2026 Draft: EDGE

bakes781 said:

Not sure I agree with that take but I still like the player.

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manxman2601 said:

Lance Zierlein, in his scouting reports for NFL. com does player comps for a lot of his top prospects. So I thought I'd share his comps for his top edge rushers. not to be taken too seriously but a useful way to visualise these prospects.

David Bailey - Nik Bonitto
Reuben Bain - Brandon Graham
Keldric Faulk - Carlos Dunlap
Akheem Mesidor - Jonathan Greenard
Zion Young - Za'Darius Smith
Cashius Howell - Will Mcdonald
Gabe Jacas - Matthew Judon
Jaishawn Barham - Chop Robinson
TJ Parker - None
R Mason Thomas - Dee Ford
Derrick Moore - Yaya Diaby
Keyron Crawford - Samson Ebukam
Joshua Josephs - Jalyx Hunt
Malachi Lawrence - Josh Sweat
Dani Dennis-Sutton - Kingsley Enagbare

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p8ryts said:

2 things jump out to me. If Howell is as good as McDonald, do whatever it takes. If Mesidor is as good as Greenard, why not just get Greenard.

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p8ryts said:

2 things jump out to me. If Howell is as good as McDonald, do whatever it takes. If Mesidor is as good as Greenard, why not just get Greenard.

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DaBruinz said:

I don't know of a single LT in the league that would let a guy just duck under his harm to get by him.. That's just bad play by the LSU LT.

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manxman2601 said:

A nice circular moment for me.

On the very first post in this thread, I provisionally gave R Mason Thomas my first binky nomination of the process. I was very impressed by his ability and speed to close to the QB which I considered borderline elite. It is still the part of his game that impresses me most.

Today, while dong some research, I learned that his pass rush win rate on true pass sets is identical to that of Abdul Carter last year.

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p8ryts said:

2 things jump out to me. If Howell is as good as McDonald, do whatever it takes. If Mesidor is as good as Greenard, why not just get Greenard.

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dliverey44 said:

I wonder if his comparisons are to the NFL player when they were draft eligible or him saying the play style is similar to now?

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DoubleDeluxe said:

Von Miller had 21
Daniell Hunter had 25
Aaron Donald had 35
Trey Hendrickson had 18
Maxx Corsby had 18
What does it all mean....nothing.

Who Cares.

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manxman2601 said:

That I don't know. Good question.

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manxman2601 said:

Lance Zierlein, in his scouting reports for NFL. com does player comps for a lot of his top prospects. So I thought I'd share his comps for his top edge rushers. not to be taken too seriously but a useful way to visualise these prospects.

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dliverey44 said:

This is a fun exercise so I am adding comps from Bleacher report.

David Bailey - Nik Bonitto - BR-Jaelen Phillips I would say Bailey is more Bonito than Phillips
Reuben Bain - Brandon Graham BR- Brandon Grahm
Keldric Faulk - Carlos Dunlap BR- Carlos Dunlap BR lists him as a DT
Akheem Mesidor - Jonathan Greenard BR- Byron Young I see Grennard more than Young
Zion Young - Za'Darius Smith BR- Tyree Wilson/I have also seen Faulk comp of Tyree Wilson
Cashius Howell - Will Mcdonald BR- Harold Landry I also have compd Howell to Landry. I think both comps are valid
Gabe Jacas - Matthew Judon BR- Johnathan Greenard without the Length
Jaishawn Barham - Chop Robinson BR - Does not have him listed, it is there top 150 big board. Personally I see some Nick Herbig
TJ Parker - None BR- Less explosive Bradley Chubb I can see that
R Mason Thomas - Dee Ford BR- Shades of Nik Bonito I think more Bonito than Dee Ford
Derrick Moore - Yaya Diaby BR- Boye Mafe I have not watched enough of Moore to have an opinion, but I love both players
Keyron Crawford - Samson Ebukam BR - not listed
Joshua Josephs - Jalyx Hunt BR- Uchenna Nwosu
Malachi Lawrence - Josh Sweat
Dani Dennis-Sutton - Kingsley Enagbare BR- Dorance Armstrong

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dliverey44 said:

The comps for Joshua Joseph are quite intriguing, Hunt and Nwosu are both good/very good speedy pass rushers. The comps for Derrick Moore kinda make me salivate.

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manxman2601 said:

Jacas is pretty appealing too - Greenard and Judon.

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manxman2601 said:

Assuming we are targeting a first round edge rusher, it's difficult to understand what type Vrabel et al want.

There are a number of categories as I view the options.

1. The pure pass rusher

R Mason Thomas
Cashius Howell

The least likely for me, mainly for size and length reasons. Thomas is only 241lbs and Howell has his arm length issues. But if you just want someone who can get after the QB, these are your guys.

2. The All-rounder

Akheem Mesidor
TJ Parker

They have the strength to play on every down but won't let you down on passing downs either. Parker is more of a projection here based upon '25 tape but had shown a lot of promise in '24.

3. The power guys

Zion Young
Gabe Jacas
Derrick Moore

All-rounder too but leaning more in the direction of run defense. They will give you some pass rush but may have a lower ceiling there. But they are every down guys.

4. The Athletic freaks

Dani Dennis-Sutton
Malachi Lawrence

They may need some development but their athleticism will always give them a chance. The highest ceiling guys as pass rushers.

For me, I'd go 2-3-4-1 although 3 & 4 are fairly even. I'd be happy with either.

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DoubleDeluxe said:

I’m Not sure DDS needs more development than anyone else in any tier.
He had 8.5 sacks in each of the last two years and 5 forced fumbles over that span, playing in a big time conference.
I think he was just undervalued prior to the combine.

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manxman2601 said:

I didn't think he was particularly great as a traditional pass rusher ie bending the edge. That's where I'd like to see him improve.

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