Top 10 DL/Edge Units in the NFL

[bootsy]

These rankings are ***.

[SmittyBacall]

1 hour ago, Ozzy said:

For example, if you wanted to go out on a short limb and say the Kansas City Chiefs are good, wow what insight.  Trying to find trends or teams/units on the up swing now and in the future is far more interesting.

Okay, two things then: 1.) Why not just call the thread “Rising OL Units” or “Underrated DL Units” to save some flack?

And 2.) If you were asked to rank the top 10 teams and neglected to include KC just because, it wouldn’t make any sense. But you do you!

[Ozzy]

58 minutes ago, SmittyBacall said:

Okay, two things then: 1.) Why not just call the thread “Rising OL Units” or “Underrated DL Units” to save some flack?

And 2.) If you were asked to rank the top 10 teams and neglected to include KC just because, it wouldn’t make any sense. But you do you!

So the teams that won last year instantly have the best units no questions asked?  Usually that is how it goes in terms of most talented rosters, but individual or positional depth not so much.  

 

LA Rams won the Super Bowl a few years back, look at them now.  Some teams load up on starter talent, pay big to get them then flame out in a year or two.  Not the worst idea as long as you win the big one but also not the deepest unit around.   Clearly that is show by what they were last year and what they even have this up coming season.  Just because they have Aaron Donald does not make them the best DL unit in the NFL.

 

KC has a different roster than they had last year on the DL, OL and even DB units.  Will all their young players greatly improve or not, who knows but they will have pretty high expectations this year when last year most were all about the Bills, Eagles or the Bengals.  Either way to just flat say the 49ers are great on the DL just because they have been in the past is not exactly how it will always play out.  That 2019 DL group was the insane group with Bosa, Buckner, Armstead, Ford, DJ Jones, Blair, S. Thomas, K. Street and A. Zettel.  That is insane depth and talent on a DL, not this current 49ers group unless some guys greatly improve, so just because they are the 49ers one should not just assume always great on the DL.

[EagleBlueDon]

Jalen Carter isn't a pass rusher? For what Hargrave gave us vs the pass, he was probably equally as bad vs the run. Ever heard of Josh Sweat? Nary a mention in any of your blurbs. He's a notch below elite at EDGE. Milton Williams is also very skilled and is primed for more opportunities this season and has flashed a lot.

[Ozzy]

1 hour ago, EagleBlueDon said:

Jalen Carter isn't a pass rusher? For what Hargrave gave us vs the pass, he was probably equally as bad vs the run. Ever heard of Josh Sweat? Nary a mention in any of your blurbs. He's a notch below elite at EDGE. Milton Williams is also very skilled and is primed for more opportunities this season and has flashed a lot.

Jalen Carter had six sacks in a three year career at Georgia, yeah I would not call him some demon pass rusher.  Sure the run stopping will be improved but Jordan Davis can do that as well.  Maybe Carter will be an upgrade over Hargrave but not sure that will be the case instantly.  Will be interesting how Cox does and how much he has left in the tank.  Milton Williams is very good no question and having Street on the bench is impressive as well.

 

Not having Suh or Joseph should not be a huge deal but they came on late anyway.  Sweat is obviously their best edge rusher but Graham is getting up there in age, but maybe he will never decline but clearly that is not the case and it will happen at some point.  Barnett not sure he has a long term future but having him back will help the depth, outside of those three it is a massive question mark on the edge if one does not include Reddick in that mix.  Robinson would be the only guy and he is super talented and maybe he can take that next step.

 

The Eagles have arguably the best DT group in the NFL in terms of depth no question about it.  But if one is talking only starters Payne and Allen are a better duo and so is Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence etc.   But in terms of edge guys alone, I would not take all the Eagles edge guys over the Bills edge guys and yeah depth has a lot to do with it.  

