Updated: Ranking the 2022 NFL Draft's top 60 edge rushers

I went overboard

In late October, I wrote an article ranking the top 30 draft-eligible edge rushers in college football. Another month of football added a lot of perspective, and I’m ready to chuck out the old rankings for some new ones. Although, an extra month gave me too much time to dive into this class, and I ended up finding several dozen more eligible prospects. This is getting a little out of hand, and it’s glorious.

Unfortunately, because of time constraints, having to work a day job, and still needing to put together a big board and several positional rankings, I don’t have in-depth analysis for you on each prospect. You can find more analysis for the initial top 30 in the original article, but each player on this board is limited to one unique stat that sums up their production or usage.

I also haven’t seen all of the announcements regarding what players plan on entering the draft or returning to school. I apologize ahead of time if I’ve missed some of those.

Information on height, weight, and sacks comes from ESPN when available.

Feel free to tell me in the comments or on Twitter @Sam_Teets33 if you believe a certain prospect should rank higher. Let me know if I missed anyone.

Tier 1- Potential First Overall Picks

1. Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE Michigan

Stat- Hutchinson had 26 pressures and 8.5 combined sacks between the games against Ohio State, Penn State, and Washington. Those teams feature left tackles with futures in the NFL, including Thayer Munford, who spelled Nicholas Petit-Frere at times in the Ohio State game.

2. Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE Oregon

Stat- Thibodeaux played the same number of pass rushing snaps in 2021 as during his freshman season (2019). He produced two fewer sacks but tallied 14 more pressures.

Tier 2- First Round Selections

3. George Karlaftis, EDGE Purdue

Stat- Karlaftis applied pressure on about 14.03% of his pass rushing snaps for his entire collegiate career. That percentage jumped from 12.8% in 2019 to 16.12% in 2021.

4. Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE South Carolina

Stat- Enagbare has 10.5 sacks over the past two years, but he’s successfully applied pressure on 15.86% of his snaps as a pass rusher over that span, including 17.44% in 2021.

5. DeMarvin Leal, EDGE/IDL Texas A&M

Stat- At 290 lbs., Leal is the largest edge rusher among those in contention for the first-round. Despite getting some looks as an interior lineman, he’s played about 65.84% of his snaps lined up outside of the tackle.

6. Drake Jackson, EDGE USC

Stat- Jackson is the only edge rusher with a projected first-round grade that’s played under 1,500 snaps in college. He and Leal are the only prospects in the top two tiers with under 100 career pressures.

Tier 3- Late First/Early Second

7. Nik Bonitto, EDGE Oklahoma

Stat- Bonitto has 101 pressures over the past two years, which is 38 more than 2021 third-round pick and former teammate Ronnie Perkins had during his final two collegiate seasons (2019-20) despite playing 54 more pass rushing snaps.

8. David Ojabo, EDGE Michigan

Stat- Ojabo multiplied his collegiate production this year more than any other prospect on this list. He had one tackle and under 30 defensive snaps entering 2021. He has 25 tackles, 11 sacks, and five forced fumbles this season.

9. Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE Penn St.

Stat- Ebiketie applied pressure on 15.49% of his rushes at Temple in 2020. Despite a massive jump in competition and sample size (over 200 extra rushes in 2021), Ebiketie kept that number at 13.9%. 

Tier 4- Second Round Selections

10. Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE Florida St.

Stat- Johnson played 403 defensive snaps during his time at Georgia. He played 736 such snaps for Florida State in 2021, more than doubling his career tackles, sacks, forced fumbles, and passes defensed.

11. Cameron Thomas, EDGE San Diego St.

Stat- Thomas led all FBS players with 77 pressures in 2021. He’s the first player in these rankings to play the majority of his college snaps as an interior defender (1,021 inside the tackle vs. 712 even or outside the tackle), even though he spent the vast majority of 2021 on the outside.

12. Logan Hall, EDGE/IDL Houston

Stat- Hall hasn’t played more than 100 snaps lined up over or outside the tackle since his freshman year in 2018. Despite primarily deploying from the interior, he’s applied pressure on 10.06% of his pass rush reps since the start of 2020.

