April’s Top 5 Rookie EDGE for Building Your IDP Dynasty

Living on the edge
You can’t help yourself
You can’t help yourself
Living on the edge
You can’t help yourself at all

–Aerosmith, when drafting their IDP fantasy football teams (probably)

We made it! The NFL draft is this week. Before we dig into results after it is all said and done we wanted to get you one more ranking out of our pre-draft top 5 rookie EDGE players. As before, this is a consensus ranking between Brad, Austin, and myself. It is sure to change after the draft, but these are guys to look for on the first two days of the draft.

As a reminder, the EDGE position essentially melds 4-3 defensive ends with 3-4 outside linebackers, to create a new position in fantasy football. This is done due to the similarity of what the positions do, and how they score, compared to other defensive linemen and traditional linebackers. In this article, I will cover any 4-3 defensive ends that were not listed in our “April’s Top 5 Rookie DLs for Building Your IDP Dynasty” article.

Click the links for our full, up-to-date, Dynasty IDP Rookie Rankings (2023) and our Rookie PPR and IDP Combo Rankings (2023) over on the website.

Top 5 Rookie EDGE #1: Will Anderson Jr., Alabama

There isn’t much to say about Will Anderson Jr. that has not been said, but us or others at this point. He is most likely going to be the first defensive player taken in the upcoming NFL Draft and has elite talent and upside. He has ideal size (6’3 1/2″ and 253lbs, with 33 7/8″ arms) and elite explosiveness that come from his solid base and core. He fits best as, and I would be is drafted as, a 3-4 outside linebacker.

If there is anything to nitpick or look to for an area of improvement, he will have to continue to work on his hand placement when getting off of blocks, and make sure he wraps up when tackling, as his missed tackle rate is more than you’d want. Despite that, you are looking at a perennial Pro Bowl player here once he adapts to the NFL.

Top 5 Rookie EDGE #2: Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech

Tyree Wilson is big, even by NFL standards. Coming in at 6’6″ and 271lbs you would think he is easily a defensive end. And he may end up being that (I do think that is his best fit in the NFL), but he moves way quicker and faster than you would think someone his size could. During his three years at Texas Tech he spent most of his time as a stand-up outside linebacker. In his last two years there, both as a starter, he ended with 99 combined tackles (62 solo), 27.5 TFL, 14 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass deflection.

Tyree will need to work on his hand placement and usage to continue his college success at the NFL level. He does not have elite burst or speed, but his size and quickness help make up for that. He diagnoses plays well but will need to work on finishing plays more. He has a good shot to be a Day 1 starter in the NFL, but I would not expect high-end production right away. I do expect him to end up as a valuable starter in his career and a worthy IDP starter.

Top 5 Rookie EDGE #3: Drew Sanders, Arkansas

If you have listened to our Monday night IDP show you know that this is a weird one. Drew Sanders could fit as an EDGE or a linebacker, but he is worthy of being mentioned. A five-star recruit to Alabama in the 2020 class, Drew has two unassuming years there as a back up linebacker and special teams player. He transferred to Arkansas for 2022 and he had a huge breakout year.

He ended the year with 103 tackles (40 solo), 13.5 TFL, 9.5 sacks, 5 pass deflections, 3 forced fumbles, 1 recovered fumble, and 1 interception. He has a great athletic profile, an ideal frame (6’4″ and 235lbs), and positional versatility that the NFL will love. He has quick feet, is explosive off the snap, and has very nice speed.

He is better in coverage than you may expect at his size, although he has room to improve there. This makes sense with his overall lack of playing time in college. Getting on the field for more experience, and ideally more consistency, is going to be huge for him. He also needs to add functional strength and mass to his frame, which has room for. This will allow him to take on the stronger NFL linemen he is going to face. Overall though we are big fans of him and excited to see where he goes.

Top 5 Rookie EDGE #4: Nolan Smith, Georgia

Nolan Smith was the #1 prospect in the 2019 high school recruiting class. When you watch him on the field it is easy to see why. He has a fantastic base, is as strong as an ox, and knows how to use his hands to get past blockers in run defense and pass-rushing. A smart, instinctive player that was a leader at Georgia, he played his true freshman year and ended up spending four years at Georgia. His 2022 season was cut short due to a torn pectoral muscle late in October.

Unfortunately, Nolan is a bit of a tweener between linebacker and EDGE player for the NFL based on his size (6’2″ and 238lbs). He does not have the ideal height and frame and will have to some functional strength and mass to hold up in the NFL. He does some issues in coverage, in part due to lacking ideal speed. Even with all though, Nolan projects as a first-round NFL draftee and is one of the better EDGE players in this draft immediately due to his proficiency in getting tackles in the run game and potential as a pass-rusher. If he stays healthy and adds that strength/mass, he has the potential to be the best EDGE player in this class when all is said and done.

Top 5 Rookie EDGE #5: Derick Hall, Auburn

A four-star prospect in the 2019 draft class, Derick Hall spent four years at Auburn. He broke out his Junior year, and between that and his Senior year he had 112 tackles (74 solo), 24 TFL, 15.5 sacks, 2 force fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 interception. One of the better EDGE players in this class in terms of athletic testing, he has long and active arms. He plays with an intensity and aggression that will fit well in the NFL, and by all reports he is a team leader and a great person to be around.

Derick will need to work on having consistent effort in the run game, and he is suspect in coverage at this point. Like most we have reviewed here, his hand placement is going to need improvement to stay productive in pass-rushing and help shed blockers faster. He is likely a Day 2 pick, and I would expect him to go in the second round at this point.

Thank you for reading April’s Top 5 Rookie EDGE for Building Your IDP Dynasty

You can catch our video content on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe and click the notification bell to ensure that you don’t miss any of our other great content. We have free IDP Rankings over on RotoHeat.com, and you can catch our IDP-Specific podcast on most podcatchers! You can also find me on Twitter.