2026 Draft: EDGE

[BobDigital]

Damon Wilson

6'4 250lbs. At 250lbs I didn't expect him to be a great run defender. And he wasn't, but he did set the edge okay enough. His anchor is pretty solid, but i didn't see him get off many blocks. His speed and bend are okay His hands are somewhat violent and active. Enough to mention but not really praise it cause i didn't see it often enough nor high level enough to put it as a huge check mark, but a lower case one (so to speak). Under utilizes his long reach but when he does use it well it is effective as you'd suspect. His bull rush is okay but again not special. A bit of a jack of all trades master of none here. The biggest plus is his age so you have to think he can grow off this somewhat thin but wide foundation.

He needs work on a number of things though. Inside outside looked meh most of the times but jumped out others... Overall needs work and is under utilized He didn't show any spin moves. He lacks elite bend and that isn't something you can teach. Low PDs for such long arms. Lacks tenacity. Several times I saw him shift down when the play was still going and then shift up after the fact only to be too late. Let an easy sack go on 3rd down because of this. Also his speed is questionable and he will need to get faster if he wants to be better than just a back up. His first step is pretty good (not great) but without more speed to back it up it is often too easy for OTs to stay with him.

I can see an DC looking at him and thinking they can make something good of him. He has some traits. Most noticeably the long arms. decent first step and that he is a year younger than most Edge guys you'll draft. Personally for my draft money I will say let someone else bet on this upside.

I give him a 5th round grade.

 

[BobDigital]

Romello Height

6'3 240lbs. At 24 he is a little older than you'd hope but as long as you can play who really cares, and he can play. Height is incredibly straight forward as a prospect. He is a one trick pony, and that trick is speed, particularly on the outside. He has fantastic hand usage and uses them more precisely than violently which is fine as long as it works. His bend is pretty good. But with his speed it doesn't need to be great. His absolute best move is the stutter step, acceleration on the outside than cutting it in. That is his bread and butter. He has a nice spin and inside outside when he wants it. Both look polished, but he tends to stick to his 'old reliable' more than not. Not only is he fast, he is agile and has a fantastic first step as well as change of direction burst.

Now the bad. He is not a run defender. He can't bull rush much and this will limit his snaps and value somewhat. Also the lack of reliable ways to win aside from speed/quickness is notable. If he can't win with that he can't win at all. This is something you need to accept as limits when you draft him. He is there for passing down situations or if not that, downs which are not very likely running downs, though on downs which are 50/50 and he is on the field you don't want him having to set the edge as much as just being a bonus DL pass rusher. Also do to lack of arm length and height, as well as his pass rush path, he won't be getting many PDs... 1 his entire time in college.

Overall he is good enough to be brought in as a pure specialist. I have him as a top 96 player but near the top of that tier.. i think the top of the 3rd is a little too rich, Mid 3rd seems like the sweet spot. Getting him near the end of R3 or the 4th be really good value. He could have easily been a top 80 but his lack of versatile pass rush gives me some pause. So he goes a little lower.

 

[BobDigital]

And with what will possibly be my last edge break down of the year....

Yhonzae Pierre 6'3 250lbs.

Let's start with the bad. Only 3 PDs in 2 years. For a guy who goes straight toward the QB he sure doesn't tip many balls, which makes sense cause so much of his pass rush style is based on pushing his man back, so those hands are busy elsewhere. He lacks speed and bend around the edge to some degree and i rarely saw him win like that. When he did it was when he tried to win with speed outside then just powered through the OT or pushed him away to round the corner. It worked a fair amount, but the fact he lacks that instant win and lightning fast sack ability. Often this will allow routs times to develop to a degree. If the first read is open he almost has no chance to effect the play. He also lines up further back than I'd like. His game is speed to power mostly. And while his first step is good it is clear if he is too close his bull rush loses some juice. Starting an extra yard back or away means he is one yard further away from the QB, the ball and the action to start the play. That isn't ideal.

