Cooper is solid at turning speed-to-power as a pass-rusher and shows some burst off the line to win around the edge. Against the run, his physical playing style serves him well against tight ends, and he'll occasionally make tackles after engaging offensive linemen. Overall, the 2021 seventh-round pick is a solid all-around player, who contributed to one of the NFL's best defensive lines over the last two seasons.

Diaby is an underrated pass-rusher in the league. He's quick and athletic to win around the edge, he can turn speed to power or push the pocket with a long-arm move, and has the lateral movement skills to be effective as the looper on stunts. That's how the three-year pro has logged 19 career sacks so far. Diaby isn't as impactful against the run because he struggles to take on blocks from offensive linemen. But he can set the edge and win at the point of attack against tight ends and use his athleticism to make stops when unblocked on the backside of zone runs.

Carter impressed as a rookie pass-rusher. While he only registered four sacks, he consistently applied pressure by using his quickness, athleticism and a couple more moves than what the former Nittany Lion showed at Penn State. He's still growing and didn't make much of an impact against the run, but he also didn't get many opportunities on early downs, playing behind Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux with just six starts in his first season.

Young is best known for his pass-rush skills, collecting 27.5 sacks during his first three seasons. The 2025 Pro Bowler posted a career-high 12 sacks last year. He wins in a handful of ways, with speed and a cross-chop around the edge, turning speed-to-power and with excellent agility and closing speed on the quarterback. This past season, Young showed significant growth against the run. He can beat up tight ends and started making more plays against offensive linemen to secure tackles near the line of scrimmage.

Rousseau uses his length and strength as a pass-rusher well, giving offensive tackles fits thanks to his 34⅜-inch arms. He's also coming off an impressive season as a run-defender, where those traits translate into making tackles near the line of scrimmage. The 26-year-old could afford to be more disruptive. Even so, he's certainly counted among the league's up-and-coming edge defenders.

Burns is an impressive pass-rusher who can win in a handful of ways, thanks to his deep bag of pass-rush moves and athleticism to be an effective looper during line games. However, the seven-year veteran has been a subpar run-defender throughout his career, preventing Burns from being a complete player and one of the NFL's better all-around edges-defenders.

While Highsmith can be tight ends at the point of attack, he remains more of a finesse player overall. Even so, he's found ways to show a complete game with his skill set. The Charlotte product's pass-rush skills have never been in question, and he uses his speed, athleticism and bend to make plays from the backside of zone runs or work around blocks to rack up tackles for short gains.

Sweat's combination of strength and rare length are the foundation of who he is as a defensive end. He can set the edge and has 35¾-inch arms (97th percentile, per MockDraftable) to lock out offensive tackles, escape blocks and make tackles for short gains. As a pass-rusher, the 2023 Pro Bowler can push the pocket by turning speed to power and has a good long arm move. Sweat is just a bit of a one-trick pony in that he doesn't have the athleticism to win with finesse.

Phillips does his best work as a pass-rusher when he can win around the edge with speed, using a cross-chop move or a ghost rush. He also has the quickness to win across the offensive lineman's face. Furthermore, he generates pressure from several alignments. However, the 2021 first-round pick has never posted a double-digit sack season, because he struggles to finish, missing several tackles against quarterbacks. Against the run, Phillips has enough strength to beat tight ends at the point of attack and set the edge. Also, his speed and athleticism allow him to make tackles for short gains when unblocked on the backside of zone runs. But the Miami product lacks the strength to consistently defeat and get off blocks from offensive linemen. His tackling issues show up on early downs, too.

Mack sits at the tail end of his career and isn't the same impactful performer he used to be. Make no mistake about it, he can still turn speed-to-power as a pass-rusher and remains a plus-run defender. The nine-time Pro Bowler appears destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Mack can cement his status with one or two more strong seasons.

Hines-Allen is a versatile pass-rusher who has the speed to win around the edge and the power to run through an offensive tackle's chest. He also has good hand-usage to win with a cross-chop and shows impressive athleticism to be an effective looper among line games. Against the run, Hines-Allen has the strength to beat tight ends at the point of attack and the athleticism to make impact tackles when unblocked from the backside. When taking on blocks from offensive linemen, he's often reliant on working around them and often disappears in that phase of the game.

Despite only playing in seven games last season, Hendrickson still showed plenty as a pass-rusher. The 2024 league sack-leader can turn speed-to-power, work the hands and is incredibly smooth for his size. However, the nine-year veteran has never been known for his run defense and relies on working around blocks or going unblocked to make quality contributions in that phase of the game.

Tuipulotu made what will be his first of many Pro Bowls last season. He's gotten better and more productive as a pass-rusher every year so far, going from 4.5 sacks as a rookie to 13.5 sacks in 2025. The reason the USC product has a bright future in the NFL is that he can win in a variety of ways: turning speed to power, working the hands, with quickness around the edges, on stunts, and he does it from multiple alignments. Tuipulotu does have more work to do as a run defender, but he isn't bad in that phase of the game by any means.

Sweat has been a productive pass-rusher for several years now, heading into his ninth NFL season with 55 career sacks. A big reason for that is he has several ways he can win, showing good speed off the edge, the ability to work the hands, and the combination of quickness and savviness to stem outside and beat the tackle inside or vice versa. The 2021 Pro Bowler isn't as impactful against the run, but he can beat tight ends at the point of attack or make tackles when unblocked on the backside of zone runs to contribute on early downs.