13. Zach Harrison, EDGE Ohio St.

Stat- About 61.54% of Harrison’s pressures in 2021 came in three of his 11 appearances (Akron, Nebraska, and Penn State). He was shut out in games against Michigan and Purdue.

14. Myjai Sanders, EDGE Cincinnati

Stat- Sanders had the fewest sacks this season (2.5) of any edge prospect in the first four tiers. However, he came within one pressure of doubling Zach Harrison’s total for 2021.

15. Travon Walker, EDGE Georgia

Stat- Walker is the only edge in Tier 4 to play fewer than 500 defensive snaps this season and under 1,000 during his collegiate career. He, Zach Harrison, and DeMarvin Leal are the only prospects so far that failed to apply pressure on ten percent of their pass rushing snaps in 2021.

Tier 5- Late Day 2/Early Day 3

16. Alex Wright, EDGE UAB

Stat- Wright more than doubled his 2020 totals for tackles, pressures, and sacks this year. He led Conference USA with 51 pressures.

17. Sam Williams, EDGE Ole Miss

Stat- If you believe the numbers on Wikipedia (apologies to my college professors, but it’s the only source I could find), Williams is third all-time in Ole Miss history with 22.5 sacks (Ole Miss didn’t track sacks before 1983). Only Greg Hardy (26.5) and Marquis Haynes (32) have more, but they played for four seasons. Williams only has three seasons under his belt.

18. Zachary Carter, EDGE Florida

Stat- Over the past two seasons, Carter has over 300 snaps outside the tackle, over tackle, and along the interior defensive line.

19. Boye Mafe, EDGE Minnesota

Stat- Mafe applied pressure on 14.74% of his pass rushing reps during his four-year career with the Golden Gophers.

20. Isaiah Foskey, EDGE Notre Dame

Stat- Foskey hit his 2021 season-high of five pressures against Georgia Tech, Purdue, and Virginia Tech. However, he failed to record a pressure in three games (Navy, Virginia, and Wisconsin).

21. Josh Paschal, EDGE Kentucky

Stat- Paschal tied for second in the SEC with 15 tackles for loss, one spot ahead of Sam Williams’ 14. Will Anderson Jr. led the conference with 29 tackles for loss.

22. Jeffrey Gunter, EDGE Coastal Carolina

Stat- Gunter’s 17 career sacks rank second all-time for the Chanticleers since the school began tracking the stat. Only 2021 sixth-round pick Tarron Jackson (25) has more.

23. Nolan Smith, EDGE Georgia

Stat- At 235 lbs., Smith is the lightest player on this board so far. He’s overcome size issues to apply pressure on over 10% of his pass rushing reps in each of his three collegiate seasons.

24. Derick Hall, EDGE Auburn

Stat- Hall faced two playoff teams in 2021. He failed to record a pressure against Georgia and left the game with only two tackles. The junior rebounded against Alabama, amassing six tackles, six pressures, and three sacks in the Iron Bowl.

Tier 6- High-Quality Day 3 Selections

25. Brenton Cox Jr., EDGE Florida

Stat- Cox finished second in pressures recorded last year for an SEC edge rusher, only trailing Will Anderson Jr. Cox didn’t crack the top ten this season.

26. Isaiah Thomas, EDGE Oklahoma

Stat- Thomas’ teammate Nik Bonitto led the Big 12 in pressures. The two star pass rushers have finished in the top five for sacks in their conference in each of the last two seasons.

27. DeAngelo Malone, EDGE Western Kentucky

Stat- Malone is five years into his time with the Hilltoppers, and his 58 career tackles for loss (including 47.5 over the past three years) rank second in Conference USA history since the stat started getting tracked.

28. Ali Gaye, EDGE LSU

Stat- Gaye only appeared in four games this season before shutting things down. He was on pace to shatter his 2020 pressure mark after recording 12 against Auburn.

29. Keir Thomas, EDGE Florida St.

Stat- Thomas’ 44 pressures finished second in the ACC. His teammate Jermaine Johnson II led the conference with 46.