Now the good stuff. For 250lbs he is INCREDIBLY STRONG. His speed to power bull rush is reliable and disruptive constantly. I have said before and will say again, it is okay to have limited tools if they are good enough. His speed to power bull rush is good enough alone. On top of that he has what i would call borderline elite sideways burst. Often he starts his bull rush outside, then bounces inside and loses very little to no momentum. This is where you can see some more variety in his game. And he was surprisingly able to push guards back reliably too. His edge setting is solid, but more than that his ability to get off blocks on run defense is absolutely there and his high run grade is deserved. Setting the edge is the bare minimum to start at DE. Doing it AND getting off your block reliably to go to the RB when needed is what separates acceptable from good to great run defenders. I won't say if he is great, but he is good. This is clearly a 3 down player. He also attacks the football with his long arms. He's on the younger side and is likely not to be 22 before the start of next year and i think his game has some room to grow in certain areas. As a side note... his motor while not entirely non stop (I did see some let up at times) is very good. Lots of effort play to play and he is a mauler.

So the verdict? I really like the player. BUT 2 issues. One is while he has room to grow his game will always be speed to power, and while he seemed to be constantly successful in college, i wonder if it will translate to the NFL as well. He is still only 250 lbs. Will he need to be rotated more or will his lack of size catch up to him a bit? Both are possible and perhaps likely to happen to some degree, though i still think he will be an effective pass rusher. The other again, is lack of versatility. You can be good with 1 main tool, but rarely great. Guys like Mesidore and Bane and Bailey i feel are either a bit more complete or their skill sets will translate to a higher degree in the NFL. I could see the size issue with Pierre being a more limiting factor to his transition.

I like Pierre. I really do... but do i think he is a first round guy? Not quite. However I'd love him in the early 2nd. He is a top 48 player

 

[mayoclinic]

Thanks. Good writeup.

He's raw, but he has some traits that can't be taught, and a strong trajectory. He is 3 years younger than Mesidor.

My dream draft at this point would be Monroe Freeling followed by one of Pierre/Mesidor/Golday.

 

[mayoclinic]

d%#*!@t.

Just give me:

- Monroe Freeling
- Austin Siereveld or Carter Smith
- Lee Hunter
- Akheem Mesidor
- Yhonzae Pierre
- Jake Golday
- Keionte Scott
- Treydan Stukes
- Devin Moore
- Jamari Johnson
- Chris Bell
- De'Zhaun Stribling

Is that too much to ask for? Is it?

 

[mayoclinic]

Mature prospect alert for Manx!

 

[manxman2601]

 

[mayoclinic]

I'm ok with Reese slipping to the Pats.

 

[manxman2601]

I'm ok with Reese slipping to the Pats.

That would be ironic wouldn't it?

 

[mayoclinic]

 

[manxman2601]

This is hilarious.

Mikail Kamara v Isaiah World

 

[manxman2601]

A Derrick Moore post

 

[BobDigital]

Mature prospect alert for Manx!

Might have to do one more!

Honestly I know a lot of us are set with Edge/OL 1-2... But i would be not at all upset by the rare double down back to back. Perhaps the most help this team can get is landing 2 OL in FA and then getting TJ Parker/Mesidor* back to back. Would anyone be all that upset by that? Provided there is no great OL value in round 1?

Personally I am a bit hesitant to get a guard in round 1 when it comes from a cap stand point. The 32nd highest paid guard get 6M/year. That is only 1.5M/yr more than the 32nd pick will get. You would hope they will be better than average. The 32nd highest paid edge guy gets 9M/year.

I have said before and will say again that the NFL is ultimately a resource management game. Everyone has the same money.. The less you pay. Typically more talent wins. So the best bang for your buck the better off you are.

If you want to maximize bang for your buck the positions to try to get good rookie deals are QB (got that one!) WR (TBD) OT (TBD) and CB (For 1 more year) and ED (doubtful). That is how you are able to game the system and go out and pay those Milton Williams and Spillane's to stack your team.

In FA there always seem to be decent guards to be had if you have the money. I know you get get guys outside of rounds 1 or 2... and when you do that it really makes everything great. But i worry on if we should use a high % hit rate pick on a player that isn't going to save us as much cap space as another. Just a thought.

This to me is a reason to considering going double ED if it falls that one. Imagine if we can cut Landry after next year and save all that cash.

Edit: Oppsies on the name. Fixed*

 

[stelfans]

Might have to do one more!

Honestly I know a lot of us are set with Edge/OL 1-2... But i would be not at all upset by the rare double down back to back. Perhaps the most help this team can get is landing 2 OL in FA and then getting TJ Parker/Medisore back to back. Would anyone be all that upset by that? Provided there is no great OL value in round 1?

