Collins has had an interesting career, getting drafted and becoming a starter as a hybrid defender before lining up on the edge exclusively. He's also bounced back and forth between being a starter and contributing off the bench. Heading into the 2026 campaign, the 2021 first-round pick projects to be a solid first-stringer who is decent in all phases of the game.

Ossai has always been a good pass-rusher, where his combination and hand usage help him get consistent pressure off the edge. While the four-year veteran showed growth as a run defender last year, he still needs to get stronger at the point of attack to be more consistent setting the edge and become a bona fide starter/every down player in New York.

Turner had a significant increase in playing time and production from his rookie to sophomore seasons, most notably going from three to eight sacks. His athleticism and movement skills are evident on tape, and the Alabama product's ability to turn speed to power as a pass-rusher really stood out last season. But the hand usage is still a work in progress to add a curveball and make the production sustainable. Turner also showed improvement as a run defender. He made a handful of quality tackles by defeating blocks against tight ends, spilling pullers and closing when unblocked on the back side of zone runs. If the 2024 first-round pick can add some mass and strength to take on offensive linemen more consistently, he'll start to really turn the corner.

Last season, Oweh was a much more polished pass-rusher in Los Angeles than he was in Baltimore. Adding strength and becoming more consistent with his hands will help take his game to the next level in Washington moving forward. Similarly, the former Charger/Raven still isn't much of a factor as a run defender because he struggles to take on and disengage from blocks.

After back-to-back seasons with double-digit sacks, Walker's production took a significant dip last season, getting to the quarterback just three and a half times. He has the strength to push the pocket, but is still ironing out how to be effective, or at least more consistent, with his hands to add another move to his arsenal. Similarly, the 2022 No. 1 overall pick has plenty of strength and length to be an impactful run defender; however, he often gets caught with his hands down and can't maximize his traits.

After spending six years as a rotational contributor/spot-starter in Dallas, Armstrong became a solid full-time starter for the Commanders during the 2024 campaign. His game is based on his strength and length, showing the ability to get extension against offensive tackles, manufacture stops against the run and generate pressure as a pass-rusher. The eight-year veteran played arguably the best football of his career before suffering a torn ACL in Week 7 of last season. How the 29-year-old veteran bounces back this fall will be interesting to monitor.

While Ezeiruaku only had two sacks as a rookie, he showed more promise in year one than the box score says. The Boston College product's quickness and athleticism stood out, and his hand usage was impressive to record a few wins with a handful of moves. He just needs to be more consistent and finish to boost the sack number moving forward. Ezeiruaku will probably never become a major factor as a run defender, but he used his skill set well to make a handful of plays last year and build more momentum heading into 2026.

Clowney is a lot closer to retirement than his prime, but he can still contribute to the Texans' defense as a rotational pass-rusher behind Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. on the depth chart or alongside them in certain sub-packages. The 2014 No. 1 overall pick remains a very good athlete to work the edges, and he has a good pass-rush motor to get coverage or clean-up sacks. He's more of a finesse run-defender at this stage, though.

Karlaftis is a solid power-rusher with 30.5 career sacks, but the majority of his pass-rush production comes against backups/lower competition or via coverage sacks. The 2022 first-round pick is a good run defender, though, showing the strength to set the edge, as well as the ability to get underneath pullers and make tackles for losses or short gains.

Hall is a bit of a one-trick pony as a pass-rusher, almost exclusively winning by going through the offensive tackle's chest, but it's a pretty good trick. However, the 2023 second-round pick struggled to defend the run to begin his career, as that strength and physicality didn't quite translate. The Seahawks used Hall primarily as a rusher last season, limiting his impact against the run, but he did show growth on a small sample size.

Wright is a tone-setting edge-defender, who plays with a level of physicality and is strong enough to set the edge against the run. He can make stops by winning and defeating blocks at the point of attack, while also having the speed and athleticism to make tackles when unblocked on the backside. The 2023 third-round pick has flashed a few promising traits as a pass-rusher, but he isn't a consistent winner to generate constant pressure.

Unfortunately, injuries have been the story of Johnson's last two seasons, missing all but two games with a torn Achilles in 2024 and then sitting out of three more after returning to action this past season. It seems like the injury impacted his explosiveness off the line of scrimmage, as that was missing on a consistent basis last year. But there were flashes and Johnson had a handful of wins by working the offensive tackle's hands. He also wasn't as impactful against the run a year ago, so it will be interesting to see how that all comes together after reuniting with Robert Saleh in Tennessee this offseason.

