2015 Draft Class Loaded with Top Edge-Rushers Compared to 2014 Class

If your favorite NFL team is in need of a player to come off the edge and rush the passer, you are in luck. The 2015 crop of edge players is as special as any in the past decade. Compared to the very top of the 2014 class, the talent in 2015 is ridiculous.

The term "edge" is a fairly new addition to NFL draft vernacular, and it needs a bit of clarification. An edge can be a traditional defensive end in a 4-3 base defense or a pass-rushing outside linebacker in a 3-4 base defense. In some settings, an edge can even be an outside linebacker in a 4-3 defense who is asked to step up and rush in sub-packages.

Due to the fact that so many teams run hybrid fronts, most of these prospects can be lumped together to some degree. Looking at the 2015 class, the smallest edge player with a first-round grade is 228 pounds, while the heaviest is a whopping 292 pounds. Obviously, the team that is looking for the first likely isn't looking for the second, so deciding how this group will shake out is based on scheme fit to a great degree.

Craig Ruttle/Associated Press

Before we delve into the 2015 group, let’s take a moment to reflect on last season. 2014 was the year of the Clowney—specifically, Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. For almost the entirety of the offseason, the narrative centered around how Clowney was going to be a transcendent player from the minute he stepped on the field.

Unfortunately, that dream never became a reality, and Clowney finished the season with only three games and not a single sack. In fact, across the board, the first-round edge players from 2014 seriously underwhelmed.

Let’s take a look at how these guys looked by the numbers:

• Khalil Mack, Oakland Raiders: No. 5, 76 tackles, four sacks
• Anthony Barr, Minnesota Vikings: No. 9, 70 tackles, four sacks
• Dee Ford, Kansas City Chiefs: No. 23, eight tackles, 1.5 sacks
• Marcus Smith, Philadelphia Eagles: No. 26, zero tackles, zero sacks

Those statistics are not exactly inspiring. Mack and Barr are playing more traditional roles in 4-3 defenses and racked up their sacks either as blitzers or on the rare occasions when they would line up as defensive ends.

Teams are hopeful Clowney, Ford and Smith will step up and show significant improvement this season, but that does nothing to get rid of the bitter taste of 2014.

RICHARD SHIRO/Associated Press

When you look at the five edge players taken in 2014 and compare them to the five best for 2015, the differences are staggering. And there is a chance that as many as nine edge players will come off the board in the first round.

It is debatable which edge player is the best in the 2015 class; however, it comes down to need.

If you favor a smaller, explosive player to come off the edge who is athletic enough to drop into coverage, this group has you covered. But maybe you favor a player who is bigger and has more strength at the point of attack but can still turn the corner. There are guys who fit the bill there too.

Who are the Big Five edge players? The consensus is these five guys in some order:

		B/R	CBSSports
Randy Gregory	Nebraska	7	8
Shane Ray	Missouri	13	11
Vic Beasley	Clemson	17	5
Dante Fowler Jr.	Florida	4	4
Alvin Dupree	Kentucke	19	15

Most mock draft projections have these five guys coming off the board in the first 15 to 20 picks, which would put them ahead of all but the very best of last year’s class. However, even if you take the top three from 2014 (Clowney, Mack and Barr) and cancel out Gregory, Ray and Beasley, the talent skews heavy to 2015.

Beyond the volume, the talent level of the 2015 group is on another level. While Barr and Mack were great in 2014, their ceilings are limited in terms of sacks. Here are some clips to get every NFL fan hankering for an edge guy a little excited for the draft. 

The explosive first step of Ray:

The bend and turn of Beasley:

The lateral agility and movement skills of Gregory:

The size-speed combination of Fowler Jr.:

The size-speed combo of Dupree:

Watching those videos, you see more bend than a yoga class and more explosion than the Fourth of July.

Clowney and Mack flashed last year, but the 2015 crop of edge players is beyond disruptive. And each player's ability to be scheme-versatile makes him so much more valuable.

Need another reason why this group is better than 2014? I'll give you four:

• Shaq Thompson, Washington
• Eli Harold, Virginia
• Owamagbe Odighizuwa, UCLA
• Arik Armstead, Oregon

Now, before anyone comments, Armstead is not your typical edge player. However, if the definition is a player who can line up on the edge and disrupt the rush and the passing game, Armstead fits the bill.

In all seriousness, each of these players has better film and a higher ceiling than Ford or Smith from 2014.

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

If your favorite team spent a high pick on an edge player last year, you have my condolences. If your team needs one this year, then pray it takes one in the first round. As top-heavy this group is, the bottom falls out pretty quickly.

The combination of production, athleticism and potential of this 2015 group is not only better than 2014, but it might also be better than any group of top edge players since the ridiculous 2011 class that included Von Miller, Aldon Smith, J.J. Watt, Ryan Kerrigan and Robert Quinn.