Top edge rushers in the draft,
Sports Weekly takes a position-by-position look at prospects for the NFL draft, which runs April 27-29 in Philadelphia. This week, USA TODAY Sports NFL reporter Lindsay H. Jones looks at edge rushers.
Next week: Defensive tackles
1. MYLES GARRETT, TEXAS A&M
Height, weight: 6-5, 270 Garrett is widely considered to be the best player in this draft and should receive heavy consideration from the Cleveland Browns for the No. 1 overall pick. Garrett left Texas A&M after his junior year but was highly accomplished in his three years in College Station: 31 sacks, 47 tackles for losses and seven forced fumbles. He has the size that NFL evaluators love and should be able to start right away as an edge rusher in a 4-3 (with his hand in the ground) or 3-4 (standup linebacker) immediately. But what might be most attractive to NFL teams with a top-five pick is how polished Garrett is as a rusher. He has multiple pass-rush moves in his arsenal, rare for a player coming out of college.
2. DEREK BARNETT, TENNESSEE
Height, weight: 6-3, 265 If college production was the most important factor in scouting a player’s readiness for the NFL, Barnett would have a good case for being the best pass rusher in this draft. In three years at Tennessee, playing against Southeastern Conference competition, Barnett racked up 32 sacks, including 13 last year. He also had 52 tackles for losses, showing his effectiveness as a run defender as well. Barnett’s strength is the way he uses his hands, which is a skill many players lack when they enter the NFL. He has the athleticism to be a three-down player as a rookie .
3. SOLOMON THOMAS, STANFORD
Height, weight: 6-3, 273 The criticism of Thomas, the Pac-12’s defensive player of the year in 2016, heading into the draft is that at 273 pounds he doesn’t fit the ideal profile of an edge rusher or an interior lineman. But judging Thomas strictly on his stature would be a mistake, as he might be one of the most versatile defensive players in this class. If teams value effort, raw strength and the ability to play all three downs and at multiple positions, Thomas will be a firstround pick. He had 12 sacks and 241⁄ tackles for losses over the 2 last two seasons at Stanford, and in his last game with the Cardinal (the Sun Bowl vs. North Carolina), Thomas racked up seven tackles and a sack.
4. CHARLES HARRIS, MISSOURI
Height, weight: 6-3, 255 Harris is the latest defensive lineman to come out of a Missouri program that routinely produces productive NFL pass rushers. Harris had 16 sacks over the last two seasons and has a polished spin move that should translate from the SEC to the NFL. He has the body of an outside linebacker but never played that position at Mizzou, so during the draft process he will need to show teams that can rush the quarterback from a stand-up position, as well as hold up against the run.
5. TIM WILLIAMS, ALABAMA
Height, weight: 6-4, 252 Williams has prototypical size for an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense and had a productive career as a pass-rush specialist at Alabama, recording181⁄ sacks 2 over the last two seasons. The biggest question about Williams as he enters the draft — especially for teams considering selecting him with a high pick — is if he can be a three-down player or if he can contribute only in substitution packages. There is no doubt about Williams’ skill as a pass rusher, but he needs to prove he can function as an all-around linebacker in stopping the run and in pass coverage. Williams also will have to answer questions in the draft process about his off-the-field behavior, including an arrest last year on a misdemeanor gun charge.
6. TAKKARIST MCKINLEY, UCLA
Height, weight: 6-2, 265 McKinley enters the draft after a huge junior year at UCLA, where he recorded 10 sacks and 18 tackles for losses through a combination of effort plays and exceptional athleticism. He’s hoping both will be on display at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, because it will be the last chance teams will get to see him physically until the draft. Bleacher Report reported in late February that McKinley will have surgery on his shoulder after the combine and that the procedure will keep him out until the start of training camp. If McKinley heals according to the four- to five-month timetable, he’ll be able to begin working again by August, and he’ll need it as he must add more polished pass-rush moves to become an effective pro player.
7. DEMARCUS WALKER, FLORIDA STATE
Height, weight: 6-4, 280 Walker’s 16 sacks in 2016 were second most in the Football Bowl Subdivision last year, and now he needs to show he can continue that sort of production against bigger and stronger offensive tackles in the NFL. At 280 pounds, Walker projects as a prototypical 4-3 defensive end, and it would be a bonus for the team that drafts him if he can provide some interior pass rush in sub packages.
8. TACO CHARLTON, MICHIGAN
Height, weight: 6-6, 272 Charlton is one of the most physically intriguing pass rushers in this draft, with an uncommon height-speed combination. Now Charlton must prove to NFL teams he can consistently play the way he did in 2016, which was his breakout season at Michigan. He had 10 sacks and 131⁄ tackles for losses, 2 impressive stats against Big Ten competition, but he was often criticized for being inconsistent early in his career.
9. CARL LAWSON, AUBURN
Height, weight: 6-2, 260 Lawson finally proved in 2016 that he could stay healthy (after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in 2014 and a hip flexor injury in 2015). A solid final season at Auburn has him on the verge of the first round. He had nine sacks and showed he was still strong and fast despite his earlier leg injuries. Still, Lawson likely will endure plenty of medical tests at the combine as teams want to make sure they aren’t drafting a player with durability concerns.
10. T.J. WATT, WISCONSIN
Height, weight: 6-5, 243 Watt, the younger brother of Houston Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt, doesn’t have quite the physical stature of his older brother, but he’s entering the draft coming off a solid season at Wisconsin in which he registered 111⁄ sacks. NFL teams 2 might be intrigued by Watt’s bloodline, especially when they see that Watt has the same sort of relentless motor that made J.J. Watt one of the best players in the NFL. T.J. Watt might have to bulk up in the NFL and will need to prove he can develop a larger array of pass-rush moves to succeed when sheer effort isn’t enough.