1. nolan smith • georgia

#3 overall // style comparison: haason reddick

Grade: 9.5

RAS: 9.22

Strenghts: 🐉 🏎️ 🪵 🧰 💣 🧪 🏋️

Smith lacks one thing - size. And he’s not exactly a mite. But when you see how well he wades through traffic, how well he uses his explosiveness, bend and underrated strength to his advantage, even when he’s lined up further inside with his hand in the dirt, the size comparisons become moot to me. He has excellent range, can run and cover, and his speed shows up on tape. Beyond that, he’s an intelligent player who diagnoses quickly and accurately, and will be a game wrecker for a team who deploys him correctly. He didn’t always finish as well as you’d hope when coming downhill or off the edge as a pass rusher, but that isn’t as much of a concern for me because he clearly has the ability to close when you watch how well he eliminates ball-carriers on the edges. There’s just so much versatility to his game, I can’t get past thinking the right defensive coordinator can deploy him exactly like the Cowboys used Micah Parsons. He can be a nightmare from so many different spots.

2. will anderson • alabama

#4 overall // style comparison: khalil mack

Grade: 9.5

RAS: INC

Strengths: 🐂 🏎️ 🪵 🧰 💣 🧪 🏋️

I love Will Anderson. After such an incredibly productive season in 2021, I think people are viewing his lack of stats in ‘22 as a sign of arrested development, but considering the attention paid to him by literally every team he faced, a dip in personal numbers was expected. But Anderson is relentless, strong, has better burst than a 4.6 time seems to indicate to some (his 10 yard split at 1.61 is faster than Von Miller (1.62) and Khalil Mack (1.64)) that he’s limited athletically, but he has a mature array of moves, never stops battling, and is more than anything a true finisher who will either dominate the stat sheet on his own or demand enough attention to free up his teammates.

3. tyree wilson • texas tech

#8 overall // style comparison: chandler jones

Grade: 9

RAS: INC

Strengths: 🐉 🐂 🏎️ 🪵 🧪 🏋️

Length, length, length. He reminds me of Chandler Jones. He was used in a variety of ways this season, and that dipped his production, but you can’t deny his ability to extend, keep clean of blockers, and then drag his target to the ground. He affects the offense, and he’s only going to get better with NFL coaching. His speed doesn’t dissipate upon contact, which allows him to pair two great strengths when he puts it all together. Developmental, but boy the tools are there. He lacks explosion and urgent get-off at times, and you want to see him be more violent with more consistency, but you can tell there’s a passion for the game in the way he chases and fights through the whistle every single play. He’s there yet, but someone will fall in love with the combination of length, strength, and desire.

4. lukas van ness • iowa

#15 overall // style comparison: cam jordan

Grade: 9

RAS: 9.38

Strengths: 🐂 🏎️ 🪵 💣 🏋️

First of all, Iowa starts their most-tenured guys, even if just for one play, so the fact that he “never started” is a moot point. Beyond that, he’s a 6-5 272 pounder who runs like a deer and has magnolia branches for arms. He’s a typical Iowa hard-nosed tough guy, who mixes it up every play and brings the force to the offensive line, while possessing enough base to hang in against the run. He’s got a hell of a bull rush, and can get leverage against blockers quickly. He has the pop you’d expect from a guy so strong, too. Just a natural beast. He does, however, get too caught up in his bull rush and fails to counter effectively at times. You can see on film that he’ll drive an OT backwards for 3 straight seconds while never shedding him and in turn missing out on a sack. He needs refinement, but he’ll anchor and set the edge with ease, and he brings it every play.

