Mykel Williams, Georgia
Listed height/weight: 6-foot-5, 265 pounds
2024 stats: 12 games, 21 tackles (nine for a loss), 5.0 sacks, 26 pressures
The first word that comes to mind when watching Williams play is violent. He lines up all across the front for Georgia and uses his length and clubbing blows from his heavily taped hands to jar blockers back or to the side, creating the space needed to penetrate the pocket. He’s the type of defensive talent that will leave both your body and ego bruised.
Williams doesn’t turn 21 until June, so there’s likely plenty of room for development. Additionally, he saw fewer reps than everyone else on this list because he was limited by an ankle injury the first six weeks of the season. There is a rawness to his rush plan. If a coaching staff can harness his potential, he has the ability to turn into a well-rounded edge with double-digit sack potential.
If there aren’t any off-field or unknown medical concerns, based on his ceiling, I could easily see Williams coming off the board in the top half of the first round.
Day 2 options
Jordan Burch, Oregon
Listed height/weight: 6-foot-6, 295 pounds
2024 stats: 10 games, 31 tackles (11 for a loss), 8.5 sacks, 32 QB pressures
Burch possesses an impressive burst for his size but doesn’t lean on his power as much as you might expect with his frame. He demonstrates good lateral agility, allowing him to attack offensive tackles in a variety of ways, which he complements with active hands throughout his rush reps.
He had modest sack production throughout his first four seasons, including three at South Carolina, but turned a corner as a fifth-year senior with the Ducks. The size, skill set and array of pass-rush moves he demonstrates on his 2024 tape suggest there’s promising potential for the production to port to the next level.
The run defense is less consistent, and despite his listed weight, Burch can get overwhelmed at the point of attack, particularly with some of his interior reps. His pursuit from the backside is tepid. When the play is going away from him, he’s rarely chasing at full speed.
Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College
Listed height/weight: 6-foot-2, 248 pounds (Senior Bowl)
2024 stats: 12 games, 80 tackles (21 for a loss), 16.5 sacks 60 QB pressures
Ezeiruaku has a tremendous burst at the snap and uses a stutter step and a ghost move to bend around the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle or slice inside, effectively marrying his hand usage to his lower body to beat blocks. Beyond the ability to win one-on-one, he could be an asset to a defensive front that likes to utilize stunts.
Ezeiruaku doesn’t have the mass or length to regularly utilize power rushes, even transitioning from speed. As a run defender, if he tries to take on blocks, he can be easily displaced.
Where Ezeiruaku thrives in the run game, unlike any other prospect on this list, is block avoidance. He has an impressive sense for timing a punch and moving laterally to avoid it, swimming past the blocker to disrupt plays in the backfield. He also shows good awareness and positioning when defending the zone-reads and play-action boots, possessing the speed to stretch a quarterback keeper wide and limit the damage.
Ashton Gillotte
Listed height/weight: 6-foot-3, 276 pounds
2024 stats: 12 games, 43 tackles (10 for a loss), 4.5 sacks, 57 pressures
Gillotte plays with controlled chaos. He pairs a decent first step and solid power with relentlessly active hands. He makes it challenging for blockers to stalemate his push into the pocket.
He plays hard against the run, setting firm edges and smoothly surfing when defending the read option. When he has a shot at the ball carrier, he consistently wraps them up and gets them to the ground.
Gillotte’s impact as a pass rusher is accentuated by his ability to disrupt from inside lanes. That shows up both with his usage stunts and rushing over the guard, where his quickness gave ACC linemen fits.
Jared Ivey, Ole Miss
Listed height/weight: 6-foot-6, 283 pounds (Senior Bowl)
2024 stats: 12 games, 42 tackles (11 for a loss), 7.0 sacks, 40 QB pressures
In terms of what we think of as fits for Detroit’s style of play — assuming new coordinator Kelvin Sheppard doesn’t unexpectedly initiate a schematic overhaul — Ivey’s tape stands out. He’s outstanding against the run, taking on blocks with heavy hands, holding his ground and shedding to fill the lane and make stops.
