Packers Draft: 11 Edge Rushers on NFL.com Top-50 Big Board

It may not be garnering a ton of attention in the early stages of the pre-draft process, but once again, edge rusher is a major need for the Green Bay Packers in 2023.

They are in good hands with Rashan Gary, who will receive an extension at some point this offseason after developing into one of the game’s top edge rushers. But after him, there are several question marks, both in the short and long term.

Outside of the receiver position last offseason, edge rusher was arguably the next biggest need, and we needed up seeing why as the season unfolded. Overall, this was a Packers pass rush in 2022 that struggled to get after the quarterback with any consistency, especially once Gary suffered his season-ending injury.

Even towards the end of the season, when the pass rush was a bit more steady, a number of those pressures were more so attributed to the coverage on the back end rather than the edge rushers getting home quickly. When it was all said and done, Green Bay ranked 21st in total pressures generated last season–not to mention that as a group, the Packers’ edge rushers weren’t very good against the run either, oftentimes losing contain.

Now as we look ahead to 2023 and beyond, this position group is in question once again. For starters, we don’t know when Gary will be back on the field. Preston Smith will likely be back, but 2023 could very well be his last season with the Packers, with Green Bay able to clear over $7 million in cap space next offseason.

Kingsley Enagbare had some flashes and will hopefully help elevate this group in 2023 just by making that Year 2 jump that many successful NFL players make. But with that said, at least at this point in his career, he is better suited as a rotational player rather than having to consistently play 70-plus percent of the defensive snaps.

Once we get beyond Gary, Smith, and Enagbare on the depth chart, it’s a bunch of question marks. Jonathan Garvin was a healthy scratch on several occasions towards the end of the season, while La’Darius Hamilton has primarily been a practice squad player.

Edge rusher is one of the more heavily rotated positions in football, with the Packers consistently using a four-man rotation in 2022 prior to Gary’s injury. However, with Gary potentially sidelined through the early portion of the upcoming season, the Packers have only two players they can lean on in Smith and Enagbare, with those two ranking 60th and 80th in PFF’s pass rush productivity metric last year.

Edge rusher, and in general, getting after the quarterback, is one of the most important positions in football and should absolutely be a need targeted early on in the 2023 draft by the Packers. The good news is that there will be several options for them in the first two rounds.

Recently, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com put together his top 50 big board for the upcoming NFL draft, and 11 of them — or over 20% — were edge rushers. Here is a quick look at each of those players.

2. Will Anderson, Alabama: Anderson is considered by many the top player in this draft. Although it’s often not wise to declare that a player won’t be on the board when the Packers are picking, Anderson won’t be on the board when the Packers are picking.

7. Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech: At 6’6″ – 275, Wilson has the typical big body that the Packers like at edge rusher. He finished the 2022 season with a career-high 50 pressures, the 12th most among edge rushers in college football, and ranked eighth in PFF’s run-stop rate metric.

8. Keion White, Georgia Tech: As Daniel Jeremiah wrote, White has a “defensive tackle frame,” weighing in at 286 pounds while measuring 6’5.” White didn’t, however, take many snaps where he lined up inside. He finished this past season with 41 pressures.

18. Myles Murphy, Clemson: Jeremiah notes that Murphy is stout against the run and can be a three-down player right away. Murphy totaled 30 pressures and six sacks in 2022.

19. Nolan Smith, Georgia: At 6’3″ – 235, Smith would add a different body type to the Packers’ edge rusher room, and bringing more speed to the position as a change of pace may not be a bad idea. Although he is lighter than the other edge rushers listed, Smith was good against the run as well. Jeremiah mocked Smith to the Packers in his latest mock draft.

22. Lukas Van Ness, Iowa: Van Ness would provide versatility to the edge rusher position, with roughly half of his snaps coming as a B-gap defender. He recorded 43 pressures and eight sacks this past season.

24. Derick Hall, Auburn: Hall measures in at 6’3″ – 256 and spent just about every snap in 2022 lined up as a traditional edge rusher. Jeremiah wrote that Hall can win as a pass rusher but needs to be more consistent with his hands against the run.

29. Will McDonald IV, Iowa State: McDonald lined up as a defensive end in Iowa State’s 3-4 defense, noted Jeremiah, and at 236 pounds, this wasn’t necessarily the best use of his skill set, which may have contributed to his lack of gaudy pass rush numbers. Jeremiah added that he was more disruptive when lined up as a traditional edge rusher.

38. Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State: Anudike-Uzomah has back-to-back 40-plus pressure seasons with the Wildcats. Jeremiah writes that he has average size and speed but utilized a variety of pass-rush moves.

39. BJ Ojulari, LSU: At 6’3″ – 250 pounds, Ojulari brings more speed and athleticism than power to the position. He tallied 95 pressures over the last two seasons combined with 16 total sacks.

47. Tuli Tulpolotu, USC: A large edge rusher, Tulplotu weighs in at 291 pounds, according to PFF. With that size, he does have experience lining up at both the A and B-gaps. This past season was a breakout year for him, as he recorded 49 pressures and 12 sacks.

Within the first three rounds of this year’s draft, the Packers currently hold the 15th overall pick in Round 1, the 45th overall pick, which comes in Round 2, and pick 78 in the third round. Other positions of need include tight end, safety, wide receiver, and interior defensive lineman.