Personally I am a bit hesitant to get a guard in round 1 when it comes from a cap stand point. The 32nd highest paid guard get 6M/year. That is only 1.5M/yr more than the 32nd pick will get. You would hope they will be better than average. The 32nd highest paid edge guy gets 9M/year.

I have said before and will say again that the NFL is ultimately a resource management game. Everyone has the same money.. The less you pay. Typically more talent wins. So the best bang for your buck the better off you are.

If you want to maximize bang for your buck the positions to try to get good rookie deals are QB (got that one!) WR (TBD) OT (TBD) and CB (For 1 more year) and ED (doubtful). That is how you are able to game the system and go out and pay those Milton Williams and Spillane's to stack your team.

In FA there always seem to be decent guards to be had if you have the money. I know you get get guys outside of rounds 1 or 2... and when you do that it really makes everything great. But i worry on if we should use a high % hit rate pick on a player that isn't going to save us as much cap space as another. Just a thought.

This to me is a reason to considering going double ED if it falls that one. Imagine if we can cut Landry after next year and save all that cash.

I agree but the problem is i dont see who that EDGE guy is that is going to be there at 30 or whatever it is that we will be picking.
Im all in trading that pick for Crosby, though.

 

[manxman2601]

Might have to do one more!

Honestly I know a lot of us are set with Edge/OL 1-2... But i would be not at all upset by the rare double down back to back. Perhaps the most help this team can get is landing 2 OL in FA and then getting TJ Parker/Medisore back to back. Would anyone be all that upset by that? Provided there is no great OL value in round 1?

Personally I am a bit hesitant to get a guard in round 1 when it comes from a cap stand point. The 32nd highest paid guard get 6M/year. That is only 1.5M/yr more than the 32nd pick will get. You would hope they will be better than average. The 32nd highest paid edge guy gets 9M/year.

I have said before and will say again that the NFL is ultimately a resource management game. Everyone has the same money.. The less you pay. Typically more talent wins. So the best bang for your buck the better off you are.

If you want to maximize bang for your buck the positions to try to get good rookie deals are QB (got that one!) WR (TBD) OT (TBD) and CB (For 1 more year) and ED (doubtful). That is how you are able to game the system and go out and pay those Milton Williams and Spillane's to stack your team.

In FA there always seem to be decent guards to be had if you have the money. I know you get get guys outside of rounds 1 or 2... and when you do that it really makes everything great. But i worry on if we should use a high % hit rate pick on a player that isn't going to save us as much cap space as another. Just a thought.

This to me is a reason to considering going double ED if it falls that one. Imagine if we can cut Landry after next year and save all that cash.

Two things.

1. Please don't call him 'Medisore'. It makes him sound like a treatment for piles.

2. I would love Parker and Mesidor or at least a double dip, even if we re-sign Chaisson. Sadly I'm not super hopeful on Swinson and although Ponder has been good, I'm not convinced he's a long-term starter so the more options the better and a double dip will provide options.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Two things.

1. Please don't call him 'Medisore'. It makes him sound like a treatment for piles.

2. I would love Parker and Mesidor or at least a double dip, even if we re-sign Chaisson. Sadly I'm not super hopeful on Swinson and although Ponder has been good, I'm not convinced he's a long-term starter so the more options the better and a double dip will provide options.

If we double dip I would like EDGE and DT. I would like to see a DT kick outside from time to time.

 

[dliverey44]

If we double dip I would like EDGE and DT. I would like to see a DT kick outside from time to time.

Barmore and Milt have both played on the edge a fair amount this year

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Barmore and Milt have both played on the edge a fair amount this year

That is what I am referring to. I assume we will see more of that going forward.

 

[dliverey44]

That is what I am referring to. I assume we will see more of that going forward.

sorry, I misunderstood the post. I agree that we will see more especially if Tonga is back

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

sorry, I misunderstood the post. I agree that we will see more especially if Tonga is back

No reason to be sorry. Just chatting. Nothing is right or wrong, only opinions. I think Williams and Barmore playing outside will expand and we could use a better DT inside alongside Tonga. We have great backups but need 1 more EDGE and 1 more DT (starters), IMO.