2023 IDP Rookie Review: Edge Rushers, Part Two
The 2023 NFL Draft offered a deep pool of talent at the edge position, so I broke up this edge rusher review into two parts. Part one provided a review of my top two tiers:
- The elite, which consisted of Houston’s Will Anderson Jr.; and
- Current and/or future IDP starters. In this tier we have a good glimpse at the quality of depth this class had to offer, with Lukas Van Ness, YaYa Diaby, Byron Young, Tuli Tuipulotu, Tyree Wilson, Will McDonald IV, Nolan Smith and Myles Murphy.
Part two offers a look at those worthy of a roster spot, those worth keeping an eye on, and those not worth our attention from an IDP perspective.
About the Series and Statistics
With a stronger-than-usual interior defensive line class, I kicked off the 2023 version of the IDP rookie review series with the tackles. Still to come in this series are the linebackers and finally safeties. The cornerback class was nice too but corners simply don’t carry dynasty value from year-to-year, so I don’t pay them much mind when looking through a dynasty lens.
Before getting into the rankings and brief reviews, credit goes to Pro Football Reference (PFR) for all statistics except for pressures, which come via Pro Football Focus (PFF). The “backfield disruption score” is quarterback hits plus tackles for loss, divided by snaps and multiplied by 100. (See the 2022 edge review for an explanation. I was referring to it as “plays in the backfield” at that time.)
Tier Three: Worthy of a Roster Spot
There are enough reasons to like each of these edges that I’d deem them worthy of a roster spot in all-but-shallow league formats. In essence I’d like to see how they improve with a full NFL off-season before making a dynasty determination. In ten-team leagues or 12-team leagues that lump defensive linemen together, they’re probably just waiver wire guys worth keeping an eye on.
And there certainly may be one or two edge rushers in this group who should be kicked up a tier. Last year – and I swung too conservative in the 2022 review – I included George Karlaftis and Jermaine Johnson II in tier three. By week one, both were worthy of starting lineups.
10. Felix Anudike-Uzomah, KC
- Drafted: first round, No. 31 overall pick (Kansas State)
- Listed height and weight: 6-4, 255
- Age prior to kickoff of 2024 season: 22
Stats to know:
- played in all 17 games; 218 defensive snaps (20 percent snap share)
- 11 pressures; half-a-sack; seven quarterback hits; two tackles for loss
- Backfield disruption score: 4.13
- eight solo tackles, six assists; one missed tackle (6.7 percent missed tackle rate)
Somewhat of a surprise pick at the tail end of the first round, Anudike-Uzomah hit a real-life landing spot jackpot: Drafted by the Super Bowl champ, he won a ring in his rookie season. Kansas City, just a couple of hours’ drive from Kansas State east on I-70, also seemed like an ideal fantasy landing spot. Though Karlaftis was established on the left, the right side would see Mike Danna hit free agency after the 2023 season. And though Charles Omenihu was added as a free agent, he was suspended for six games in early August for a personal conduct policy violation. Anudike-Uzomah would receive an early opportunity to make a great impression as the third edge rusher.
Unfortunately the rookie wasn’t able to do much with the roughly 20 snaps a game he received over the first five weeks of the season. He then mostly rode the pine until week 18, when he picked up a full complement of snaps with the Chiefs resting their regulars in advance of a playoff run.
With pretty good short-area quickness and a game built on power, “FAU” still seems to me like the best bet of this tier to make the leap to regular starting lineup consideration given talent and opportunity. He had a nice backfield tackle of Christian McCaffrey in the Super Bowl, and we’ll see if he can carry postseason success into year two.
11. BJ Ojulari, ARI
- Drafted: second round, No. 41 overall pick (LSU)
- Listed height and weight: 6-2, 248
- Age prior to kickoff of 2024 season: 22
Stats to know:
- played in all 17 games; 409 defensive snaps (37 percent snap share)
- 20 pressures; four sacks; six quarterback hits; five tackles for loss
- Backfield disruption score: 2.69
- 23 solo tackles, 17 assists; zero missed tackles
Post-draft, I was fairly adamant that no rookie edge was coming into a better situation than Ojulari. And after two standout seasons at LSU, I figured he’d lead the Cardinals edge room in snaps. Instead, Arizona employed a healthy (and relatively effective) rotation with converted off-ball linebacker Zaven Collins, Dennis Gardeck, Ojulari, Victor Dimukeje and Cameron Thomas. Gardeck was clearly the best of the bunch, but Ojulari had his moments, including a four-sack stretch from weeks eight to 11. And in week 10, Ojulari was actually the Edge2 on the week.
