2017 NFL Draft Preview: Edge Defenders

When I break down prospects every year, it is my goal to cover everyone who ends up selected in the first round. I look over rankings and mock drafts from a number of scouts, and I assemble the top 6-9 players at every position based on these lists as I see them in February. The months long process of watching this tape means that I inevitably miss some late risers, but I feel pretty good about the players I selected this year.

Except on the edge. If there’s one position where I guarantee that I’ll miss someone who goes in the first round, this is it. And it isn’t that there are a bunch of late risers here (although there are a couple of those). What makes this group so difficult is that there are genuinely eleven or twelve guys who could end up selected in the first round. The depth on the edge is outstanding this year, and I only have time to watch so many prospects.

So when, inevitably, someone like Taco Charlton or Derek Rivers comes off the board, I hope you won’t come running here to see what I had to say about them. I will try to break down every first round pick by at least the day after the draft (and I will probably start watching some of my likely misses in the next week in preparation). But for now, here are the top eight edge prospects based on the list I assembled two months ago.

Myles Garrett, Texas A&M

Garrett is almost unanimously considered the best player in the draft, and I’m not going to disagree with that. On pure physical ability he is simply unrivaled. He scored in the 94^th percentile in the bench press, the 96^th percentile in the broad jump, the 98^th percentile in the vertical leap, and even the 88^th percentile in the forty yard dash, all while weighing 272 pounds. His size, speed, and explosiveness is unmatched in the draft class and possibly in the entire NFL.

Garrett has every physical tool you could want in a pass rusher. His first step is the best in the class, both racing around the edge and shooting through an interior gap. He ruins angles for blockers, and he completely changes the way you have to scheme your offense, knowing that on any given play he can be in the backfield before you have a chance to get in his way. And once he’s back there he is just as dangerous against the run as he is as a pass rusher, routinely making the sort of deep tackles for a loss that you only see from players like Aaron Donald and Jadeveon Clowney. And his second step might be even better than his first, allowing him to cut back to the inside to run around blockers who have no chance to keep up.

His speed is only complemented by his power. He isn’t moved off his rushing lane by a lineman’s punch, and he can cut down angles by playing physical through contact. When his first step isn’t enough, he can switch to a bull rush and drive the blocker into the quarterback’s lap. He needs to become better at disengaging, part of a general shortcoming in his use of his hands. But the tools are enough to win on their own, and this will continue to be the case against even better NFL players.

Garrett isn’t a perfectly polished player, and he is not a sure thing by any means. But he is the closest thing in the draft, and he is one of only two players who should be in the conversation for the first pick. There is still room in his game for him to grow, and that’s probably the most terrifying part. Because even if he doesn’t develop, his pure gifts will make him good for eight or nine sacks a year. If he becomes a more rounded player, he will be a perennial Defensive Player of the Year contender.

Charles Harris, Missouri

It would not be possible to get two more different combine performances than those of the top two edge performers on my list. Where Garrett’s performance confirmed that he is a special athlete, Harris’s raised real concerns about whether he has what it takes to perform in the league. And though he very clearly isn’t on the same level athletically with Garrett, I think his combine overstated how severe the gap is (which his solid pro day performance backed up). Harris is a good enough athlete to play in the NFL, and he is one of the more technically polished rushers in this year’s class.

Despite his poor testing, Harris’s defining attribute on the field is his first step. He is incredibly quick off the ball, and he can get far enough upfield to give himself an almost direct path to the top of the quarterback’s drop. He is relentless in pursuit, and he will regularly chase both passers and runners down from the backside. His change of direction is questionable, and he doesn’t show the ability to break back inside when a tackle overpursues. But he makes up for this with an absolutely terrifying spin move that he whips out two or three times a game.

The combine was troubling, but my biggest concern with Harris is his lack of power. He gets pushed around in the running game at the point of attack, and he will often run himself out of position trying to shoot through a gap that isn’t open. When a lineman gets engaged with him, he doesn’t have the ability to play through them. Fortunately, he is an expert at keeping himself from getting engaged, either charging in low to sweep beneath the tackle’s arms or swatting his way free with his own hands.

There is a lot to like with Harris, and questions about his upside are only a mild concern for me. His floor is as an effective situational pass rusher, and his ceiling is as a consistent Pro Bowl talent. The poor testing numbers might be enough for me to bump him out of the top ten, but I wouldn’t be afraid to pull that trigger if the draft shook out in a specific way.