5. myles murphy • clemson

#30 overall // style comparison: kwity paye

Grade: 7.5

RAS: INC

Strengths: 🐂 🏎️ 🪵 💣 🏋️

Man, you love the get-off. The initial fire and burst off the snap is there. And for a guy with good length and size, he looks like a smaller, quicker edge rusher at first, in a good way. He’s just not been as consistent as a closer. It’s like he overthinks once he disengages, and for some reason he’s faster when he’s dealing with contact than when he’s free. All of the tools are there, and his profile will get him drafted high, as it should, but someone is going to have to piss him off and teach him how to strike, because right now he’s more disruptor than sack artist. Strong guy, great bull rush, productive against the run, and won’t give up any ground, but if you’re counting on him for 10 sacks, I haven’t seen it yet.

6. will mcdonald • iowa state

#38 overall // style comparison: randy gregory

Grade: 7

RAS: INC

Strengths: 🐉 🏎️ 🧰 💣 🧪

The Gumby of this class. He can bend. It’s like trying to block a damn snake, and not just because McDonald is skinny. Yes, he’s lean, and that shows up at times when he gets overpowered by linemen who get their mitts on him, but have you ever tried to grab a snake? It’s not easy. This guy is just a natural bender who can twist off the edge and stress tackles in a hurry. He played in a weird college system that asked him to be part of a 3 man line, and there’s no way he’s doing that in the NFL at 239lbs, so there’s definitely a lot of imagination involved in his projection, but whether he stands up at the next level or plays wide in a 40 front on passing downs, he produced, notching 34 career sacks. I wouldn’t ask him to set the edge or take on pulling guards, but when you want someone to slither into the backfield off the corner, he’s shown he can get it done.

7. tuli tuipolotu • usc

#39 overall // style comparison: shaq lawson

Grade: 7

RAS: INC

Strengths: 🐂 🪵 💣 🧪 🏋️

Pretty strong, productive guy to be getting so little heat in the pre-draft process, at least from the outside. I think Tuipolotu is the most likely “surprise” first round pick this year, even in a loaded edge class. He brings a strength and ability to set the edge that a lot of the other prospects don’t have in their bags, while still managing production (led the nation in sacks last year). His motor genuinely never stops running, which is good since he was asked to play all across the line at USC, and found paydirt from each spot. He’s considerably slimmer than his listed weight, which likely means a home on the outside of a 40 front, which I believe is his best spot. He may not be the freak athlete some of his counterparts are, but he’s relentless, versatile, and a damn good closer who will get you seven sacks a year without needing to come off the field in obvious running situations either. Good player.

8. keion white • usc

#50 overall // style comparison: jarron gilbert

Grade: 7

RAS: 9.92

Strengths: 🐂 🏎️ 🪵 💣 🏋️

Man all the pieces are there. Really long player who uses a strong base to set the edge, and keeps offensive tackles from getting into this body, instead controlling them and shedding quickly to ensure the corner is closed and there’s no daylight for bouncing outside or cutting through his gap. He pops off the snap, jars blockers, and gains control early in the play, which allows him to diagnose and dictate running lanes, but when he doesn’t gain an advantage immediately, he can get lost rushing the passer and leaves some plays on the field. He’s just like a big kid right now, knows he can toss people around some, but doesn’t know what to do if raw explosiveness doesn’t win. He has some flexibility to move inside on passing downs, and you can be pretty sure he won’t let anyone run through or by him in the ground game, but until he develops a deeper bag of pass rush moves, he won’t be a premier edge player in the sack column.

9. yaya diaby // louisville // grade: 6.5 // #57 overall

10. derick hall // auburn // grade: 6.5 // #62 overall

11. felix anudike-uzomah // kansas state // grade: 6.5 // #63 overall

12. bj ojulari // lsu // grade: 6 // #74 overall

13. isaiah foskey // notre dame // grade: 6 // #95 overall

14. byron young // tennessee // grade: 6

15. jose ramirez // emu // grade: 6

16. zach harrison // ohio state // grade: 6

17. andre carter // army // grade: 6

18. robert beal // georgia // grade: 5

19. caleb murphy // ferriss state // grade: 5

20. mike morris // michigan // grade: 4

21. colby wooden // auburn // grade: 4