2025 NFL Draft EDGE Preview
An early look at the 2025 EDGE class.
In a class with some exciting top-tier talent across the board, the EDGE position may be the most impressive.
The 2025 EDGE group comes in all shapes, roles, and sizes. Some guys are already polished with a year to go, while others are elite athletes who have just scratched the surface of what they’re capable of.
There are still so many EDGEs that I’ve yet to grade, but here’s my current rankings on the five I’ve been able to watch, plus a list of a few other guys still on the preseason watch list.
1. Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
(6’4”, 280 pounds)
As an Indiana grad, I’m not supposed to say nice things about anyone who played at Purdue. But Nic Scourton has been my favorite prospect I’ve watched so far for the 2025 class.
Scourton brings such a unique skillset for a 280-pound EDGE prospect. Along with good size and strength, he also possesses impressive athletic ability and a variety of pass-rush moves. He also has a lethal spin move, and knows how to set up blockers with moves both inside and out, as well as converting speed to power.
What’s even scarier is that Scourton has just scratched the surface of what he’s capable of as a run defender. He can get even more dominant at the point of attack with hip explosion and extension, which are coachable corrections.
Texas A&M is getting an extremely polished, big-bodied pass rusher in 2024. He may not have the top-tier athletic profile or length of some of the other top EDGE prospects, but he’s far and away the most pro-ready player at the position right now.
Let’s see if he can take another step forward in 2024.
Shades Of: Dwight Freeney
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2. James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
(6’5”, 242 pounds)
Where Scourton is a big-bodied EDGE with polish, James Peace Jr. is kind of the opposite.
Pearce is a much lighter prospect, but that shows with his explosiveness, bend, and overall athletic ability. He can fire off of the snap from wide alignments, and has the motor to keep fighting through blocks to make a play.
Consistency with Peace’s speed-to-power rush will be important for him in 2024, because he’s unstoppable when he’s able to put everything together and effectively bull rush. That will come with better technique, leg drive, and added weight to his frame.
That lighter frame will be a concern for some teams, unless Pearce is able to bulk up heading into 2024. That, combined with raw hand usage and high pad level, have Pearce showing more flash than consistency at this point of his college career.
That makes Pearce’s 9.5 sacks in 2023 even more impressive. If he’s able to improve his technique in a couple of places, he could be an easy double-digit sack pass rusher this season.
I understand why so many outlets have him as EDGE1 for 2025. It won’t take much for him to move to that spot for me next season, but I need to make sure I see some refinement next season before I move him into the top EDGE spot.
Shades Of: Brian Burns
3. Abdul Carter, Penn State
(6’3”, 250 pounds)
Penn State seems to have an obsession with hyper-athletic players that they’ll play at both off-ball linebacker and EDGE.
Abdul Carter is the latest player to get playing time at both spots. He played primarily as an ILB this past season, but is moving full-time to defensive end in 2024.
That’s a logical move given Carter’s skill set. He has good size and great length, while also possessing the explosiveness and bend that teams covet in their pass rushers. He also has the lateral agility to sidestep blockers and the natural play strength to be a thumper as a tackler.
Carter’s biggest concerns seem to be his effort and motor. He needs some technical refinement as well, but there are too many plays that he takes off, particularly in backside pursuit.
It’s a tricky evaluation for Carter at the moment, but a full season of film at defensive end should make it easier to grade him as an EDGE for the 2025 class.
Shades Of: (*gasp*) Micah Parsons
4. Patrick Payton, Florida State
(6’5”, 254 pounds)
Jared Verse and Braden Fiske stole the spotlight for Florida State last season. Now, it’s Patrick Payton’s time to shine for the Seminoles.
Payton is a twitched-up, lengthy EDGE prospect. He’s already produced 12 sacks in two seasons, and flashes with his outstanding bend and explosiveness off of the edge. He also does a good job of transitioning from speed to power by keeping his hands above his eyes and getting extended.
The biggest question for Payton is if he can keep his explosiveness after adding weight. ESPN lists him at 239 pounds from last season, while FSU’s website has him 15 pounds heavier at 254.
If he can keep his play style with the added weight, Payton could even climb up these rankings. He’ll still need to work on adding some other pass-rush moves, but the biggest thing will be playing with more strength.
Shades Of: Leonard Floyd
5. Jack Sawyer, Ohio State
(6’5”, 260 pounds)
All of the other top EDGEs on these rankings can win with speed and explosiveness. However, none of them can play with strength like Jack Sawyer can.
A former 5-star recruit for Ohio State, Sawyer still has some solid overall athletic ability. He has solid bend to get around the edge for his size, and flashes some decent lateral movement to set up inside rush moves.
Where Sawyer primarily wins is with his play strength. He plays with good pad level and extension to maximize his natural strength, allowing him to drive blockers into the backfield in the run game. He also brings that strength into his tackles, stonewalling ball carriers when he gets a clean shot.
Sawyer’s bull rush surprisingly still needs some work despite that strength and technique. He needs to find a way to more consistently convert speed to power, which should be doable given his skill set.
The Buckeyes have a loaded defense heading into 2024, so Sawyer will need to find a way to differentiate himself to make some noise in the 2025 draft class.
The Other Guys
Mykel Williams, Georgia
If I had more time this week (welcome back to summer practices, high school coaches!), I would have taken the time to watch this kid. Everything I’ve heard is that Williams will compete for the EDGE1 spot with strength, length, and explosiveness. I can’t wait to watch him.
JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State
There was a game against Penn State his freshman year where I thought that Tuimoloau was going to be a superstar. While he hasn’t had that same impact recently, he’s still a viable EDGE option would could vault into first-round consideration with a strong 2024 season.
Ashton Gillotte, Louisville
22 sacks in three seasons, including 11 last year, puts Gillotte on the watch list. I don’t know much about him, but that kind of production with a 275-pound frame has me intrigued.
Princely Umanmielen, Ole Miss
Umanmielen is transferring to Ole Miss after a second-team All-SEC selection with seven sacks for Florida. He checks a lot of physical boxes and moves well with first-step explosiveness. We’ll need to see him more consistent at the point of attack for him to create some more draft buzz this season.
Dasan McCullough, Oklahoma
McCullough had a quiet first season at Oklahoma while battling through injuries. Before that, he looked like the best player on the field as a freshman at Indiana. He’s extremely undersized at 227 pounds, but some added weight could make him a lethal rusher for the Sooners.