 

Von Miller
Greg Rousseau
AJ Epenesa
Leonard Floyd
Shaq Lawson
Boogie Basham

 

 

Josh Sweat
Hasson Reddick
Brandon Graham
Derek Barnett
Janarius Robinson

 

The loss of Gannon could matter a ton also, and I seriously doubt they break the NFL sack record again this year but we will see.  There has to be a dip one would think, but who knows maybe Nolan Smith provides even another Reddick type for them and is super productive on the edge.  Will be hard to keep up that level of success they had last year.  Or the Jets compared to the Eagles, Quinnen is better than any DT on the Eagles and the Jets have just as much variety and arguably more variety of edge rushers than the Eagles do as well.  So it is not that cut and dry not by a long shot.  

[EagleBlueDon]

15 hours ago, Ozzy said:

Jalen Carter had six sacks in a three year career at Georgia, yeah I would not call him some demon pass rusher.  Sure the run stopping will be improved but Jordan Davis can do that as well.  Maybe Carter will be an upgrade over Hargrave but not sure that will be the case instantly.  Will be interesting how Cox does and how much he has left in the tank.  Milton Williams is very good no question and having Street on the bench is impressive as well.

 

Not having Suh or Joseph should not be a huge deal but they came on late anyway.  Sweat is obviously their best edge rusher but Graham is getting up there in age, but maybe he will never decline but clearly that is not the case and it will happen at some point.  Barnett not sure he has a long term future but having him back will help the depth, outside of those three it is a massive question mark on the edge if one does not include Reddick in that mix.  Robinson would be the only guy and he is super talented and maybe he can take that next step.

 

The Eagles have arguably the best DT group in the NFL in terms of depth no question about it.  But if one is talking only starters Payne and Allen are a better duo and so is Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence etc.   But in terms of edge guys alone, I would not take all the Eagles edge guys over the Bills edge guys and yeah depth has a lot to do with it.  

 

Von Miller
Greg Rousseau
AJ Epenesa
Leonard Floyd
Shaq Lawson
Boogie Basham

 

 

Josh Sweat
Hasson Reddick
Brandon Graham
Derek Barnett
Janarius Robinson

 

The loss of Gannon could matter a ton also, and I seriously doubt they break the NFL sack record again this year but we will see.  There has to be a dip one would think, but who knows maybe Nolan Smith provides even another Reddick type for them and is super productive on the edge.  Will be hard to keep up that level of success they had last year.  Or the Jets compared to the Eagles, Quinnen is better than any DT on the Eagles and the Jets have just as much variety and arguably more variety of edge rushers than the Eagles do as well.  So it is not that cut and dry not by a long shot.  

I don't think Carter is a demon pass rusher, but I certainly think he affects/will affect the rush far more than the statistics indicate. He was being talked about going 1st overall as a DT before the tragedy. I don't think that would've been the case if he didn't have elite pass rush ability/tools/potential. I think Jordan Davis has nowhere to go but up when compared to last season as a pass rusher. Does any team not have a question mark at EDGE4? I do think you're underselling Nolan Smith and his potential a bit. No argument from me about the DT init rankings. We have some proving to do there.

[Superduperman]

The Lions don't deserve to be mentioned in the top 10 right now, but they have a better rotation now than people realize and could be in the top half of the league if a couple of guys take steps.

LDE: Aidan Hutchinson
RDE: Charles Harris
DT: Alim McNeill
NT: Isaiah Buggs

DE: Romeo Okwara, James Houston, Josh Paschal, John Cominsky

DT: Levi Onwuzurike, Brodric Martin

[MKnight82]

I don't think Buffalo would be in my top 10 much less #1. 

[NYJets4716]

I don't think anyone outside of this is thinking the Bills have the best DL in football. I much rather have my teams DL.  But overall I think you have to put the Eagles and 49ers up there based on production. Probably others better as well. 

[Ozzy]

4 hours ago, EagleBlueDon said:

I don't think Carter is a demon pass rusher, but I certainly think he affects/will affect the rush far more than the statistics indicate. He was being talked about going 1st overall as a DT before the tragedy. I don't think that would've been the case if he didn't have elite pass rush ability/tools/potential. I think Jordan Davis has nowhere to go but up when compared to last season as a pass rusher. Does any team not have a question mark at EDGE4? I do think you're underselling Nolan Smith and his potential a bit. No argument from me about the DT init rankings. We have some proving to do there.