Derek Barnett, Tennessee

Barnett is another player who wasn’t helped by the combine, and unlike Harris his play on the field reflects his questionable athletic numbers. Despite excellent college productivity, Barnett has the profile of someone who might struggle moving up to the NFL. He doesn’t play well in space, and he struggles at changing direction. His pass rush is built entirely on his first step, and if he doesn’t win immediately there isn’t much else he can do.

As a pass rusher I’m worried about Barnett in the NFL, but as a well rounded player I think he’ll have a long and successful career. He plays strong at the point of attack in the running game, and he does a good job fighting with his hands to keep himself free. He is disciplined and demonstrates a good understanding of the defensive scheme. He’s reliable, and he’ll be a starter for years to come.

But as a pure edge rusher his athleticism will always limit him. He gets a good burst off the ball, but his second stride adds very little, and he struggles to round the corner. He is stiff as he moves and plays too upright, allowing blockers to push him wide and up the field past the quarterback. His strength doesn’t seem to translate to cutting the corner short, and if the tackle can get even close to in his path, there isn’t much he can do. He has no threat of an inside move to open things up on the edge, and I’m not sure he has the ability to develop one.

Barnett put up a lot of sacks at Tennessee, but he won’t do that in the NFL. But he’s probably the safest bet as a consistent starter you get from this group once Garrett is off the board, and that safety is worth sacrificing some upside. For a team looking for a solid defender in the middle of the first round, Barnett’s stability and occasional flashes of speed around the edge are worth the selection.

Takk McKinley, UCLA

Another player with an explosive first step and not much else in terms of pass rushing moves, McKinley is one of the more difficult prospects for me to figure out in the draft. He doesn’t have great size, but he plays bigger than he is. He gets good leverage when playing against the run, but he can’t do the same to bend around the corner as a pass rusher. He looks like someone who should be a lot more productive than he actually is, but the tools don’t show up on a consistent basis on the field.

McKinley is an excellent run defender with occasional flashes as a pass rusher. He plays very disciplined in his lane, engaging and holding his ground against the blocker lined up across from him. He doesn’t get much penetration, but he is able to separate and make plays in either gap beside him, and despite his undersized frame he never gets pushed backwards.

He shows excellent strength and technique against the run, which makes it so confusing that he can’t do the same rushing the passer. The hands that let him work his way free when a running back comes his way end up just hanging at his side as he rounds the corner after the passer. Offensive tackles have no trouble getting their hands into his chest, and even when he has the edge he doesn’t bend inside to cut the corner down. He struggles to finish once he’s in the backfield, and the only time he is a real threat as a rusher is when his first step gets him deep enough to go untouched.

I like McKinley’s raw ability, and I think that in a couple years he has the potential to be one of the best edge defenders in this class. But it’s hard for me to buy that these tools will just magically develop when they have shown no indication of being there so far. He’s a high risk pick, which probably drops him out of the top twenty, but it would be hard for me to pass up on his potential after that point.

Solomon Thomas, Stanford

I really want to like Thomas. On paper he has the look of a top ten, or even a top five pick, and that’s likely where he’s going to go in next week’s draft. Athletically he is second only to Garrett, and the gap isn’t that big. His quickness is incredible for a player of his size, and there are times on the field where he makes movements you almost can’t believe are possible. His flashes are as explosive and dynamic as any player in the draft. He makes the Aaron Donald type plays where he seems to just teleport three yards deep into the backfield before any of the linemen are out of their stances.

If you put together a video of every player’s twenty best plays, it would be hard to find anyone other than Garrett to take ahead of Thomas. But as much as I preach projecting players based on what they can do rather than what they always do, I can’t overlook the sheer number of plays in which Thomas is either invisible or a genuine liability. In college he played primarily on the interior, but at 273 pounds he will have no choice but to spend most of his time on the outside in the NFL, a part of the field where he simply doesn’t have the tools to win consistently.

Thomas can’t win around the edge. He doesn’t have the speed, and he can’t bend back to the inside. His strength isn’t anything special either, as he very rarely generates any drives with his legs to push a blocker back. He usually creates good separation with his hands, but the flashes where he actually uses them to free himself are far too rare.

Maybe I’m overthinking things, and maybe a player with Thomas’s abilities will be the perfect toy for any NFL defensive coordinator. But I can’t help looking at him and seeing a player without a position. On the inside he was abused by double teams, driven back three or four yards any time he tried to hold his ground. He also lacked subtle strength against single blocks, consistently letting his shoulders get turned and sealed away from the play. And on the edge he will never be a true pass rushing threat, besides a few sparks every year that will ultimately add little value. The potential is still worth a first round pick, but I’m not optimistic that he will turn into the star some people think he is.

