Preliminary 2024 DE/ER preview: long on potential … You aren’t going to get much of an argument from anyone in the NFL that QB is not the #1 prime, premium position come draft day. Indeed, QBs were the first player selected in 7 of the past ten drafts, while the position also accounted for 1 out of every three players selected with a top 5 pick in that period. You also probably won’t get much of an argument that after QB, the prime draft position includes the DEs and edge rushers. ERs, for example, were the first non-QB taken in fully 8 of the past ten drafts; they were also the first player selected in each of those draft years in which a QB was not the #1 pick. Overall, in the past decade, 14 ERs were selected within the top 5 picks, just behind the 17 QBs, while no other position had more than 5 players taken within those first 5 selections.
If nothing else, 2024 should be an interesting year for the edge rushers as there is a lot of potential there. At the same time, though, there are some questions to be answered as none of this year’s top prospects at the position currently have the proven productivity there that characterized recent drafts which saw players like Will Anderson of Alabama, picked third overall this past April, or Aidan Hutchison, Kayvon Thibodeux, Nick and Joey Bosa, Chase Young, or Myles Garrett selected with top 5 picks.
Alabama OLB Dallas Turner, for example, is generally considered to be the leading edge rusher at this time in the 2024 draft class. He’s a third-year player who was a big-time recruit who had a breakout year as a true frosh in 2021 when he posted 8.5 sacks, but had just four last fall. Turner is also somewhat undersized at under 245 pounds and there are questions about how effective he will be if he has to line up up with his hand on the ground in a 4-man front scheme. In many ways. Florida State’s Jared Verse is an even more interesting prospect. Lightly recruited out of high school, Verse spent two years at FCS Albany before transferring to FSU where he emerged as an explosive edge rusher last fall posting 9 sacks. However, like Turner, he is a little undersized at just a tad over 250 pounds and did struggle at times to hold the point of attack against the run. Meanwhile, there is a bit of a buzz around the league about Penn State’s Chop Robinson as another possible top 10 DE/ER candidate. And like Turner and Verse, he’s a terrific athlete with a real burst off the edge, but has just 7.5 sacks in his two years to date and like the other two isn’t necessarily the biggest guy out there. On the other hand, Ohio State’s TJ Tuimoloau, who could also get some top ten consideration, is closer to 270 and is stouter against the run, but had just 6 sacks in his first two years with the Buckeyes.
Fortunately, for teams looking to upgrade their edge rush at the 2024 draft, there is also a lot of depth to this year’s ER class including Bralen Trice, another potential rising star who had 9 sacks last fall, and Zion Tupuola-Fetui of Washington; Jack Sawyer, Ohio State’s ‘other’ DE; and Laita Latu of UCLA, each of whom is considered to have later first round potential. At the same time, there are a number of other intriguing edge rushers around the country that aren’t quite as well known but who scouts will be watching closely this fall including Saivion Jones of LSU, Chico Bennett of Virginia, and Boston College’s Donovan Ezeirauku. Meanwhile, teams looking for the next Will McDonald, the former Iowa State ER who was the surprise 15th pick at the 2023 draft, may want to stick with the Big XII as Oklahoma State’s Collin Oliver has the same kind of upside. For now, here is our preliminary ranking of the 2024 DE/ER class.
