Which EDGEs were drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft? Who were the teams that drafted those EDGEs, and how does the 2023 class compare to previous years?
Which EDGEs Were Drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft?
Will Anderson Jr., Alabama | Houston Texans
Round 1, Pick 3
The Houston Texans took quarterback C.J. Stroud second overall and then came back and traded for the third overall pick to take EDGE Will Anderson Jr. Anderson’s grade lands him in the blue-chip range — exalted company in any class.
On PFN Draft Analyst Ian Cummings’ board, he’s the top overall prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft when accounting for positional value. Because of the need for QBs at the top of the board, he didn’t go first overall, but he was the favorite — and becomes — the first non-QB taken in April, and for good reason.
Click here to view the full Will Anderson Jr. Scouting Report.
Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech | Las Vegas Raiders
Round 1, Pick 7
Tyree Wilson has the tools to buoy a blue-chip ceiling, and his grade reflects that. In the 2023 NFL Draft, he’s a borderline top-ten prospect on Cummings’ board who’s deserving of early first-round capital. He’s not EDGE1 — that honor goes to Anderson. But Wilson is in the tier just beyond, and he’s a worthy investment with his high-upside profile.
Wilson is still far from a finished product. At his size, he can still be more consistent with his leverage acquisition and management, and his hand usage also remains a work in progress. That said, Wilson is trending up in both areas, and as long as he can keep driving his power effectively and keep employing hand combinations with greater speed and consistency, he has game-wrecking potential.
Click here to view the full Tyree Wilson Scouting Report.
Lukas Van Ness, Iowa | Green Bay Packers
Round 1, Pick 13
Van Ness grades as a surefire Round 1 prospect with high-end versatility and raw talent. Top 10 wasn’t out of the question for him, especially after his athletic testing. Ultimately, he lands 13th.
More importantly, he comes off the board before Myles Murphy, a player many had compared Van Ness to. They’re different prospects, but Murphy and Van Ness do have some intriguing similarities as rushers with equally appealing power profiles.
Both have elite size and power to go along with high-energy athleticism and violent play styles. Murphy is better at sustaining power rushes right now and has better hand usage. But with both prospects, you’re drawing from a well of quantifiably elite tools.
Click here to view the full Lukas Van Ness Scouting Report.
Will McDonald IV, Iowa State | New York Jets
Round 1, Pick 15
McDonald’s athletic testing and Senior Bowl performance undoubtedly helped him, but there’s still the matter of projection when it comes to McDonald’s full evaluation.
On tape, McDonald has an abundance of extremely desirable athletic and physical qualities. He has elite proportional length for his frame, to go along with high-level explosiveness, agility, twitch, and flexibility. He has a great motor as well and flashes nuance with his pass-rush plan.
That said, strength is a big drawback for McDonald. On film, he’s easily moved in run defense with his lighter base, and he doesn’t show the hand strength to consistently deconstruct blocks. A role change in the NFL should help, however. He was misused by Iowa State at 4i and 5-tech and projects much better as a stand-up EDGE outside the tackle.
Click here to view the full Will McDonald Scouting Report.
Myles Murphy, Clemson | Cincinnati Bengals
Round 1, Pick 28
On Cummings’ board, Murphy grades as a top-10 prospect, one of the best EDGE prospects in the class, and a potential blue-chip addition to an NFL defense, with some added development.
Murphy isn’t quite in the blue-chip tier as a prospect, but he’s in the next level down. At his size, with his length and frame density, he brings impressive power capacity, and he knows how to apply it with proper leverage and energy loading. And with that size, Murphy is an incredible athlete, who brings near-elite explosiveness, linear movement speed, and violence with his hands.
Murphy’s ceiling is incredibly high, but a lack of elite change-of-direction and hip flexibility slightly lowers his ultimate cap. Additionally, while he has an excellent arsenal of power moves, he can still more consistently stack counters on top of power exertions. Particularly without elite hip flexibility, his margin for error will be smaller as a hand fighter in the NFL.
Click here to view the full Myles Murphy Scouting Report.
Nolan Smith, Georgia | Philadelphia Eagles
Round 1, Pick 30
If you have a vision for Smith’s role and development at the next level, the tools are almost second to none. In the right scheme and role, he could be a true defensive catalyst with more time to grow.
There is a bit of a disconnect between Smith’s buzz as a prospect and his on-field production. His brand of athleticism would normally bill him as a special pass-rushing threat because he has hyper-elite burst and bend capacity. But right now, he’s still relatively underdeveloped as a hand fighter. He can be more consistent and efficient employing his athleticism, and his speed to power, while solid, is hindered at times by his lack of elite mass and length.
Click here to view the full Nolan Smith Scouting Report.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State | Kansas City Chiefs
Round 1, Pick 31
Anudike-Uzomah’s combination of motor, explosiveness, lateral agility, a bevy of pass-rush moves, and, most importantly, the wherewithal to use them effectively, should earn him the opportunity to see the field as a situational pass rusher early in his career.
With his frame and skill set, Anudike-Uzomah is best suited to a role as a 3-4 OLB at the NFL level. Use from a wider alignment will allow him to maximize his explosiveness and ability to fly around the edge while mitigating some of the areas of concern on his scouting report.
Click here to view the full Felix Anudike-Uzomah Scouting Report.