As a pass rusher, he’s heavily reliant on speed to power from the edges. However, unlike most of the edge prospects in this class, he was featured more on inside alignments. His first-step quickness gave guards fits, and his ability to slide inside in second- and third-and-long situations can be a valuable trait.
Ivey has a strong fundamental base and an NFL-ready frame, which should allow him to contribute quickly.
Landon Jackson, Arkansas
Listed height/weight: 6-foot-6, 271 pounds (Senior Bowl)
2024 stats: 12 games, 49 tackles (10 for a loss), 6.5 sacks, 35 QB pressures
Arkansas plays a different defensive scheme than most major college programs. The 3-3-5 and 3-2-6 looks often had Jackson on the edge, primarily over left tackle, from the 4i (tackle’s inside shoulder) to the 5-technique (tackle’s outside shoulder).
Jackson is physical at the point of attack, allowing him to play the run well. He’s stout against double teams, conceding minimal ground, and can effectively shed and stop in one-on-one situations.
His pass-rush repertoire is limited because of his below-average flexibility. When he attempts to bend an edge, he’s often driven past the pocket and/or knocked down. He’s better when leaning into his power, although he does have some wiggle and lateral agility, which he uses to cross the tackle’s face to take an inside lane to the QB.
The skill set feels best suited to be a 3-4 end in the NFL.
Kyle Kennard, South Carolina
Listed height/weight: 6-foot-5, 254 pounds
2024 stats: 12 games, 28 tackles (16 for a loss), 11.5 sacks, 39 QB pressures
After four seasons at Georgia Tech, Kennard wrapped his college career with South Carolina, nearly doubling his best single-season sack production. He has a good first step and arguably better second gear, yet he has a surprising lack of bend, which limits his pass-rush ceiling. He gives offensive tackles trouble by beating them to their spot, both inside or out, via that acceleration.
Kennard offers visible length but is inconsistent using it. When he gets his hand into the chest of a blocker with a long arm, he has the lower-body strength to drive them back into the pocket.
As a run defender, he can be disruptive when matched up against a tight end but often gets overwhelmed by an offensive lineman. Kennard uses his length to set an edge. However, he isn’t able to consistently disengage to make stops.
Josaiah Stewart, Michigan
Listed height/weight: 6-foot-1, 248 pounds (Senior Bowl)
2024 stats: 11 games, 33 tackles (13 for a loss), 8.5 sacks, 37 QB pressures
When you first see Stewart step to the line, he doesn't look like the other edge rushers projected to come off the board during the draft's first two days. On the shorter side, he's stocky, almost like a bulky off-ball linebacker. Regardless, it doesn't take long to realize why he works up front.
Stewart has a wicked first step and pit bull-like tenacity. His natural leverage, paired with his burst, allows him to blow by an offensive tackle who isn't fast enough out of his stance. Despite being at a consistent reach disadvantage against the blockers he faces, Stewart isn't afraid to convert his speed into power, barrelling into the chest of the lineman to collapse the pocket.
Against the run, Stewart's acceleration allows him to affect plays from the backside when he's left unblocked. When he does have to contend with a blocker, he uses violent hands to neutralize the blocker's reach to the best of his ability.
Teams will almost certainly be drawn to the combination of burst, competitiveness and relentless motor, even if they don't see him as a three-down edge.
Bradyn Swinson, LSU
Listed height/weight: 6-foot-4, 250 pounds
2024 stats: 13 games, 58 tackles (13 for a loss), 8.5 sacks, 60 QB pressures
Primarily rushing from wider alignments, Swinson mixes speed-to-power rushes with his ability to bend the edge, often marrying the two concepts to create separation with a bull rush to slip around the tackle’s outside shoulder. He offers an impressive ability to close ground once he gets a corner, routinely causing havoc in the pocket.
Swinson’s athleticism also plays a role in coverage. He can quickly drop into a middle-field zone or the flat and shows good positional awareness to disrupt route concepts.
Given his size, it’s not surprising that he’s an average run defender. His lateral agility does aid his effectiveness against zone concepts going in his direction, and his speed gives him opportunities to disrupt from the backside on designs going away from him.
In Detroit, he could be a strong fit for the SAM linebacker role, especially if the team doesn’t re-sign Derrick Barnes.
