5 Edge-Rushers 25 and Under to Buy Stock in Heading Into 2025 NFL Season

It doesn't take a social media finance bro to know the best time to buy stock is when a company is in its early stages. 

While NFL pass-rushers are people and not businesses, the cash flow they are pulling in these days mimics a Fortune 500 corporation that any investor would love to invest in during the early stages of a player's career.

So, with the 2025 season coming up, which young edge-rushers would be worth buying stock in?

Here, we take a look at five names who will be 25 years old or younger on September 1, are still on their rookie contracts and would be worth investing in because a lucrative second contract is in their futures.

Also covered will be each player's production, what makes them great and why they will continue to ascend this season.

Aidan Hutchinson

AP Photo/Jerome Miron

Date of Birth: Aug. 9, 2000 (24)

Career Sacks: 28.5 (3 seasons)

2025 Contract Status: Year 4 of 5-year, $55.6 million contract (5th-year option accepted)

Hutchinson is an easy inclusion on this list. He's already considered one of the better pass-rushers in the league, as his 28.5 career sacks are the 12th-most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2022, per StatMuse. That's even more impressive considering the former No. 2 overall pick only played in five games last year. 

Additionally, the Michigan product has racked up 199 regular-season pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, ranking second in the metric with 101 during the 2023 campaign. He was on the way to leading the league last season with 11 more than any other edge-rusher prior to suffering a broken leg. 

Granted, Hutchinson's success in the league isn't much of a surprise. He was the ninth-best overall prospect on the B/R 2022 NFL Draft Big Board due to his pass-rush skills.

"Hutchinson has great size for the position and clears the bar for most athletic traits," his scouting report said. "He possesses good explosiveness along with moments of overwhelming strength, particularly when he can get a head of steam as a pass-rusher. 

"While his bend is lacking, his speed, technique and functional length all help make up for his non-elite flexibility. Hutchinson should still be able to win consistently as a power rusher with strong hands and a mean inside counter."

Those traits have carried over to the NFL and are the primary reasons why he has been successful, which will lead to a big payday soon.

On top of what he brings as a rusher, he impacts the passing game by getting his hands on the ball, with four career interceptions and 10 passes defended. 

Combine that with working with a quality interior rusher in Alim McNeill, who is under contract through 2028, and it's only a matter of time until the Detroit Lions make Hutchinson an even richer man.

Jared Verse

AP Photo/Chris Szagola

Date of Birth: Nov. 4, 2000 (24)

Career Sacks: 4.5 (1 season) 

2025 Contract Status: Year 2 of 4-year, $15.1 million contract

While Jared Verse's sack total last year wasn't terribly impressive, he was a consistent winner who constantly was in the face of opposing quarterbacks. 

He racked up 77 total pressures during the regular season, which ranked fourth among edge-rushers, per Pro Football Focus. Additionally, he performed best when the lights were brightest, adding two sacks and 12 more pressures in the Los Angeles Rams’ two playoff games last year.

How the Defensive Rookie of the Year fell to the 19th overall pick of the 2024 draft will be an interesting case study. This might be a situation where the league's talent evaluators just overthought a prospect, as he ranked ninth overall and was the top edge defender on B/R's big board, primarily due to his pass-rush skills.

"Part of what makes Verse such a coveted prospect is his blend of strength and athleticism," his scouting report noted.

"He can put offensive tackles on their heels with his ability to turn speed to power as a pass-rusher, and he has good use of hands paired with the bend to win around the edge using finesse moves like a cross chop or arm over."

Winning with power was the Florida State product's calling card during his rookie season, using the finesse moves mentioned above as counters to keep offensive tackles off-balance. It's that combination that suggests he has a bright future and will continue to be productive in the league.

Additionally, the Rams have a good nucleus of young pass-rushers with Byron Young, Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske, allowing Verse to continue to get one-on-one matchups and put up numbers as a pass-rusher. 

It will be a few years until he gets paid since he can’t receive an extension until the end of his third season, but don't be surprised if we hear about how Verse is or will be the league's highest-paid defender in the future.

Will Anderson Jr.

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Date of Birth: Sept. 2, 2001 (23)

Career Sacks: 18 (2 seasons)

2025 Contract Status: Year 3 of 4-year, $35.2 million contract

Will Anderson Jr.'s quick ascension as one of the best young pass-rushers in the NFL should come as a surprise to no one who pays attention to the league and the draft.

He was widely considered the top non-quarterback prospect in the 2023 class and owned the No. 1 spot on B/R's big board from the summer all the way through the spring.