Ultimately I’m having a hard time getting past Ojulari’s 4.93 RAS, and seeing him as anything more than a second edge in a large rotation. For fantasy, I think that means he’ll settle in as a spot starter when the matchup looks good.
12. Nick Herbig, PIT
- Drafted: fourth round, No. 132 overall pick (Wisconsin)
- Listed height and weight: 6-2, 240
- Age prior to kickoff of 2024 season: 22 (turns 23 on November 21)
Stats to know:
- played in all 17 games; 191 defensive snaps (17 percent snap share)
- eight pressures; three sacks; three quarterback hits; five tackles for loss
- Backfield disruption score: 4.19
- 19 solo tackles, eight assists; four missed tackles (12.9 percent missed tackle rate)
No edge rusher in this tier has the weekly upside of Herbig. As a prospect, analysts didn’t seem sure of Herbig’s ability to stay at edge due to his size – and for sure, the ability to hold up and set the edge as a run defender sounds like a tough assignment for a 240-pounder with short 31 ¼-inch arms. The NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein and the Athletic’s Dane Brugler both projected Herbig’s path to the NFL at off-ball linebacker. Pittsburgh thought otherwise, and though his snaps were limited, Herbig showed he could man the edge in pass rush situations, with eight pressures on 191 snaps and a backfield disruption score of 4.19.
Size limitations aside – and it’s a real slap in the face if you think Herbig could garner a 75 percent snap share – Herbig is only going to be startable in weeks T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith miss games. While Watt will turn 30 during the 2024 season, he’s a few seasons away from retirement. And Highsmith has four years remaining on the extension he signed last off-season.
13. Keion White, NE
- Drafted: second round, No. 46 overall pick (Georgia Tech via Old Dominion)
- Listed height and weight: 6-5, 290
- Age prior to kickoff of 2024 season: 25
Stats to know:
- played in 16 games; 521 defensive snaps (49 percent snap share)
- 20 pressures; one sack; five quarterback hits; three tackles for loss
- Backfield disruption score: 1.53
- 12 solo tackles, 14 assists; three missed tackles (10.3 percent missed tackle rate)
Quite the opposite from Herbig, White has size in spades. Big enough to provide snaps at tackle, White provided New England with another versatile lineman capable of spelling Deatrich Wise, and succeeding the veteran once his contract ran out after 2024. But despite receiving significant snaps, White was unproductive from a backfield disruption standpoint; His 1.53 score was actually third worst among any edge player with more than 500 snaps. He’s also significantly older than anyone else in this tier.
The good news is I think he’s carved out a role, and you could argue that as a converted tight end, he’s still learning the nuances of piecing together pass rush plans. And that’s fair, and that’s why he should be rostered.
14. Derrick Hall, SEA
- Drafted: second round, No. 37 overall pick (Auburn)
- Listed height and weight: 6-3, 252
- Age prior to kickoff of 2024 season: 23
Stats to know:
- played in all 17 games; 307 defensive snaps (26 percent snap share)
- 11 pressures; zero sacks; five quarterback hits; three tackles for loss
- Backfield disruption score: 2.60
- 18 solo tackles, 20 assists; three missed tackles (7.3 percent missed tackle rate)
Hall has prototypical measurables for a 3-4 base outside linebacker, and was a productive SEC edge rusher at Auburn. He was a fairly big disappointment as a rookie though, and failed to impress enough to earn extra snaps after a torn pec ended Uchenna Nwosu’s season ended post-week six. He’s likely to remain fourth on the edge depth chart in 2024 behind Nwosu, Boye Mafe and restricted free agent Darrell Taylor, and Nwosu and Mafe are seemingly blocking his path to a fantasy-meaningful snap share again in 2025. There’s at least hope and a fresh start with new head coach Mike McDonald.
