2023 NFL Draft: The top 8 edge defenders

When you’re evaluating defensive players in today’s NFL, versatility is a more valuable asset than it has perhaps ever been. If you’re a safety who can’t play the slot, or a slot cornerback who isn’t great outside, or a linebacker who can only work forward, or a defensive tackle who is stuck in one or two gaps… well, unless your primary skill is generational, you’re going to start leaking value in the minds of NFL shot-callers.

This has also become true when it comes to edge defenders. Yes, the true outside pass-rusher has as much splash, and can earn as much cash, as ever before. But if the edge is your only home, you’d best be able to disrupt from out there at an All-Pro level. If not, you’ll need to figure out how to be a problem for opposing blockers from multiple gaps, or teams will find other options.

This class of edge defenders is fascinating in that regard. Players with alleged “tweener” side and skills, as they might have been categorized even a decade ago, are now going to be more prized because they allow NFL defensive coordinators to create pressure in as many ways as possible. There are a couple of true edge guys in our list, including the guy up top, but more often than not, this class reflects the need for versatility that is all over the league today.

Here are Touchdown Wire’s eight best edge defenders in the 2023 NFL draft.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus, Sports Info Solutions, and Football Outsiders unless otherwise indicated).

(All prospect measurement percentiles courtesy of MockDraftable.com). 

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2023 NFL Draft: The top 8 linebackers

2023 NFL Draft: The top 8 interior defensive linemen

1. Will Anderson Jr., Alabama

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6′ 3¾” (47th percentile) Weight: 253 (23rd)
40-Yard Dash: 4.6 (89th)
10-Yard Split: 1.61 (73rd)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 33⅞” (63rd)
Hand Size: 9⅞” (50th)

Bio: A consensus four-star prospect out of Dutchtown High in Hampton, Georgia, Anderson chose the Crimson Tide over Auburn, LSU and Tennessee among his nearly 40 offers and got to work early, winning the starting job at Jack linebacker on a defense that doesn’t usually allow freshmen to do such things. Anderson leaves Alabama as the school’s second most productive player in terms of sacks behind only Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas.

Over three seasons in Nick Saban’s defense, Anderson totaled 37 sacks, 36 quarterback hits, 134 quarterback hurries, 112 tackles, 109 stops, and one forced fumble. He also allowed an opponent passer rating of 64.4 and had an interception on 13 targets. Anderson had 1,802 snaps outside the tackles, 339 over the tackles, 26 in the B-gaps, 18 in the box, 13 in the slot, and one in the A-gaps.

Stat to Know: Anderson’s 2022 Pressure Share Rate (the percentage of a team’s individual pressures made by the defender) of 25% leads all players on this list.

Strengths: Anderson is so prolific as a bringer of sacks and pressures because he has so many different ways to get to the quarterback. His speed-to-power stuff is probably the primary tool in the box. Once he gears up to full gear and gets that long arm out, you, Mr. Offensive Tackle, are about to have a bad rep.

Anderson has a natural and practiced ability to jump multiple gaps in conjunction with other linemen, which should make him NFL-ready in any defensive line where stunts and games are the order of the day.

Anderson also isn’t the type of edge guy you want to kick inside 20% of the time or more; he can get bulldozed in power situations pretty easily. If gap versatility is what you want most of all in your pass-rusher, you might look elsewhere.

Conclusion: Anderson’s combination of quickness off the snap, acceleration to the pocket, outside power and lean, and closure to the quarterback makes him the best edge defender in this class. How his NFL team deploys him will be fascinating. If you have him on the edge as an end in four-man fronts, or as an “edgebacker” in the NFL’s increasing use of five-man fronts, you can just sit back and watch the pressures roll in.

NFL Comparison: T.J. Watt. The Steelers selected J.J. Watt’s younger brother with the 30th pick in the 2017 draft because Watt had just one full season of production to project to the next level. But Watt has become an absolute terror on the outside because of his technical palette, gap-moving athleticism, quickness to the pocket, and speed/power conversions. It is not unreasonable to assume that Anderson will have a similar level of success.

2. Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech

(Syndication: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)

Height: 6′ 6⅛” (95th percentile) Weight: 271 (68th)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
Bench Press: 23 reps (48th)
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 35⅝” (96th)
Hand Size: 9⅝” (34th)

Bio: Wilson was a three-star recruit out of high school, but he chose Texas A&M over offers from (among other schools) Arkansas, Baylor, Florida, Houston, Kansas, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, SMU, TCU, Texas and Washington State. He entered the transfer portal after two seasons (one a redshirt) with the Aggies and landed with the Red Raiders. Over four seasons on the field, mostly with Texas Tech, Wilson totaled 18 sacks, 18 quarterback hits, 76 quarterback hurries, 75 tackles, 69 stops, and one forced fumble. He also had one pass breakup on five targets in coverage.

Wilson had 1,035 snaps outside the tackles, 493 over the tackles, and 126 in the B-gaps. He also had five in the box and three in the slot… for whatever reason.

Stat to Know: Wilson’s Pressure Rate +/- (Pressure Rate above or below an expected pressure rate as determined by the quarterback’s drop type, the down and distance, the score, the use of play action, and the defender’s alignment) of 11.2% was by far the highest for any player on this list. He also had the highest Quick Pressure Rate (percentage of pass rushes that resulted in the player generating the first pressure on the quarterback and doing so in 2.5 seconds or less) at 6%.

Strengths: Wilson’s pass-rush plans are still very unrefined, but there are plays in which he’s able to take his athletic gifts and fierce determination to the pocket, and just wreck multiple blockers. When you hear about Wilson’s utterly insane upside, plays like this sack against North Carolina State, in which he demolishes the left tackle and the left guard on the way to the quarterback, this is what is meant by that.

And you’d better block Wilson with intent when he’s coming after your running back, or it’s going to start looking like Shark Week out there.

…and he wouldn’t be my first choice to cover anyone in the slot or from a zone exchange.

Conclusion: Selecting Wilson in the first round, which some team will undoubtedly do, will give that team the fifth-year option, and that’s important in this case. Wilson might need what amounts to a redshirt NFL season in which he puts it all together from a technical perspective, and becomes the best version of what his physical upside will allow. That should be a terrifying thought for anybody who has to block him, because we just don’t see potential like this at the position very often.

NFL Comparison: Jason Pierre-Paul. The Giants selected Pierre-Paul out of USF with the 15th pick in the 2010 draft despite the fact that Pierre-Paul was quite raw, because his tools were off the charts. Sound familiar? Well, it took Pierre-Paul exactly one season to blow up in the NFL’s face, with a 17-sack, 72-pressure season in 2011 in which he was just about unblockable from anywhere in Big Blue’s fronts. I would not be at all surprised if Wilson was able to make the same jump.

3. Myles Murphy, Clemson

(Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6′ 4⅝” (70th percentile) Weight: 268 (60th)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
Bench Press: 25 reps (65th)
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 33¾” (57th)
Hand Size: 8½” (0)

Bio: Murphy came out of Hillgrove High School in Marietta, Georgia as ESPN’s No. 3 player in the nation, the No. 2 defensive end, and the No. 1 player in the state of Georgia. He was a consensus Freshman All-American, and kept the pace throughout his collegiate career. Over three seasons with the Tigers, Murphy totaled 20 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, 66 quarterback hurries, five batted passes, 63 tackles, 64 stops, and six forced fumbles. He had 1,244 snaps outside the tackles, 180 over the tackles, 117 in the B-gaps, and five in the A-gaps.

Stat to Know: Murphy’s Broken and Missed Tackles Percentage Rate of 5% last season was the lowest among all edge-rushers in the 2023 class.

Strengths: Murphy has excellent speed to the pocket for a player his size; there’s nothing “hybrid” about how well he accelerates when he’s working the arc, and he has the strength and technique to go through multiple blockers to get home.

And as a run defender, Murphy’s speed and strength are pretty much NFL-transferable right now. Just plug him in and go.

Murphy is also limited in his technical repertoire — if he can’t get you with the bull-rush or the long-arm, there aren’t a lot of counters and adaptive strategies to use for him to recover if he doesn’t get home on the first try.