The Bills do not have a question mark with their 4th edge player, the Jets don't, Steelers do not, Cowboys do not and arguably Packers and Panthers do not either.  

As for Nolan Smith, with Reddick there he will barely see the field is my guess, unless they move him to ILB because no one else plays well at the position.  I do question Nolan Smith as a pass rusher, he never had over 5 sacks in his college career in any one season and only had 12 sacks total in four years in 38 games played.  Amazing depth for the team though and what a luxury to have a guy like that waiting and learning.

Maybe Carter will be a monster and a better pro than college player, but we will have to see.  And not sure all the Georgia guys is a good thing, maybe it is but then again maybe guys will get too comfortable with that many players they know on the team.  It will be interesting, and no question they have more young DT talent than any team in the NFL.  But seriously the bar of having the most sacks in NFL history, not sure they hit that once again because teams will copy what they did last year and plan for it better than before.  Just is a hard bar to reach two years in a row but of course they are right there with anyone.

 

1 hour ago, Superduperman said:

The Lions don't deserve to be mentioned in the top 10 right now, but they have a better rotation now than people realize and could be in the top half of the league if a couple of guys take steps.

LDE: Aidan Hutchinson
RDE: Charles Harris
DT: Alim McNeill
NT: Isaiah Buggs

DE: Romeo Okwara, James Houston, Josh Paschal, John Cominsky

DT: Levi Onwuzurike, Brodric Martin

I agree, but they have a ways to go, Charles Harris to me is kind of washed up but maybe he has some left in the tank.  They really need Romeo and Julian Okwara to be very good players and if both of them provide rush on the edge that will help the group a lot.  Also the DT spot is a massive question to me, they need Onwuzurike or McNeill to really step there game up and become an elite player.  Because honestly those DTs in general do not scare anyone.  Paschal has potential and is a massive strong dude so maybe he could develop as well.

I forgot about Houston, he would be on the OLB/edge category but he totally improves the front based on his impressive production last year.  If he can keep that up it will help them a lot.  Hutchinson is the man though and what a piece to build around but they have a ways to go and multiple players have to develop.

 

 

52 minutes ago, MKnight82 said:

I don't think Buffalo would be in my top 10 much less #1. 

At least I gave my reasons and know all the players I am listing.  Seems like a lot of guys do not know players unless they are Pro Bowlers in the league or something.  I am not going to sit and pretend that Rousseau, Epenesa and Poona Ford are not all very talented defensive lineman....  Oh and the soon to be Hall of Famer who had 8 sacks in 11 games before he got hurt last year.

 

 

[Superduperman]

26 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

They really need Romeo and Julian Okwara to be very good players and if both of them provide rush on the edge that will help the group a lot.

Julian Okwara is unlikely to make the team

[Ozzy]

9 minutes ago, Superduperman said:

Julian Okwara is unlikely to make the team

What he get hurt or something, didn't he have 5 sacks a few seasons ago?  I guess if they only keep four DEs because of the issues at DT maybe.  

[EagleBlueDon]

38 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

The Bills do not have a question mark with their 4th edge player, the Jets don't, Steelers do not, Cowboys do not and arguably Packers and Panthers do not either.  

As for Nolan Smith, with Reddick there he will barely see the field is my guess, unless they move him to ILB because no one else plays well at the position.  I do question Nolan Smith as a pass rusher, he never had over 5 sacks in his college career in any one season and only had 12 sacks total in four years in 38 games played.  Amazing depth for the team though and what a luxury to have a guy like that waiting and learning.