15. Isaiah Foskey, NO
- Drafted: second round, No. 40 overall pick (Notre Dame)
- Listed height and weight: 6-5, 265
- Age prior to kickoff of 2024 season: 23 (turns 24 on October 30)
Stats to know:
- played in ten games; 83 defensive snaps (13 percent snap share)
- three pressures; zero sacks; zero quarterback hits; zero tackles for loss
- Backfield disruption score: zero
- five solo tackles, four assists; zero missed tackles
Foskey didn’t do diddly poo as a rookie, and that’s a real shame considering he walked into a pretty good situation with Marcus Davenport exiting as a free agent, 34-year-old Cameron Jordan seemingly hitting a wall and 2021 first-rounder Payton Turner looking like a bust. While a quad injury bugged him the second half of the season, Foskey didn’t register a quarterback hit or a tackle in the backfield on his 83 snaps. There’s still hope, of course, and opportunity for a long-term fit opposite Carl Granderson. Foskey needs a good preseason and start to the 2024 regular season in order to justify a fantasy roster spot.
16. Zach Harrison, ATL
- Drafted: third round, No. 75 overall pick (Ohio State)
- Listed height and weight: 6-6, 272
- Age prior to kickoff of 2024 season: 23
Stats to know:
- played in 16 games; 342 defensive snaps (32 percent snap share)
- 13 pressures; three sacks; five quarterback hits; four tackles for loss
- Backfield disruption score: 2.62
- 18 solo tackles, 15 assists; two missed tackles (5.7 percent missed tackle rate)
Harrison showed more as a rookie than White, Hall or Foskey, but he didn’t light the world on fire by any means. With long arms and legs, Harrison has the upper body you look for in an edge prospect. Below the belt, he’s fast but not agile and that will limit his upside as a fantasy asset. I think he can excel as a 4-tech on run downs and fit in as a rotational edge moving forward. Here’s a nice clip of Harrison lining head up over the right tackle, then using those long levers to stack and shed the right guard for the tackle:
1st and 15
Total domination from the iDL
Primary penetration from newcomer Street. He can't make the tackle, but Zach Harrison and Onyemata beat the RG and LG respectively to clean this up
Falcons held the Vikings RBs in check all day pic.twitter.com/q2i4rBtuRA
— FalconsAll22 (@Falcons_All_22) November 8, 2023
17. K.J. Henry, WAS
- Drafted: fifth round, No. 137 overall pick (Clemson)
- Listed height and weight: 6-4, 255
- Age prior to kickoff of 2024 season: 25
Stats to know:
- played in ten games; 282 defensive snaps (41 percent snap share)
- ten pressures; one-and-a-half sacks; two quarterback hits; four tackles for loss
- Backfield disruption score: 2.14
- 14 solo tackles, five assists; one missed tackle (5.0 percent missed tackle rate)
Henry is a pretty fringe listing in tier three, and he’s more or less here due to situation. Washington of course dealt away Montez Sweat and Chase Young prior to the trade deadline, and top snap-getters Casey Toohill and James Smith-Williams are free agents. So for now, Henry is atop the depth chart at the edge position. He of course won’t remain there; how far he falls after free agency and the NFL Draft will determine whether you can cut him loose to make way for a rookie. My guess is after all is said and done, Henry is just a watch list guy after the off-season concludes.
Tier Four: Watch List
If you’re in a 16-team or larger league, or a league with a lot of roster spots and/or oversized taxi squads, you could consider rostering the edges in this tier based on draft capital or brief flashes in their rookie seasons. Otherwise you’re better off using your roster spots on other positions.
18. Isaiah McGuire, CLE
- Drafted: fourth round, No. 126 overall pick (Missouri)
- Listed height and weight: 6-4, 268
- Age prior to kickoff of 2024 season: 23
Stats to know:
- played in four games; 94 defensive snaps (36 percent snap share)
- eight pressures; one sack; two quarterback hits; two tackles for loss
- Backfield disruption score: 4.30
- five solo tackles, one assist; zero missed tackles
McGuire boasted nice traits and production as a prospect, but ended up playing in just four games – understandable given Cleveland’s depth at the position with Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith, Ogbo Okoronkwo and Alex Wright, who improved considerably from year one to year two. McGuire did get a start and extended work in week 18 with the Browns locked into a playoff seed, and responded with five pressures, two tackles in the backfield and two hits on the quarterback, finishing as an EDGE1 on the week.