Derick Hall, Auburn | Seattle Seahawks
Round 2, Pick 37
Hall received a top-32 grade on Cummings’ board. Hall’s profile is unique because he has a mix of both high-floor and high-upside traits. He doesn’t quite have elite bend capacity, but he’s an explosive, powerful EDGE with a rare mix of natural leverage and proportional length. He also has the hand strength and motor to be a constant threat.
Click here to view the full Derick Hall Scouting Report.
Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame | New Orleans Saints
Round 2, Pick 40
At his maximum, Foskey has legitimate blue-chip upside. Foskey’s size at 6’5″, 264 pounds, with 34″ arms, is incredibly unique. With that size, he’s an elite athlete with torrid explosiveness and amped-up energy off the snap. His mix of burst and length grants him elite maximum power capacity, and he’s shown to utilize all of his tools with his deep pass-rush arsenal.
Foskey will need to keep minimizing the drift of his pad level after contact and keep honing his precision as a pass rusher. Consistency is the name of the game for Foskey, who can use all the moves, but sometimes leaves opportunities on the table. Additionally, with his high-cut frame, he doesn’t always effectively align his base on power exertions, nor does he have elite bend capacity.
Click here to view the full Isaiah Foskey Scouting Report.
BJ Ojulari, LSU | Arizona Cardinals
Round 2, Pick 41
There’s a lot to like about Ojulari. His upside is tantalizing, stemming from his impressive athletic and long build. Rushing the passer with speed is his specialty. But unless he wants to get taken out of NFL games on early downs where runs are more prominent, he needs to bulk up.
Currently, Ojulari is all finesse around the arc. You can succeed at the next level in that role, but without an enhanced power element, the LSU EDGE won’t hear his name called until after the first round.
Ojulari is best as a two-point stance OLB or wide-nine DE, offering him space to operate. He doesn’t offer much versatility beyond that due to his limited play strength.
Click here to view the full BJ Ojulari Scouting Report.
There are other factors to take into account with White. He’s an older rookie who’ll turn 25 years old next January and has an injury history to note. But if teams are willing to take the risk, White has truly rare tools in his arsenal. It’s why he could end up being a surprise first-round pick.
At 6’5 “, 286 pounds, White is a unicorn with convention-crashing size and length to go along with near-elite explosiveness, agility, and dominating power capacity and strength. His ability to violently unleash into contact makes him a nightmare off the snap, and his power-rushing arsenal can overwhelm tackles.
Keion White, Georgia Tech | New England Patriots
Round 2, Pick 46
There are other factors to take into account with White. He’s an older rookie who’ll turn 25 years old next January and has an injury history to note. But if teams are willing to take the risk, White has truly rare tools in his arsenal. It’s why he could end up being a surprise first-round pick.
At 6’5 “, 286 pounds, White is a unicorn with convention-crashing size and length to go along with near-elite explosiveness, agility, and dominating power capacity and strength. His ability to violently unleash into contact makes him a nightmare off the snap, and his power-rushing arsenal can overwhelm tackles.
Click here to view the full Keion White Scouting Report.
Tuli Tuipulotu, USC | Los Angeles Chargers
Round 2, Pick 54
It’s important to note what some of Tuipulotu’s mild limitations are. His torso stiffness can be an issue at times, and while he has exceptional size, strength, power, and burst, he’s arguably short of the quantifiably elite mark in all of those areas. He also has room to further maximize his hand usage, as well as more consistently manage his leverage.
Even so, that same mix of exceptional traits boosts Tuipulotu’s appeal — especially for teams that value versatility on the line and employ hybrid fronts. He’s a player you can move around based on matchups and situational factors, and he’s impressively natural off the edge for his size.
Click here to view the full Tuli Tuipulotu Scouting Report.
Rounds 3-7
14) Zach Harrison, Ohio State
Round 3, Pick 75 | Falcons
15) Byron Young, Tennessee
Round 3, Pick 77 | Rams
16) DJ Johnson, Oregon
Round 3, Pick 80 | Panthers
17) YaYa Diaby, Louisville
Round 3, Pick 82 | Buccaneers
18) Dylan Horton, TCU
Round 4, Pick 109 | Texans
19) Colby Wooden, Auburn
Round 4, Pick 116 | Packers
20) Tavius Robinson, Ole Miss
Round 4, Pick 124 | Ravens
21) Isaiah McGuire, Missouri
Round 4, Pick 126 | Browns
22) Viliami Fehoko, San Jose State
Round 4, Pick 129 | Cowboys
23) Tyler Lacy, Oklahoma State
Round 4, Pick 130 | Jaguars
24) Nick Herbig, Wisonsin
Round 4, Pick 132 | Steelers
25) Yasir Abdullah, Louisville
Round 5, Pick 136 | Jaguars
26) K.J. Henry, Clemson
Round 5, Pick 137 | Commanders
27) Mike Morris, Michigan
Round 5, Pick 151 | Seahawks
28) Nick Hampton, Appalachian State
Round 5, Pick 161 | Rams
29) Robert Beal Jr., Georgia
Round 5, Pick 173 | 49ers
30) Ochaun Mathis, Nebraska
Round 6, Pick 189 | Rams
31) Jose Ramirez, Eastern Michigan
Round 6, 196 | Buccaneers
32) Derek Parish, Houston
Round 7, Pick 240 | Jaguars
33) Desjuan Johnson, Toledo
Round 7, Pick 259
