Edge Rusher Rankings for the 2024 NFL Draft
My newest and largest big board of the year is out now. I shared my top 200 players in the 2024 NFL Draft, and now I'll be releasing my positional rankings for each position. This year's edge rusher class, by many, has a large dropoff after the top three players, who are expected to hear […]
My newest and largest big board of the year is out now. I shared my top 200 players in the 2024 NFL Draft, and now I'll be releasing my positional rankings for each position.
This year's edge rusher class, by many, has a large dropoff after the top three players, who are expected to hear their names called in the 1st round. But I've actually come to really like the second tier of guys in this class the more work I've done evaluating them.
Below are my top 15 edge rushers in the 2024 NFL Draft.
2024 NFL Draft Edge Rankings
1. Dallas Turner, Alabama
2. Laiatu Latu, UCLA
3. Jared Verse, Florida State
4. Darius Robinson, Missouri
5. Chop Robinson, Penn State
Penn State's Chop Robinson's draft stock has fluctuated quite a bit during the cycle. He began as a prospect many believed could go in the top half of the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. That steam cooled down to the point of the consensus, viewing him as a mid-2nd round pick. But after his elite testing at the Scouting Combine, I think many have landed on him being a fringe 1st round player. He recorded the 2nd fastest 40-yard dash of any edge rusher with his 4.48 run, a 34.5" vertical, and an incredible 10'8" broad jump. At his Pro Day, he chose to skip most drills but did perform the three-cone drill, which he didn't do at the Scouting Combine, and ended up with an elite 7.01 run.
Robinson's elite athleticism will have many teams projecting him to make a big leap as a player at the Pro Level. He will need it, with him only starting eleven games at Penn State and recording 11.5 sacks over his three collegiate seasons. Though he did have to miss two games last season with a concussion, he still earned his first and only First Team All-Big Ten honor. I think Robinson's best football is in front of him, but will require a solid amount of NFL coaching before he can make a true impact at the NFL level. If he's able to develop and add to his bag of pass rush moves, he could become the type of pass rusher that keeps offensive linemen up late at night.
6. Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan
7. Mohamed Kamara, Colarado State
8. Adisa Issac, Penn State
9. Bralen Trice, Washington
10. Chris Braswell, Alabama
11. Jonah Elliss, Utah
12. Jaylx Hunt, Houston Christian
Like Robinson, Houston Christian's Jalyx Hunt is an unreal athlete for the edge rusher position. He recorded a 4.64 40-yard dash, 37.5" vertical, and a 10'8" broad jump at the Scouting Combine. Again, like Robinson, Hunt skipped the majority of his skill drills at his Pro Day but did record a 7.18 three-cone drill, further showing his elite athleticism.
Hunt began his college career in 2019 at Cornell, where he spent his first three seasons as mostly a special teams player and only recorded one start. In 2022, he transferred to Houston Christian, where he started all 22 games he appeared in and recorded 13.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, 20.5 tackles for loss, and 162 total tackles. I think the argument can be made that Hunt has an equally as high ceiling as Robinson, with even more college production, the negative being it came at a much smaller university against significantly worse talent. But if a team isn't willing to take Robinson in the first two rounds, maybe a guy like Hunt during the early rounds of day three would be more enticing.
13. Austin Booker, Kansas
14. Cedrick Johnson, Ole Miss
15. Jalen Green, James Madison
Top 200 prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft
A top 200 big board for the 2024 NFL Draft