Conclusion: Murphy’s instant NFL success will be dependent on which set of schemes he’s in. I think he’ll have a rough go of it for a while as a four-down edge defender. But in the NFL’s increasing use of five-man fronts, he could be beneficial right away as both a big end and a strong-side pass-rusher in sub-fronts. He has enough on the ball to be somewhat productive early on, with the potential for far more if he can get his arms around the refinements that make people at his position truly great.

NFL Comparison: Rashan Gary. The Packers took Gary with the 12th pick in the 2019 draft out of Michigan despite the fact that his pass-rush repertoire was pretty basic at the time (bull-rush and long-arm). They bet on his upside as a bigger guy who could do damage from multiple gaps, and that took hold in Gary’s second, third, and fourth seasons. Murphy presents a similar set of rewards for a patient NFL coaching staff ready to give him the tools he needs to take his basic speed/power profile to the proverbial next level.

4. Will McDonald IV, Iowa State

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6′ 3⅝” (46th percentile) Weight: 239 (3rd)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 36″ (79th)
Broad Jump: 132″ (98th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Wingspan: 82¼” (80th)
Arm Length: 34⅞” (90th)
Hand Size: 9½” (26th)

Bio: McDonald was also a baseball, basketball and track star at Waukesha North High in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and the three-star recruit chose Iowa State over Minnesota and Baylor. Over five seasons with the Cyclones, McDonald put up 35 sacks, 20 quarterback hits, 72 quarterback hurries, eight batted passes, 11 forced fumbles, 56 tackles, and 73 stops. McDonald had 981 snaps outside the tackles, 396 over the tackles, and 101 in the B-gaps. He also spent 21 of his snaps in the box, and four in the slot.

Stat to Know: In 2022, McDonald spent just 80% of his time designated as an edge defender, and not always to his best benefit. We’ll get into this right away.

Strengths: So, here’s the problem. Iowa State plays a ton of three-man fronts in which McDonald was either inside or outside the tackles. This forced him to work outside, or outside to inside, without the help you’d get in more populated fronts, and he also had to deal with the inside shoulder of the tackle and the outside shoulder of the guard far more than anybody his size should have to.

When he was outside the tackle, McDonald did get to show off his inside counters, which are pretty nice. He’ll put some NFL tackles off-center pretty quickly with moves like these from shoulder to shoulder.

The more I watched McDonald, the more I was impressed with his technical palette. Here against Texas Tech, he was actually the EDGE in a four-man front (progress!), and he did a nice job of disengaging from his first spin move with a second to unravel and present pressure.

Weaknesses: Setting the schematic schisms aside, McDonald isn’t going to bust up a lot of double teams or be a power run defender, but you don’t really want him on that wall, anyway.

Conclusion: The NFL team that takes Will McDonald IV might wind up with one of the best surprises and biggest bargains in this draft class. His speed, bend, play strength (at times) and advanced technical bag should have him becoming a problem as a rusher outside the tackles with more help than he had in college. There are times as a draft evaluator when you have to remind yourself that college coaches don’t always put their players in ideal positions to succeed, and you then have to take the traits to the pros with that in mind. McDonald has enough good tape in enough ways to make that a pleasant experience.

NFL Comparison: Robert Quinn. I’m not going to compare McDonald to Dwight Freeney, though there are similarities in the spin techniques and the ability to create turnovers. So, I’ll go with Quinn, selected with the 14th pick of the 2011 draft by the Rams. Quinn has parlayed a smooth, quick, athletic took box to 106 sacks, 505 total pressures, and 26 forced fumbles in his NFL career so far. It’s hard to give an accurate comp for McDonald right now because he’ll be used so differently in the NFL, and to his great advantage. I can’t wait to see what he does at the next level.

5. Nolan Smith, Georgia

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6′ 2⅛” (15th percentile) Weight: 238 (2nd)
40-Yard Dash: 4.39 (99nd)
10-Yard Split: 1.52 (99th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 41½” (98th)
Broad Jump: 128″ (95th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 32⅝” (17th)
Hand Size: 9″ (5th)

Bio: Smith was a consensus five-star recruit out of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and he was Georgia’s co-winner of the Defensive Newcomer of the Year Award in 2019. Over four seasons with the Bulldogs (his 2022 campaign ended after eight games due to a torn pectoral muscle), Smith totaled 17 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, 51 quarterback hurries, one batted pass, 65 tackles, 65 stops, and one interception on 14 targets. Smith had 1,068 snaps outside the tackles, 28 in the slot, 23 in the box, 16 at cornerback, 15 over the tackles, and 10 in the B-gaps.