So while McGuire looks capable of providing fantasy value, he’s likely to at best start the season as the fourth edge. Garrett’s not going anywhere, and Okoronkwo and Wright are both under contract for the next two seasons. Smith is a free agent and I’m guessing will be out of Cleveland’s price range given the franchise’s cap situation. Barring a camp blowup, he’s probably safe to leave on waiver wires for now. In 12- and 14-team leagues, I’m keeping McGuire high on my watch list of available edges, and likely rostering him toward the tail end of next season. He should be rostered in 16-team dynasty leagues.
19. D.J. Johnson, CAR
- Drafted: third round, No. 80 overall pick (Oregon via Miami)
- Listed height and weight: 6-4, 260
- Age prior to kickoff of 2024 season: 25 (turns 26 on October 29)
Stats to know:
- played in 13 games; 231 defensive snaps (29 percent snap share)
- three pressures; zero sacks; zero quarterback hits; one tackle for loss
- Backfield disruption score: 0.43
- six solo tackles, ten assists; three missed tackles (15.8 percent missed tackle rate)
I realize Johnson didn’t get drafted until later in the third round, but he still seemed like a bit of a reach, especially considering Carolina moved a late fourth-round pick to the Steelers in order to move up 13 spots to draft Johnson. (Tyjae Spears, YaYa Diaby, Devon Achane, Ji’Ayir Brown, Kobie Turner and Darnell Washington were among those taken between picks 81 and 93 – sorry, Panthers fans.)
Johnson, a sixth-year senior who bounced between edge and tight end at Oregon, needed some development but had good ability to work with, including speed (4.49 40-yard dash with a 1.51 10-yard split), an ability to convert that speed to power, and an ability to set the edge. So while Johnson has so far been a disappointment, there’s reason to believe the narrative can swing the opposite direction.
And, Carolina’s edge group is thin even if Brian Burns returns on a tag or a new deal. Yetur Gross-Matos and Marquis Haynes are also free agents, leaving Johnson and third-year pro Amare Barno as the returnees at the moment. Still, Johnson is eight months younger than Gross-Matos, and six months younger than Burns, who just completed his fifth season as a pro. With all older prospects, you have to wonder whether the developmental curve is closer to a flat line.
20. Desjuan Johnson, LAR
- Drafted: seventh round, No. 259 overall pick (Toledo)
- Listed height and weight: 6-3, 252
- Age prior to kickoff of 2024 season: 25
Stats to know:
- played in 11 games; 102 defensive snaps (14 percent snap share)
- five pressures; two sacks; two quarterback hits; two tackles for loss
- Backfield disruption score: 3.92
- five solo tackles, four assists; one missed tackle (10.0 percent missed tackle rate)
Everyone loves a good underdog story, and in NFL Draft terms, underdogs come in the form of Mr. Irrelevant. Johnson, the final pick of the 2023 draft, was labeled as an undersized three-tech with short, sub-32-inch arms. Adept at generating power and push, splitting double teams and shooting through gaps, Johnson was drafted by the Rams, and that should always pique the interest of fantasy players. Instead of working with him as a tackle, L.A. apparently asked him to lose weight, as his NFL listed weight is 33 pounds lighter than the 285 pounds he carried as a prospect.
While Johnson saw a little more than half of his work at three-tech, he played 41 snaps over the tackle, and ten snaps at edge – i.e., he’s essentially a 3-4 defensive end. Assuming he maintains this lighter weight though, he’s seemingly transitioning to more outside work, which is why I’m running with him for the purposes of this series. There’s no need to roster Johnson right now, but I’d be keeping an eye on his usage as the 2024 season begins.
