judon
76EDGE13Jack SawyerOhio State604226022.97Sam Hubbard
80EDGE14Josaiah StewartMichigan601024922Josh Uche
85EDGE15David WalkerCentral Arkansas60072638.6324.89Brandon Graham
91EDGE16Ashton GillotteLouisville60272649.7522.48Adrian Clayborn
98EDGE17Oluwafemi OladejoUCLA603226121.59Dorance Armstrong
105EDGE18Elijah RobertsSMU60352856.8423.33Tank Carradine
119EDGE19Jared IveyOle Miss60572742.0123.38Denico Autry
131EDGE20Tyler BaronMiami60452588.6623.5Peppi Zellner
147EDGE21Sai’vion JonesLSU60542839.221.81Cory Redding
160EDGE22Barryn SorrellTexas60332569.3122.34Cedric Johnson
177EDGE23Antwaun Powell-RylandVirginia Tech60252589.1823.17Jonathan Cooper
192EDGE24Tyrion Ingram-DawkinsGeorgia60462769.7921.83Jason Strowbridge
204EDGE25Kyle KennardSouth Carolina60412548.5823.37B.J. Ojulari
219EDGE26Que RobinsonAlabama604224323.95Arden Key
233EDGE27Kaimon RuckerNorth Carolina601225523.15Javon Solomon
240EDGE28Fadil DiggsSyracuse60432579.3623.52DJ Wonnum
249EDGE29Jah JoynerMinnesota60422626.8823.73James Smith-Williams
259EDGE30Tyler BattyBYU60552718.7725.98Isaiah Thomas
267EDGE31Ahmed HassaneinBoise State60242677.0822.79Mike Danna
272EDGE32Elijah PonderCal Poly60272519.722.67Ben Banogu
282EDGE33Ethan DownsOklahoma60362698.7422.53Brennan Jackson
289EDGE34RJ ObenNotre Dame60332515.3523.85Rashad Weaver
295EDGE35Steve LintonBaylor60362487.2125.16Chris Rumph
297EDGE36Johnny Walker Jr.Missouri60252494.723.37Shane Ray
307EDGE37Nate MatlackPittsburgh60452549.62Dominique Robinson
309EDGE38Brian UgwuMiami (OH)6025249Noah Spence
317EDGE39Garmon RandolphBaylor60632659.1724.55Dan Cody
337EDGE40BJ Green IIColorado60022526.25Jerome McDougle
339EDGE41Seth ColemanIllinois60342467.1624.38Israel Ifeanyi
342EDGE42J.J. WeaverKentucky60452515.6125.4Victor Abiamiri
350EDGE43Elijah AlstonMiami60242493.2123.66Brandon Jenkins
359EDGE44Chaz ChamblissGeorgia60222458.9822.5Alex Tchangam
370EDGE45Chico Bennett Jr.Virginia60302497.73KJ Henry
381EDGE46Jasheen DavisWake Forest60302514.8223.35Keshawn Banks
396EDGE47Danny StriggowMinnesota60402537.54Shilique Calhoun
418EDGE48Jacob Mangum-FarrarIndiana60402368.65Javontae Jean-Baptiste
429EDGE49Davin VannNC State60112698.52Junior Aho
437EDGE50Adin HuntingtonTulane60072819.64Jalen Redmond
442EDGE51Desmond LittleUAB60422428.15Isaiah Foskey
452EDGE52Trace FordOklahoma60232498.32Jordan Brailford
464EDGE53Connor O'TooleUtah60332489.5Jackson Jeffcoat
486EDGE54Matt HarmonKent State60562458.49Michael Buchanan
EDGE55Shitta SillahPurdue60462499.05Dominique Robinson
EDGE56Kydran JenkinsPurdue51162565.7322.81Tarron Jackson
EDGE57Anton JuncajArkansas60362586.58Brenton Cox Jr.
EDGE58Xavier CarltonCalifornia60562735.64
EDGE59Phillip WebbJackson State60352598.8
EDGE60Brody GrebeMontana State60122459.74
EDGE61Hayden HarrisMontana60512576.59
EDGE62Caiden WoullardOklahoma60432725.86
EDGE63Brice BassTexas State60312487.45
EDGE64Paris ShandLSU60362686.83
EDGE65Nick GaesSouth Dakota60372709.27
EDGE66John PiusWisconsin60272423.31
EDGE67Nusi MalaniWashington State60422636.4
EDGE68Jeremiah OjoUniv. of Montreal (Can.)60232468.81
EDGE69Diwun BlackTemple60352465.94
EDGE70Jalan GainesIllinois State60302425.46
EDGE71Ja'Markis WestonFlorida60252346.16
EDGE72Bam BrimaPittsburgh60472637.59

Analysis of the Top Eight EDGE Rushers In The 2025 NFL Draft

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.


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