Stat to Know: In his abbreviated 2022 season, Smith had two sacks and 19 total pressures… in just 102 pass-rushing snaps.

Strengths: Smith’s speed off the snap is real, and it is spectacular. Those historic 40-yard and 10-yard times at the combine show up on the field. Whether he’s chasing quarterbacks outside the pocket to futile results…

…he’s a constant problem with that functional speed.

Smith also has great bend and lean around the edge, which just accentuate his inside moves.

Conclusion: You can set the injury aside when evaluating Smith’s NFL potential; he showed as much as he needed to at the combine from a recovery sense. The question is, will all NFL teams value him in the same way when it comes to his size? His speed and athleticism are such valuable assets, the last thing you want to do is to beef him up to 260 and lose that. As an “edgebacker” in any of the five-man fronts the NFL is working with more frequently these days, Smith has all the tools you’d want. Just keep him on the edge, let him be freaky, and he’ll help to define your defense.

NFL Comparison: Haason Reddick. The Cardinals selected the 6-foot-1, 240-pound Reddick out of Temple with the 13th pick in the 2017 draft, tried to make him an off-ball linebacker for whatever reason, and finally reaped the benefits of his skill set when they made him a true edge-rusher in 2020. With the Panthers in 2021, and especially with the Eagles in 2022, when he amassed 21 sacks and 87 total pressures, Reddick has been one of the most consistently productive outside rushers in the NFL in recent years. Hopefully, Smith’s NFL team will take the latter Reddick plan, and will just let him work his athletic magic where he’s best-suited.

6. Keion White, Georgia Tech

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’5″ (79th percentile) Weight: 285 (91st)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
Bench Press: 30 reps (89th)
Vertical Jump: 34″ (60th)
Broad Jump: 117″ (57th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 34″ (69th)
Hand Size: 10⅛” (71st)

Bio: White was a two-way star at Garner High in Garner, North Carolina, playing both defensive end and tight end. He originally committed to Old Dominion, and made his impact on the edge before transferring to Georgia Tech for the 2021 season, his redshirt junior season. White had just 72 snaps for the Yellow Jackets in that first campaign, but he really put it together in 2022. Last season, White totaled seven sacks, four quarterback hits, 30 quarterback hurries, one batted pass, 33 tackles, and 28 stops. White had 445 snaps outside the tackles, 96 over the tackles, 39 in the B-gaps, and three in the box.

Stat to Know: Last season, White allowed six catches on eight targets for 179 yards, 135 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, no interceptions, no pass breakups, three penalties, and an opponent passer rating of 156.3. I’m not sure you want him covering tight ends up the numbers, for example.

And if White gets his hands into your base before you’re ready for it, it could be a real problem for your blocking future.

Conclusion: White comes into an NFL that seems tailored for his skill set in some ways. The need for multi-gap power disruptors is high, and he checks all the boxes in most categories. You’re not going to get an excessive amount of bend and edge athleticism from White’s game, but he’ll surprise you once in a while, and with some technique refinement, he could be well on his way to status as an indispensable cog in a professional defensive front.

NFL Comparison: Denico Autry. An undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State by way of East Mississippi Community College, Autry first got on with the Raiders in 2017, became a real force multiplier with the Colts in 2019 and 2020, and has continued that with the Titans over the last two seasons. Like White, Autry came from relatively humble athletic beginnings to maximize what he could bring to a team, and now, he does it as a hybrid-sized game-wrecker from all over the line.

7. Tuli Tuipulotu, USC

(Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6′ 3¼” (51st percentile) Weight: 266 (25th)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 32¼” (15th)
Hand Size: 10⅛” (67th)

Bio: Tuipulotu’s connections to the USC football program are… intense. From his school bio:

Tuipulotu made The Athletic’s Freshman All-American second team and Pro Football Focus All-Pac-12 honorable mention, and became more productive and effective in each of his three seasons with the Trojans. From 2020 through 2022, Tuipulotu totaled 21 sacks, 13 quarterback hits, 60 quarterback hurries, three batted passes, 71 tackles, 63 stops, and four forced fumbles. Tuipulotu had 835 snaps outside the tackles, 446 over the tackles, 180 in the B-gaps, 61 in the box, 32 in the A-gaps, and eight in the slot.

