February’s Top 5 Rookie EDGE Players for Building Your IDP Dynasty

Building your IDP rosters with the best young talent the league has to offer won’t cost you the draft capital it would for the offensive side of the ball. The key is knowing where to start! The 2023 IDP draft class is rich with talent and there’s no better group of talent than the Edge position. Today, we are taking a deep dive into our Top 5 IDP prospects at the edge position. Now, let’s go win a fantasy football championship!

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.

Will Anderson 2 Top 5 Rookie Edge
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Top 5 Rookie EDGE #1: Will Anderson Jr, Linebacker, Alabama

During his time at Alabama, Anderson Jr. was a dominant force that produced 34.5 sacks, 58.5 tackles for loss, and 204 total tackles through 41 games. Statistically speaking, there’s not been a single Edge rusher currently in the NFL that has produced better numbers. The best all-around player in this class, Will Anderson Jr. has the physical tools and skills to be an instant impact player for your fantasy rosters. His versatility will allow him to effectively line up in the traditional DE position, or as a standing edge rusher (OLB). Anderson could be used all over the formation to create mass disruption.

Anderson Jr. is a tenacious edge rusher that can win using a combination of elite speed and strength. One of the qualities that separates him from the rest of the pack is his polish, discipline, and understanding of the game. On tape, he consistently shows to be a player who reads and reacts quickly, takes great angles, pursues relentlessly to the ball, uses his length to see the play, and uses his power to create disruption. By all accounts, he is stacking up to be a truly generational talent.

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Fantasy managers should be targeting Will Anderson as the top EDGE rusher in this class and should consider him an immediate impact player, regardless of the team he’s drafted to. Defensive ROY should be a legitimate expectation if he’s able to carry his college production into the pros. 

Myles Murphy Top 5 Rookie Edge
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Top 5 Rookie EDGE #2: Myles Murphy, Defensive End, Clemson

Myles Murphy looks to possess the kind of size that you love to see at the NFL level. He brings superb speed with that size and should be a locked-in top 2 IDP prospect. Murphy’s speed is very clearly one of his best attributes. His combination of balance and size is a rare combination that should translate well to the NFL. 

Murphy is more of a traditional hand-in-the-dirt edge rusher and should line up predominantly at DE. Most of his production will come by way of sacks, TFL, and turnovers. He’s not going to rack up tackles the same way a player like Will Anderson might, but he very well could be impactful enough as a pure pass rusher to keep the gap close; especially if he is drafted to a defense that allows him to focus on what he does best, as a priority. 

During his time at Clemson, Murphy recorded 18 sacks, 36 TFL, and 116 total tackles through 35 games. These are respectable numbers and are more on par with what we see from many of the league’s top pass rushers. He should be a lock for an immediate role and should be one of the brightest spots on just about any defense that he joins. 

Top 5 Rookie EDGE #3: Tyree Wilson, Linebacker, Texas Tech

Tyree Wilson appears to be the closest challenger for cracking the top 2 edge rushers, and one could make a case for him being ahead of Myles Murphy based on what he was able to do in his final season at Texas Tech. 

Despite only playing in 10 games, Wilson was able to generate 61 total tackles, 7 sacks, and 14 TFL. At 6’ 6”, Wilson plays with tremendous speed, although his best attribute is his length and wingspan. Wilson is a versatile edge rusher who will likely line up as a more traditional DE, stand-up edge rusher where he uses his length and speed to try to generate pressure. 

Wilson may have the opportunity to fill up the stat sheet with tackles, but I wouldn’t expect elite fantasy numbers right out of the gate. He does appear to need to polish his game up some but should be able to find his way onto the field and be a serviceable fantasy asset for teams that want to draft and stash, or use him as a promising, long term contributor. 

Top 5 Rookie EDGE #4: Isaiah Foskey, Defensive End, Notre Dame

Isaiah Foskey is an impressive athlete who comes in at 6’ 5” and 260 lbs. I would not be shocked to see him run one of the best 40 times of anyone on this list. His ability to generate pressure using his speed is outstanding. While at Norte Dame, Foskey produced 121 total tackles, 28 TFL, and 25 sacks through 37 games. 

Foskey will need some polish at the NFL level if he wants to be anything more than a pass-rush specialist. He often gets too deep, too fast, and takes himself out of the play. He nice job of exploding off the ball and makes good use of his hands to knock defenders off balance. It will be interesting to see if Foskey can push the pocket and make better use of his powerful lower body at the next level. 

Fantasy managers will want to monitor his Combine testing and landing spot to determine how they’ll invest in rookie drafts. Despite some of his intriguing qualities, Foskey could see other players pass him up on draft boards if he’s drafted to an unfavorable situation, tests poorly, or both. 

Drew Sanders Top 5 Rookie Edge
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Top 5 Rookie EDGE #5: Drew Sanders, Linebacker, Arkansas

My absolute favorite player in the draft, Drew Sanders was an Alabama transfer who found great success in 2022 as an Arkansas Razorback. Sanders profiles as more of an OLB than a traditional DE, which should work heavily in his favor from a fantasy value perspective. 

One of the biggest knocks on Sanders is his lack of experience and sustained production. Before arriving at Arkansas, he played a total of 15 games at Alabama where he recorded only 33 total tackles, 2.5 TFL, and one sack across two seasons. In 2022, however, Sanders exploded for 103 total tackles, 13.5 TFL, and 9.5 sacks. He was unequivocally the heart and soul of the Razorbacks’ defense. 

Sanders shows excellent speed and often surprises his opponents with his ability to close and pursue in space. He’s a hard-hitting OLB that comes in at 6’ 5” and 230 lbs. Watching the film, Sanders popped as one of the most exciting prospects I watched. His ability to use both speed and power as a pass rusher was impressive. His range ability to tackle in space was very impressive. Sanders isn’t an elite coverage LB, but he is certainly serviceable in this area. His zone coverage appears to be solid and his anticipation and ability to break on the ball makes him an above-average coverage linebacker. 

Sanders showed up even in the biggest games against some of the best players in college football. Against Alabama, he consistently showed up and made big plays against the likes of Jahmyr Gibbs and Bryce Young. If he can find his way to a team that’s needing help at OLB, he could be a nice surprise for fantasy managers as early as year one. He’s sure to be one of my top targets in all rookie drafts and should be on your radar. The return on investment, comparatively, could yield one of the biggest returns of any player on this list. 

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

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