Tim Williams, Alabama

I’ve mentioned this a few times already, but when it comes to pass rushers there are really two different kinds of explosiveness. There is the first step burst, how far up the field they can get from the moment the ball is snapped. And then there is the secondary burst, what they can do once they’re already in motion. This second kind can be expressed in multiple ways, whether picking up speed around the edge or cutting back to the inside.

Some special players like Garrett have both kinds of burst, while it’s more common to see players like Barnett or McKinley who get up the field quickly but struggle to ramp it up after that. Williams is a rare case of the opposite. His first step is mediocre, and he rarely wins around the edge off the snap. He has good bend when he does get deep enough, and he can keep himself free with his hands. But most NFL tackles will have little trouble dropping far enough to cut him off and keep him away from the quarterback.

His initial step is disappointing, but his second is special. Usually it comes as a cutback to the inside, accompanied by a swat of the blocker’s arms that can get him untouched into the backfield. Williams is very elusive in space, and if he can keep himself clean he can run circles around blockers. It takes a little while longer, but he does eventually get to the quarterback, and he will be at his best in long distance situations where the quarterback has to drop back and hold the ball.

Williams will excel in these situations, but I’m not sure what value he has to offer outside of that. He is a liability against the run, and he just generally lacks the sort of strength you would hope to see from a top notch defender. He’s good at keeping himself free from contact, but if a lineman gets his hands on him, the play is essentially over. Williams can be dangerous in key situations, but I’m not sure if I buy him as an every down and every play defender, and this limited upside will push him down to the end of the first round.

Haason Reddick, Temple

Reddick is another player who won big time at the combine, and beside the talent that surrounded him at Temple his athleticism was very clear on tape. He is a fluid and natural athlete who flows well in space and covers a lot of ground, and that makes him valuable even if I’m not sure he can be a typical edge defender in the NFL. A number of scouts I’ve read have actually evaluated him as an off the ball linebacker, and that’s probably his most natural position.

As an edge rusher Reddick can occasionally win up the field with speed. He doesn’t use his hands, and he is knocked off his lane by any semblance of a punch from the opposing linemen. But he plays low to the ground and can get underneath a blocker’s arms, allowing him to bend around the corner and accelerate towards the quarterback. If everything works out, he can be in the backfield as fast as anyone in the class. But he has very little margin for error, and he lacks the sort of refinement that would allow him to counter if his initial rush fails.

Moving him back to linebacker would solve a lot of his issues. More space would give him the ability to dodge blockers rather than taking them on directly, and he won’t have to be worried about being physically overwhelmed as much as he would if he played on the line. He wasn’t asked to play in coverage much in college, but he excelled when he did so, and he’ll pick it up after a couple years in the NFL. His athleticism and range could make him a nightmare pursuing ball carriers from sideline to sideline. My only concern is his ability to read the field as a linebacker, which would make me shy away from taking him with this conversion in mind until after the first round.

Carl Lawson, Auburn

There are a lot of similarities that can be drawn between Lawson and McKinley. Like McKinley, Lawson is someone who looks like he should be a lot better than he actually is. Watching him move on the field it is clear that he has many of the tools necessary to be a quality pass rusher, even if he doesn’t fully utilize them. He is comfortable in space and quick moving side to side, but mostly he just dances in front of the offensive linemen, rarely using his quickness to shoot downhill through an open gap.

Lawson has good hands but no counter move. When he wins, he does so by charging upfield and bending around the edge. He keeps himself clean, and at times he shows excellent bend, though at others his feet will slide out from beneath him and he’ll fall into a heap on the ground. But for someone who wins exclusively on the edge, he never really looks that fast. He changes directions well, but both his initial step and his closing burst are below others in the class. He doesn’t have the speed to win consistently on the edge, and he doesn’t have the skill to win elsewhere.

Unlike McKinley, Lawson struggles just as much against the run as he does as a pass rusher. He doesn’t get overpowered by opposing linemen, but he rarely overpowers them either, and once he’s engaged he isn’t likely to break free. He gets sealed away from plays, and he will never be an above average player in this facet of the game.

There’s a little upside here, but the climb to reach it is very steep. Lawson is going to need a couple years to develop, and even his best case scenario lags behind the players above him on this list. As deep as this class is, I can’t see any reason to invest in him in the first round, and I’d probably wait a little while in the second as well.