Stat to Know: Tuipulotu’s 22 tackles for loss last season places him highest on this list. He also led the nation with 13 solo sacks.

Strengths: When you throw a 266-pound defensive end out in a wide-9 alignment, you’re assuming that he has not only the power, but also the speed to beat an offensive tackle around the arc. Tuipulotu has a proven ability to beat blockers with upper-body power moves as he’s also working to zoom past them to the quarterback. Tuipulotu’s suddenness is impressive for his size. 

Tuipulotu’s heavy hands also allow him to knife through double teams and create run stops.

Conclusion: Of all the multi-gap defensive linemen in this class who will primarily ply their trade as edge defenders in the NFL, Tuipulotu could well have the most upside as a pure edge guy with his quickness, flexibility, and suddenness to the quarterback. He’s done enough outside the tackles to prove that he has that on lock for his size, and I’ll be highly intrigued to see how his NFL team makes the most out of his athletic potential.

NFL Comparison: Adewale Ogunleye. An undrafted free agent out of Indiana, Ogunleye caught on with the Dolphins in 2001, had a couple of double-digit sack seasons with Miami and later Chicago, and was able to get to the quarterback at a high rate from multiple gaps when such things weren’t as common as they are today. At 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, Ogunleye had “tweener” size for an edge defender, but he and his coaches turned that into versatile productivity, and I think Tuipulotu has similar traits.

8. Lukas Van Ness, Iowa

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6′ 4¾” (71st percentile) Weight: 272 (70th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.58 (91st)
10-Yard Split: 1.64 (50th)
Bench Press: 17 reps (8th)
Vertical Jump: 31″ (24th)
Broad Jump: 118″ (63rd)
3-Cone Drill: 7.02 (80th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.32 (75th)

Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 34″ (69th)
Hand Size: 11″ (97th)

Bio: A football and hockey star at Barrington High in Barrington, Illinois, Van Ness redshirted in 2020 and made the field for the 2021 season, showing impressive productivity right away. He stood out even more last season, despite the fact that he never actually started a game — more a product of Iowa’s particular thoughts on that process than any kind of ding on Van Ness’s athletic potential or on-field productivity.

Over two seasons with the Hawkeyes, Van Ness totaled 13 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, 45 quarterback hurries, one batted pass, 33 tackles, and 32 stops. He had 533 snaps in the B-gaps, 262 outside the tackles, 69 in the A-gaps, 62 over the tackles, and 14 in the box.

Stat to Know: Two of Van Ness’ sacks, and 18 of his 48 total pressures, came from the defensive tackle positions last season.

Strengths: Whether inside or outside, Van Ness has a great ability to rock blockers right off their feet with short-area agility, and impressive speed-to-power moves with a great long-arm move. He will push you back and get to the quarterback with pure power moves.

He’s also aware enough in space to stop and run, and occasionally snuff out a screen pass.

Conclusion: Van Ness’ NFL value will depend pretty heavily on how he’s deployed. Selecting him as a pure edge guy might be a mistake unless you’re really wanting him to use that power, and you think he’ll be able to get away with that snap after snap. It would be much better for his future were he used as an occasional edge defender against the pass and the run, mixed with a copious amount of end work in five-man fronts, or simply slipping inside in sub-packages. Van Ness is more good from multiple gaps than he is great from any one. There’s value to that, but you have to know how to unleash it.

NFL Comparison: George Karlaftis. I feel that I could be wrong about Van Ness in the same way I was wrong about Karlaftis if Van Ness winds up in the right system for his talents, as Karlaftis did when the Chiefs took him with the 30th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Purdue. At 6-foot-4 and 263 pounds, Karlaftis was more of a power guy with a few moves inside and outside as opposed to a flexible edge disruptor, and the Chiefs did the smart thing by moving him around the line and allowing him to feast in blitz packages. Van Ness might transcend his occasionally limited college tape with the same kinds of NFL benefits.

Story originally appeared on Touchdown Wire