Maybe Carter will be a monster and a better pro than college player, but we will have to see.  And not sure all the Georgia guys is a good thing, maybe it is but then again maybe guys will get too comfortable with that many players they know on the team.  It will be interesting, and no question they have more young DT talent than any team in the NFL.  But seriously the bar of having the most sacks in NFL history, not sure they hit that once again because teams will copy what they did last year and plan for it better than before.  Just is a hard bar to reach two years in a row but of course they are right there with anyone.

 

I agree, but they have a ways to go, Charles Harris to me is kind of washed up but maybe he has some left in the tank.  They really need Romeo and Julian Okwara to be very good players and if both of them provide rush on the edge that will help the group a lot.  Also the DT spot is a massive question to me, they need Onwuzurike or McNeill to really step there game up and become an elite player.  Because honestly those DTs in general do not scare anyone.  Paschal has potential and is a massive strong dude so maybe he could develop as well.

I forgot about Houston, he would be on the OLB/edge category but he totally improves the front based on his impressive production last year.  If he can keep that up it will help them a lot.  Hutchinson is the man though and what a piece to build around but they have a ways to go and multiple players have to develop.

 

 

At least I gave my reasons and know all the players I am listing.  Seems like a lot of guys do not know players unless they are Pro Bowlers in the league or something.  I am not going to sit and pretend that Rousseau, Epenesa and Poona Ford are not all very talented defensive lineman....  Oh and the soon to be Hall of Famer who had 8 sacks in 11 games before he got hurt last year.

 

 

I mean one could certainly argue that Derek Barnett isn't a question mark at EDGE4 though. He's a good run defender at the very least. I know I'm biased but there's no way I'm taking that BUF EDGE group over PHI. Upside and depth are both in Phillys favor imo.

[Ozzy]

2 minutes ago, EagleBlueDon said:

I mean one could certainly argue that Derek Barnett isn't a question mark at EDGE4 though. He's a good run defender at the very least. I know I'm biased but there's no way I'm taking that BUF EDGE group over PHI. Upside and depth are both in Phillys favor imo.

 

 

Von Miller   Haason Reddick
Greg Rousseau   Josh Sweat
Leonard Floyd  Brandon Graham
AJ Epenesa  Derek Barnett 
Shaq Lawson  Janarius Robinson
Boogie Basham  Nolan Smith

 

Make it simple, say the top rushers on each team, that is a wash even though one is a sure fire Hall of Famer and the other has been great the last three years, first three was nothing.  Say the 2nd best rushers on each team that is a wash even though Rousseau is three years younger than Sweat but both are very good.  Floyd to me is better than Graham overall in terms of range and difficulty blocking.   Epenesa is better than Barnett now and down the road because he is younger and I would say Lawson is by far more proven than Robinson who has never really done anything in the NFL, super talented and maybe he breaks out but he has literally done nothing in the NFL currently.  Then Basham, sure down the road maybe Nolan Smith gets that nod but Basham has actually produced as a rusher and until Nolan Smith proves he is a edge rusher, I will consider him more of a ILB potentially.  

 

So to me that is pretty clear, the difference is the DTs for the Eagles are better but the Bills could surprise some people and if Oliver takes his game to another level and Ford provides much needed toughness inside, they could be a force and it will make the edge guys even better.  That is why to me the Bills have the Eagles in terms of edge guys and yeah a ton of it has to do with the depth overall.

 

Again 70 sacks will be damn hard to get to again, and clearly Gannon is one hell of a coach in terms of pass rush and defense.  Was just the preseason but the Cardinals got some damn good rushes in that preseason game week one, never looked like that previously.  My guess is Cam Thomas, Myjai Sanders, Dennis Gardeck or BJ Ojulari is going to breakout with a good amount of sacks this year, or more than one of those guys will.  

 

I like Sean Desai though because he is super smart and communicates really well, super young coach, but not sure how great he is at pressure and exotic blitzes.  We will see.  

 

 

[Superduperman]

33 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

What he get hurt or something, didn't he have 5 sacks a few seasons ago?  I guess if they only keep four DEs because of the issues at DT maybe.  

Did you see the 6 DEs I listed? The Lions are expected to keep those