Ranking the defensive ends in the 2025 NFL Draft

Categorizing the top edge prospects in this year’s NFL Draft.

Over the next two weeks, as I finish watching prospects for this draft, I’ll release some of my position tiers for this draft. Next week, I’ll post my full horizontal big board.

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The tiers

To start, I’ll release my defensive ends tiers for this draft. I watched 18 defensive ends in this class. Here is how I tier players — and with an example of each:

• Top-10: Day 1 star, one of the best players at his position, resets the market when signing a second contract. Consistent All-Pro player. Example: Myles Garrett
• First round: Blue-Chip player, foundational part of your team. Makes Pro Bowl teams, doesn’t necessarily reset the market when signing an extension, but consistently in the upper-tier of contracts/rankings. Example: Josh Hines-Allen
• Second round: An above-average starter that you reward with a good second contract. Maybe makes one or two Pro Bowls. Not a star or building block, but rounds out your team. Example: George Karlaftis
• Third round: Average starter — a quality player for whom you won’t necessarily pay a big second contract. Example: Dorance Armstrong
• Fourth round: A fringe starter or rotational player. Has a narrower role compared to your better players. Example: Mike Danna
• Day 3: A fringe roster or practice squad player. I don’t have any Day 3 grades in this group from the list I watched.

Let’s get started.

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Top-10

• Abdul Carter, Penn State

First round

• Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
• Mykel Williams, Georgia

Player Spotlight: Shemar Stewart

Stewart is one of the most polarizing players in this draft. In three seasons, he finished with 4.5 sacks despite being one of the better athletes we’ve ever seen at defensive end.

I’m on the positive end of Stewart’s projection. There’s no doubt the floor could fall out with him, and he’s very raw. However, I think his lack of productivity needs context. First, despite his lack of sacks, Stewart finished first on his team in pressures with 39. For context, Nic Scourton and Shemar Turner — two defensive line counterparts in this draft — finished with 36 and 21.

What I find relevant is that Stewart couldn’t truly pin his ears back and rush the passer. Texas A&M runs most slants and stunts in their defenses, and Stewart was often slanting outside to contain a quarterback scramble rather than rush the passer. Scourton was the designated pass rusher while everyone else slanted. Stewart didn’t get many opportunities to rush the passer often.

Now, Stewart has almost no pass rush bag and has to do a better job finishing plays, but his rare combination of speed, explosiveness, strength and agility is worth betting on. In modern college football, there are fewer developed pass rushers, so you have to take gambles on traits, and Stewart has every trait you want.

Second round

• Mike Green, Marshall
• Princely Umanmielen, Ole Miss
• Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College

Player Spotlight: Princely Umanmielen

Next week, I will post my 10 favorite players of the class, and Umanmielen will be on there. He’s a joy to watch. Umanmielen might have the deepest bag of pass rush moves in this class. He’s got plenty of cornering moves that free him around the edge. He can dip underneath tackles and bend through contact. Umanmielen mixes in good spins inside and has underrated length and power for someone with his frame.

Umanmielen can put tackles in a blender, and I think he can immediately boost your pass rush. Yes, he’s only 245 lbs., but it’s hard to find good pass rush in the NFL, and Umanmielen combines high-level explosiveness and agility with a developed bag of moves to instantly contribute and potentially improve.

Third round

• Jordan Burch, Oregon
• Bradyn Swinson, LSU
• Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
• James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
• Landon Jackson, Arkansas
• J.T. Tuimoloau, Ohio State

Player Spotlight: James Pearce Jr.

People might be surprised to see Pearce this low on my list, but I’m dubious about his profile. There is no doubt that Pearce is blazing fast in a straight line. When you see him chase quarterbacks, your jaw will drop.

However, I think some of these plays have overrated his athleticism. Pearce is fast, but he’s not twitchy. He doesn’t get off the snap with elite quickness. It takes him a bit to get into his rush. This limits his speed-to-power game. Since he’s only 245 lbs., he needs more explosiveness to get into a bull rush, but on film, he lacks that.

On top of that, Pearce is very stiff. He’s fast enough to close around the corner but doesn’t bend or turn tight angles. Pearce is also not a good run defender. Tennessee would flip their entire defensive line to any motion to avoid having Pearce play against a tight end.

Pearce’s speed at that size and length is worth taking top-100, and I do think he has a path as a designated pass rusher, but with some of his worrying traits and no run defense, I can’t justify having him in the top 50.

Fourth round

• Jared Ivey, Ole Miss
• Kyle Kennard, South Carolina
• Jack Sawyer, Ohio State
• Ashton Gilette, Louisville
• Oluwafedi Oladejo, UCLA
• Josaiah Stewart, Michigan

Player Spotlight: Jared Ivey

I actually love Ivey’s film. I’m a sucker for a good tweener, and Ivey is exactly that. He’s got a ton of length and physicality. On film, he shows a good bag of pass rush moves and power, particularly from the interior, where he wins quickly.

The issue with Ivey is that he can’t play defensive end in the NFL. He’s too unathletic and slow to do it. I actually think Ivey is gaining some weight and becoming a defensive tackle because he’s strong and long with good interior pass rush film. I think he can make an impact there, but that projection pushes his grade down.