Young has always been a good pass-rusher. He wins with speed around the edge, turning speed-to-power, working his hands and shows a nice inside swim move as a change-up. As a result, the six-year veteran notched the first career double-digit sack season in 2025. However, the 2020 No. 2 overall pick doesn't make much of an impact against the run. He can beat tight ends at the point of attack occasionally and make tackles when unblocked on the backside of zone runs. Otherwise, Young is often neutralized at the point of attack when he has to take on blocks from offensive linemen.

It's a shame Smith suffered a significant injury at the beginning of 2025, because he was playing very well in the first three games and looked like he was on the verge of a breakout season. Still, the 2023 first-round pick has a well-rounded skill set, where he uses his length and strength well to keep offensive tackles away from his body in both phases of the game. It's just a matter of when or if he's going to take that next step to go from a solid to a good edge defender.

Latu is a rising pass-rusher, showing the ability to push the pocket and work his hands, while displaying a good motor to generate pressure. He just isn't a quick-winner, making him more reliant on good coverage to convert pressures into sacks, hence why he has yet to register a double-digit campaign. The 2024 first-round pick is still growing as a run-defender and does struggle to anchor against a downhill rushing attack. However, he did make a handful of quality tackles against outside or stretch runs last season.

Landry is still pretty quick and athletic to be an effective pass-rusher on line games, recording 8.5 sacks during his first season with the Patriots last year. However, he didn't win one-on-one matchups very frequently and primarily made an impact when unblocked against the run. The latter led to a dip in production, and it's fair to question whether the 30-year-old's numbers will continue to decline.

Bookmark the following statement: Barring injury, Nick Herbig will be a better pass-rusher than TJ Watt for the Pittsburgh Steelers this fall. Herbig came into his own last season, showing the ability to win with speed around the edge, working the hands and enough quickness to win across an offensive lineman's face. He can also get pressure from multiple alignments, with good bend to corner at the top of the rush and convert pressures into sacks. The up-and-coming pass-rusher doesn't make much of an impact against the run, though.

Gary developed into a quality, well-rounded edge defender over the last few years, primarily leaning on his unique athletic ability at 6'5" and 275 pounds. The 2024 Pro Bowler turns speed-to-power as a pass-rusher, then combines that trait with a good long-arm move and motor to apply pressure. In the running game, Gary doesn't make a ton of plays against offensive linemen, but he can beat tight ends and use his speed and movement skills to make tackles from the backside of zone runs.

Thibodeaux is a strong and powerful defensive end who can set the edge against the run and push the pocket as a pass-rusher. He also showed some ability to penetrate and work the hands last season. The 25-year-old's biggest issue remains staying healthy, playing in all 17 games just once during his first four seasons.

Van Ginkel is a traditional 3-4 outside linebacker who lines up at the line of scrimmage more often than not. Though he will drop into coverage frequently. The latter has become less common in today's NFL, making him a bit of a unique player. The 2024 second-team All-Pro can contribute in a varied role, because he has a Swiss-Army knife-like skill set. He works the edges as a pass-rusher, makes offensive linemen miss against the run and has the movement skills to either close or make plays on the ball in coverage.

After a couple of down years in 2023 and 2024, Jordan put together an impressive bounce-back campaign last season. The 37-year-old isn't the eight-time Pro Bowler he used to be, but he can still turn speed to power and has a couple of good moves as a pass-rusher to be productive, posting 10.5 sacks in 2025. Also, he can still set the edge and beat tight ends in the running game.

While Mafe only had two sacks for the Seattle Seahawks last season, he was still a productive pass-rusher in terms of pressures, collecting 43 at a 13.2 percent rate, per Next Gen Stats. He uses his hands well and has the quickness to win around the edges; the Minnesota product just lacks bend, which makes it difficult to finish or convert pressures into sacks. However, the Seahawks used Mafe less against the run over the last two years and for good reason, as he struggles to defeat blocks from offensive linemen.

A change of scenery worked wonders for Lawrence. He revived his career in Seattle last season. The 34-year-old is more of a run-defender who can occasionally win as a pass-rusher at this stage of his career. But he did post six sacks during the 2025 regular campaign and grabbed two more during the postseason. Plus, the 12-year veteran can play the run from multiple alignments.