30. Zion Tupuola-Fetui, EDGE Washington

Stat- Tupuola-Fetui played under 230 total snaps during the COVID-19 shortened season, but he applied pressure on 21.05% of his pass rush opportunities. Unfortunately, an Achilles injury mostly ruined his 2021 season.

31. Tyreke Smith, EDGE Ohio St.

Stat- Smith has 17 more pressures than teammate Zach Harrison over the past two years despite playing fewer snaps.

Tier 7- High Ceiling/Low Floor Projects

32. Xavier Thomas, EDGE Clemson

Stat- Thomas applied pressure on an astounding 17.33% of his pass rushing snaps as a freshman but hasn’t gotten above 15% since then.

33. Mika Tafua, EDGE Utah

Stat- Tafua (74) and Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. (73) were the only players who weighed 150 lbs. or less to record over 55 pressures in 2021.

34. Jordan Strachan, EDGE South Carolina

Stat- Strachan was a monster at Georgia State, but his transition to the SEC was less than glamorous. His production was more than halved across the board as he only played 25 or more snaps in three games with his new team.

35. Mitchell Agude, EDGE UCLA

Stat- Agude finished among the top-seven leaders in pressures in the PAC-12 in back-to-back seasons. He weighs 245 lbs.

36. Amare Barno, EDGE Virginia Tech

Stat- ESPN only lists Barno at 235 lbs., but the South Carolina native tied for second in tackles for loss at the FBS level last year with 16.

37. Will McDonald, EDGE Iowa St.

Stat- McDonald has led the Big 12 in sacks in back-to-back seasons. He totaled 10.5 in 2020 and 11.5 this year.

38. Colby Wooden, EDGE Auburn

Stat- Wooden spent nearly 400 of his 545 defensive snaps playing along the interior defensive line in 2021 after spending under 100 snaps inside the tackles in 2020.

39. Cade Hall, EDGE San Jose St.

Stat- Hall only got home four times this year, but he led the Mountain West Conference with ten sacks in 2020 and was the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Tier 8- Late Selections/Top UDFAs

40. Micheal Clemons, EDGE Texas A&M

Stat- Clemons is one of three Texas A&M defensive linemen to finish 2021 with seven or more sacks, and he had the most pressures of that trio.

41. Ochaun Mathis, EDGE TCU

Stat- Mathis has three consecutive seasons with at least 40 tackles and 30 pressures.

42. Taylor Riggins, EDGE Buffalo

Stat- Riggins amassed 20 pressures, four sacks, seven tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles in only five games this season. He led the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with 8.5 sacks in 2019.

43. Christopher Allen, EDGE Alabama

Stat- Allen played under 20 snaps this season, but he amassed over 30 pressures last year while holding receivers to under five yards per reception.

44. Arron Mosby, EDGE Fresno St.

Stat- Fresno State hadn’t rushed Mosby over 70 times in a single season going into this year. In 2021, he had over 300 pass rushing snaps and the only five sacks of his career.

45. Zach VanValkenburg, EDGE Iowa

Stat- VanValkenburg has back-to-back top-ten finishes in tackles for loss in the Big Ten. He had the same number of tackles for loss in 2020 as teammate and 2021 third-round pick Chauncey Golston.

46. Jacub Panasiuk, EDGE Michigan St.

Stat- Panasiuk is in his fifth year with the Spartans, and he produced 28 more pressures than his previous single-season high. Only Aidan Hutchinson had more pressures in the Big Ten this year. George Karlaftis was third, followed by Arnold Ebiketie, David Ojabo, and Boye Mafe.

47. Tyree Johnson, EDGE Texas A&M

Stat- Six of Johnson’s 8.5 sacks came in three dominant games against Alabama, Auburn, and South Carolina (at least two in each).

48. Esezi Otomewo, EDGE Minnesota

Stat- Otomewo only missed one tackle attempt in 2018, 2019, and 2020, but he missed six this season.

