NFL Draft

1/7/25

6 min read

2025 NFL Draft: Superlatives For This Year's Edge Rusher Class

By James Foster

NFL Analyst
Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter (11) reacts with teammates after defeating the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium.
Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter (11) reacts with teammates after defeating the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.

With the 2025 NFL Draft approaching, I’ve started a superlatives series to preview each position group.

This series will cover a wide range of prospects and highlight the players who stand out the most in specific categories. Today, we’re breaking down the edge class.

QB Superlatives | RB Superlatives | WR Superlatives | TE Superlatives | OL Superlatives

2025 Edge Rusher Class Superlatives

BEST POWER RUSHER

David Walker, Central Arkansas

David Walker has dominated FCS competition during the last three seasons, recording 151 pressures and 37 sacks in his career at Central Arkansas.

At 6021/260, Walker has the ideal compact build for a power rusher, as his low center of gravity optimizes his pad level and reduces the strike zone for opposing blockers. According to Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List, Walker has a 36-inch vertical jump and runs a 4.59 40-yard dash. His combination of size and burst results in some dominant bull rush wins and makes him a consistent pocket pusher.

Honorable Mention: Jack Sawyer, Ohio State

BEST CROSS CHOP

Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College Boston College Eagles logo

Donovan Ezeiruaku ranked third among FBS edge rushers with 61 pressures in 2024, and he got the majority of his wins with a cross-chop. Ezeiruaku has mastered every element of this move, from the initial euro step inside to the cross-body chop to defeat the blocker’s outside hand.

His 34 5/8-inch arms give him an extended reach to swipe the blocker’s punch, and he’s flexible when turning the corner at the top of the rush.

Honorable Mention: Kyle Kennard, South Carolina

BEST SPIN MOVE

Mike Green, Marshall Marshall Thundering Herd logo

Marshall edge rusher Mike Green has the best spin move in this class, but his strategy is fairly unconventional. Players primarily use a spin move as an inside counter, where they attack the outside shoulder before spinning into the B-gap.

Green almost exclusively uses an outside spin, faking a rush through the B-gap to create a short corner for a speed rush. Green’s quickness and explosiveness, combined with his ability to set up his moves, made him the most productive Group of 5 pass rusher in 2024.

Honorable Mention: Princely Umanmielen, Ole Miss

BEST INSIDE COUNTER

Abdul Carter, Penn State Penn State Nittany Lions logo

Blocking Abdul Carter’s speed rush is a tall task for most college offensive tackles, but mirroring him across two gaps is just too much to handle. Carter’s burst off the line of scrimmage makes him a dominant speed rusher and forces blockers to over-set and open their hips prematurely to cut him off at the top of the arc.

But his lateral quickness is just as lethal as his linear explosiveness, and he abuses tackles that give him an inside opening. Carter deploys a spin, club, or rip move to slice through the B-gap and was just as productive countering inside as he was on the outside track.

Honorable Mention: Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College

DEEPEST BAG

Mike Green, Marshall Marshall Thundering Herd logo

Green has the most advanced pass rushing moveset in this class, winning with the cross-chop, ghost-rip, outside spin, double-swipe, and bull rush. He’s a talented hand fighter with a diverse arsenal of moves who understands how to sequence moves together throughout the game.

He also has an advanced counter moveset and a rare feel for transitioning into his secondary rush effort. He understands when to abandon his primary move and switch to a counter, so he’s able to generate pressure even when he doesn’t get a clean win. With his layered pass rushing plan, Green threatens every inch of grass and finds the optimal entry point into the pocket.

Honorable Mention: Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College

MOST EXPLOSIVE

Josaiah Stewart, Michigan Michigan Wolverines logo

As a 6007/241 pass rusher, there are valid concerns about Josaiah Stewart’s size and frame. However, his rare explosiveness might be enough for NFL teams to overlook those limitations and still take him on Day 2.

As you would expect, Stewart’s first step makes him an overwhelming speed rusher. He uses a ghost-rip to freeze the tackle’s set and create a short corner, but he could have gotten a lot of his wins by simply outrunning his opponent.

What’s most impressive is his ability to channel his first-step explosiveness and natural leverage into his speed-to-power. As we discussed with Walker, being short actually plays to Stewart’s advantage, as he’s almost always initiating his bull rush with a lower pad level than his opponent.

From a wide-9 alignment, Stewart builds up momentum and drives his legs through the block to create serious displacement into the pocket:

Honorable Mention: James Pearce Jr., Tennessee

BEST BEND

Abdul Carter, Penn State Penn State Nittany Lions logo

Carter’s bend is one of many reasons he’s expected to be the first pass rusher off the board this April. Once he gets even with a blocker, he has the hip and ankle flexibility to turn the corner at tight angles and finish the play.

The ability to flatten at the top of the rush can be the difference between pressures and sacks, especially against more athletic NFL tackles.

Honorable Mention: Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College

BEST RUN DEFENDER

Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M Texas A&M Aigges Logo

As a pass rusher, Shemar Stewart is a project, but I expect him to be an excellent run defender as a rookie. Stewart is listed at 6-foot-6, 290 pounds, but he carries his weight so well he could pass for 270. His size and length make him a dominant block shedder who can set a firm edge and separate blockers from his frame.

But he’s more than just a base defensive end who holds his ground at the point of attack. Stewart has rare movement skills for a player of his size and is just as effective at shooting gaps and evading blocks.

He can outpace reach blocks, keeping his playside hand free and chasing down stretch runs from the backside. He can knife into gaps to disrupt the offense’s timing but then redirect and mirror to finish plays in the backfield:

He had a forced fumble and a pass breakup against Arkansas and South Carolina, where he arrived at the mesh point before the quarterback could execute the exchange:

Honorable Mention: Oluwafemi Oladejo, UCLA

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Tags: 2025 NFL Draft, Abdul Carter, David Walker See More

James Foster

NFL Analyst

James Foster is an NFL writer who creates film-based analysis of NFL players and teams. He previously worked for A to Z Sports.

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