"The best way to describe Will Anderson Jr.'s college tape is that everything just looked easy for him," his scouting report said. "As a pass-rusher, Anderson is impressive with his inside countermoves. 

"His speed off the ball puts pressure on tackles vertically, and once they open their hips, he has the quickness and change of direction to dart inside and leave tackles grasping at air. He also has an effective bull rush that he'll use to set up those inside countermoves and allows him to be effective when turning speed to power."

That has held true in the NFL. The Alabama product uses his get-off to set up offensive tackles, then transitions into a bull rush and wins while going through the lineman's chest.

Hence why he has racked up 128 total pressures (including playoffs), per Pro Football Focus, over the last two campaigns in addition to the sack figure above. 

While the 2023 Pro Bowler and Defensive Rookie of the Year didn't receive any postseason recognition in 2024, he did get to the quarterback four more times last fall. That's partially due to playing opposite Danielle Hunter, who was signed in free agency a year ago by the Houston Texans.

So, between Anderson's skill set and Hunter forcing opposing offensive lines into a Sophie's Choice situation when it comes to who to prioritize in the protection scheme, expect the former No. 1 overall pick's production to continue to rise.

And, subsequently, the Texans to open up the checkbook to keep him in Houston for the long term.

Nik Bonitto

AP Photo/Adrian Kraus

Date of Birth: Sept. 26, 1999 (25)

Career Sacks: 23 (3 seasons)

2025 Contract Status: Year 4 of 4-year, $5.8 million contract

Unlike the other pass-rushers featured here, Nik Bonitto wasn't a highly touted prospect who didn't have to wait long to hear his name called on draft night.

The 2022 64th overall pick was a bit of a project coming out of college, and he was given a third-round grade while ranking 86th on B/R's big board.

However, the Oklahoma product had plenty of traits to work with when it came to putting pressure on the quarterback.

"Bonitto understands his frame and does well to play skinny," his scouting report said. "He knows how to bend and contort his body to minimize contact surfaces and make it tougher to get a clean grip on him. 

"Additionally, Bonitto is quick as a blink, which allows him to knife past people or quickly cross their face. His light frame also lends to his great speed and movement skills in space."

Not being a complete player is part of the reason the Oklahoma product's NFL career began a little slow, as he played in 15 games but only made one start and recorded just 1.5 sacks as a rookie. 

Then, he started to put it together in year two, where his bend and ability to contort his body helped him develop a nasty ghost move and rack up eight sacks.

Bonitto has continued to perfect his craft and improve year after year, utilizing the movement skills mentioned above and getting stronger to be more effective when turning speed to power. That allowed him to record a career-high 13.5 sacks last fall, which also ranked third in the NFL.

Additionally, the former second-round pick has managed to improve his consistency, recording more pressures every season he’s been in the league. Last year, he managed to finish the regular season 18th among edge defenders with 57 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. 

Bonitto’s ascending production likely isn’t ending anytime soon, either. The Denver Broncos have a stable of quality pass-rushers with Jonathon Cooper, Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers, among others, which will lead to plenty of one-on-one matchups for the 2024 second-team All-Pro.

So, whether it’s with the Broncos or another team this offseason, the impending free agent will likely have a big payday coming soon. 

Abdul Carter

AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis

Date of Birth: Oct. 10, 2003 (21)

Career Sacks: n/a

2025 Contract Status: Year 1 of 4-year, $45.3 million contract

Seeing as Abdul Carter hasn't played a down in the NFL yet, he's the biggest wild card and gamble out of all the players named here.

His traits are worth betting on, though, and early investors can expect to yield a high return, hence why the New York Giants made him the third pick of last April's draft.

"Carter is an elite athlete, which gives him a high ceiling as a pass-rusher at the next level," his scouting report said. 

"His get-off is very impressive as he explodes off the line of scrimmage and can win with speed around the edge when times up the snap. Also, he's shown a very good dip-rip move and the potential to develop a stick move as an inside counter with his movement skills."

Those physical tools are the primary reason why the former Nittany Lion ranked second on B/R's big board and his dip-rip move accounted for a significant portion of the 12 sacks he racked up last fall.

That's pretty good for a guy who has only spent one full season as an edge-rusher, and that trend should continue with the New York Giants.

Carter will likely be more of a third-down rusher in year one, since the Giants have Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the edge already. 

However, the 2024 college All-American should get plenty of one-on-one matchups over the next several years, especially with Dexter Lawrence also factoring into the mix, creating opportunities for Carter to put up some big numbers and earn a lot of cash in the future.