49. Andre Carter II, EDGE Army

Stat- Carter’s 13.5 sacks rank third in the FBS, only trailing Will Anderson Jr. and Aidan Hutchinson. Carter finished 5.23% of his rush attempts with a sack. 

50. Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, EDGE Notre Dame

Stat- This year was Tagovailoa-Amosa’s first time playing 100 snaps over or outside the tackle in his five-year career with Notre Dame.

51. Tre Williams, EDGE Arkansas

Stat- Williams had five or more pressures against LSU, Mississippi State, Rice, and Texas A&M this year. He failed to record any pressure when Arkansas faced Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, and Ole Miss.

52. Tyler Johnson, EDGE Arizona St.

Stat- Johnson has over 1,100 snaps lined up outside the tackle and less than 100 snaps anywhere else along the defensive line despite weighing 280 lbs.

Tier 9- Accomplished UDFAs

53. Kameron Butler, EDGE Miami (OH)

Stat- Butler ranked among the top-seven players in the MAC for sacks and tackles for loss in 2019 and 2020.

54. Tristan Nichols, EDGE Nevada

Stat- Nichols hadn’t played over 140 snaps in a season entering 2021. He topped the 570 mark this year, and it led to him producing ten sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss.

55. Big Kat Bryant, EDGE UCF

Stat- Bryant’s production spiked in his sole season after transferring from Auburn. He set new career-highs in pressures (up 16 from his previous high), sacks (up 2.5), tackles for loss (up nine), and tackles (up 31).

56. Ali Fayad, EDGE Western Michigan

Stat- Fayad is five seasons into his career with the Broncos. His 15.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks led the MAC this season. Fayad is still six sacks away from tying Jason Babin for the most in program history.

57. Karl Brooks, EDGE Bowling Green

Stat- Despite weighing 295 lbs., Brooks spent 61.3% of his college career lining up outside the tackles.

58. De'Shaan Dixon, EDGE Norfolk St.

Stat- ESPN only has data on three games for Dixon, so we’re using Norfolk State’s official team site for his stats. Going off those numbers, Dixon had nine sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss this season. I’m secretly optimistic he’ll skyrocket up boards as the draft gets closer.

59. Joey Noble, EDGE New Mexico

Stat- Noble outmatched his competition in the Mountain West. His 18 tackles for loss rank sixth in FBS this season, and he converted 12.88% of his pass rushing reps into pressures during his collegiate career.

60. Cameron Goode, EDGE Cal

Stat- Goode finished among the top ten for sacks and tackles for loss in the Pac-12 three consecutive times.

61. Demetrius Taylor, EDGE Appalachian St.

Stat- Taylor is five seasons into his collegiate career. He’s fourth in program history with 26 sacks. The 290 lb. defensive end has three consecutive seasons with at least 35 pressures, six sacks, and ten tackles for loss.

62. Lonnie Phelps, EDGE Miami (OH)

Stat- Phelps is narrowly ahead of teammate Kameron Butler in sacks with 8.5. Butler has eight. Including honorable mentions, Miami (OH) has three players on this board.

Others Considered

Yasir Abdullah, EDGE Louisville

Deslin Alexandre, EDGE Pittsburgh

Eric Black, EDGE Buffalo

Isaiah Chambers, EDGE McNeese

Viliami Fehoko, EDGE San Jose St.

Nick Figueroa, EDGE USC

Perry Ganci, EDGE Nicholls

Justin Growel, EDGE Eastern Illinois

Nick Hampton, EDGE Appalachian St.

K.J. Henry, Clemson

Trajan Jeffcoat, EDGE Missouri

Richard Jibunor, EDGE Troy

Jacorey Johns, EDGE Wake Forest

Deandre Johnson, EDGE Miami

Uriah Leiataua, EDGE BYU

Zach McCloud, EDGE Miami

Jose Ramirez, EDGE Eastern Michigan

LaBryan Ray, EDGE Alabama

Dominique Robinson, EDGE Miami (OH)

Cody Roscoe, EDGE Syracuse

Javon Solomon, EDGE Troy