21. Tavius Robinson, BAL
- Drafted: fourth round, No. 124 overall pick (Ole Miss)
- Listed height and weight: 6-6, 258
- Age prior to kickoff of 2024 season: 25
Stats to know:
- played in all 17 games; 335 defensive snaps (29 percent snap share)
- nine pressures; one sack; one quarterback hit; two tackles for loss
- Backfield disruption score: 0.90
- 13 solo tackles, 13 assists; two missed tackles (7.1 percent missed tackle rate)
Robinson didn’t boast much in the way of backfield production in year one, but he’s still an intriguing prospect with nice length and quickness. Once out of his stance he gets too tall though, leading him to get out-leveraged and neutralized by blockers. If you’re interested in reasons to be optimistic, here are a couple of clips of Robinson. In the first, he rushes the left guard and uses a quick move inside to get quick pressure on Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Tavius Robinson and the Ravens take on Laremy Tunsil and the Texans at 3:30 pic.twitter.com/lLvz59vhYN
— We Run the Sip (@OMRebelNation) January 20, 2024
And in this clip, Robinson does a nice job reacting to the upfield cut on the jet sweep.
Fourth-round rookie OLB Tavius Robinson and Geno Stone shut down the Dolphins' tricky counter jet sweep toss to Tyreek Hill.
The Ravens have crazy depth. pic.twitter.com/qpT0LDuzPG
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) January 2, 2024
22. Dylan Horton, HOU
- Drafted: fourth round, No. 109 overall pick (TCU via New Mexico)
- Listed height and weight: 6-4, 275
- Age prior to kickoff of 2024 season: 24
Stats to know:
- played in ten games; 175 defensive snaps (26 percent snap share)
- five pressures; zero sacks; two quarterback hits; one tackle for loss
- Backfield disruption score: 1.71
- eight solo tackles, five assists; one missed tackle (7.1 percent missed tackle rate)
The less heralded of Houston’s rookie edge rushers, Horton held a decent rotational role through ten games. But after week 11, Horton released a statement that was “currently dealing with a personal health matter that will keep me away from the team for an indefinite period of time.” At this point Horton is worth keeping tabs on in hopes that he recovers and returns to football. Strong but not necessarily fast, Horton had the look of a good run defender with upside to develop into a well-rounded rotational edge.
23. Robert Beal Jr., SF
- Drafted: fifth round, No. 173 overall pick (Georgia)
- Listed height and weight: 6-4, 250
- Age prior to kickoff of 2024 season: 25
Stats to know:
- played in four games; 39 defensive snaps (15 percent snap share)
- three pressures; one sack; one quarterback hit; one tackle for loss
- Backfield disruption score: 5.13
- two solo tackles, three assists; zero missed tackles
With just 39 regular season defensive snaps, there’s not a lot to go on with Beal. At least in week 18 though, Beal got an extended look (24 snaps) and the results were somewhat encouraging. With a strong off-season, Beal could actually find some additional opportunity as a sophomore. Chase Young, Randy Gregory and Clelin Ferrell are all scheduled to be free agents, leaving the 49ers with Nick Bosa, Drake Jackson and Beal on the edge. That will obviously change, and San Francisco’s not going into 2024 with a combination of Jackson and Beal opposite Bosa. But if the Niners go cheap and bring in a veteran or two who underperform, we could see some back-half-of-the-year opportunity for Beal. So that’s why he’s on my watch list.
24. Andre Carter II, MIN: Vikings fans seem pretty excited about Carter, likely based on a week three outing during which PFF credited him with three pressures on 13 defensive snaps. And I saw him in the preseason flash a nice inside spin to flush the Seahawks’ Drew Lock out of the pocket. Ultimately Carter has a long way to go to add NFL-quality strength, and his explosion and speed testing revealed him to be pedestrian at both measures.
Tier Five: Not Worth Watching
There’s nothing to see here for fantasy but given draft capital and/or usage I wanted to mention these edge rushers.
25. Nick Hampton, LAR: Hampton barely got any run (67 snaps), and outside of knocking down a pass in week 15, didn’t show much of anything as a pass rusher. Maybe it’s not fair to not include him on the watch list, but the chances of Hampton developing into a fantasy contributor seem remote.
26 and 27. Jalen Harris and Andre Jones Jr., WAS: The Commanders were really scraping the bottom of the barrel over the final couple of months of the season. Harris, a post-draft free agent signing by the Bears, played 87 snaps over five weeks down the stretch, but managed just one quarterback hit. Jones, a seventh-round pick, saw more action with 171 snaps. While PFF credited him with six pressures, he didn’t register a single quarterback hit or tackle for loss. These aren’t the rookie edges you’re looking for.
- Dynasty Rookie IDPs in the NFL Draft: Day Two Review - April 27, 2024
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