Draft Day Dominance: Jets Poised to Land Game-Changing Edge Prospect

With the 2025 NFL season nearly in the books and the New York Jets’ new head coach and GM (almost) officially in place, we can finally say draft season is in full swing.

We’ve seen, particularly in recent years, just how quickly young starpower can turn around a struggling franchise. Picking at No. 7 overall with eight draft picks in total, the Jets have a real chance to add some serious talent to the roster.

With the Jan. 24 deadline having come and gone, we now know all of the underclassmen who have officially declared for this draft class. We also know the Jets have needs up and down their roster, and no position group is truly “off the table” for them come April.

But one group that could undeniably use some reinforcement is the edge defenders. Yes, Will McDonald and Jermaine Johnson are great young players, but if this defense wants to get back to its dominant ways, it will need players to fill the voids left by guys like John Franklin-Myers and Bryce Huff a year ago. Haason Reddick and Micheal Clemons clearly don’t cut it.

Luckily, this year’s crop of edge rushers is particularly deep. Whether it’s in the first round or sometime later on, it would make sense for the Jets to try and add one of these prospects to their bullpen.

Abdul Carter, Penn State

A name you may already know by this point, 21-year-old Abdul Carter is the crown jewel of this edge defender class. Coming off a season with 12 sacks and 24 tackles for loss, the buzz surrounding him as the top overall player in the class is only getting louder as time goes on. Oh, and did I mention this was his first year ever playing EDGE?

Prior to this season, Penn State used Carter as a true off-ball linebacker with opportunities to rush off the edge in certain situations. He was so impressive in those limited reps, though, that they decided to move him there full time.

The growth Carter showed as a pass rusher over the course of this season was not only extremely impressive to watch, but also incredibly encouraging for his projection going forward. His raw first-step explosiveness has always been his secret weapon, but he’s taken his game to another level by throwing in real hand usage and pass rush moves as the season progressed. The way he’s able to twitch and contort his 6-foot-3, 250-pound frame and still present the threat of converting speed to power in a phonebooth is a big part of what makes him such a handful for offenses to deal with.

Carter finished the year garnering First Team All-American honors. He recorded multi-sack games on four separate occasions, including against Ohio State.

Make no mistake, given his lack of experience, Carter is by no means a “can’t miss” prospect, but the raw traits and rapid ascension he’s shown in such a short time against top competition make him one of the best and most exciting players in the entire draft class. While he has a real shot at going first overall, the Jets would be foolish not to do as much homework as possible on the Penn State phenom in case they somehow find themselves in a position to draft him.

Mike Green, Marshall

One of the biggest draft stock risers over the course of the 2024 college football season, Mike Green is a demon off the edge. At 6-foot-4 and 248 pounds, he finished the year with 17 sacks (led the FBS), 22.5 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles.

While playing in Conference USA means Green didn’t exactly get to face the best competition very often, complete domination at that level is exactly what you’d expect from an NFL-caliber player, and he certainly did that. He also registered a sack when Marshall got to travel to Ohio State to play the eventual national champions.

But even against lesser competition, it’s the tools and traits Green showed off on tape that really make people so excited about his potential. He’s got some of the craziest movement skills you’ll find in an EDGE, almost resembling a wide receiver at times with how in-control he is in the way he changes direction.

Like Carter, Green’s first-step explosiveness is a legitimate weapon, but he also has the speed to get up the arc in a hurry and the lateral quickness to cross his blocker’s face. On top of all that, he uses a pretty diverse set of rush moves, which you love to see from someone so toolsy, as he could easily defect to just “out-athleting” his competition at that level.

It’s going to be very important to watch how Green performs against top competition at the Senior Bowl this week. While the limited sample size from his game against the Buckeyes is encouraging, his level of competition is still the biggest question on his scouting report. If Green is able to go out there in Mobile and show out against some of the top offensive linemen in the country in front of NFL scouts, everything else is aligning for him to cement his draft stock a lot higher than people are currently projecting – maybe even the top 15.

James Pearce Jr., Tennessee

There was a time when James Pearce Jr. was one of the way-too-early favorites to be the first overall pick in the 2025 draft. That quickly died down after a slow start to the year, but make no mistake: Pearce is still very much a first-round talent.

At 6-foot-5 and 243 pounds, Pearce has the long-armed frame to develop into a game wrecker at the NFL level if he adds more weight. His bend, explosiveness, and agility are all super high-end tools to work with, and his instincts against the run have improved each year.

Peace has also shown an expanding arsenal of pass rush moves over the course of his college career, and he clearly understands the “low man wins” mentality when it comes to leverage battles at the point of attack. He’s also flashed the ability to convert his speed into power – an absolute must for three-down rushers – but he has to get more consistent at it. Like both Carter and Green, Pearce’s freakishly explosive first step off the snap gives him a legitimate inherent advantage on an every-down basis.

The weaknesses on Pearce’s resume start with his lean frame. While being on the lighter side certainly helps with his explosiveness and movement skills, it also means he sometimes struggles to get off blockers in the run game when linemen get their hands on him. Adding more weight should inherently help his ability to hold up at the point of attack.

Although the Jets already have a tall, long, explosive edge defender in Will McDonald, Pearce would bring an even higher ceiling to the table with true three-down potential and far better upside against the run. While it could be smarter for the Jets to explore other archetypes just to diversify their stable of pass rushers, it would also be hard to pass on such an awesome talent.

Jack Sawyer, Ohio State

Speaking of other archetypes, the two edge rushers out of Ohio State each offer a somewhat different skillset from the aforementioned names.

Jack Sawyer, a former five-star recruit, is 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, so he has the size profile to make the NFL jump. While he doesn’t offer the same high-end explosive traits as some of the other names in the class, what he does bring to the table is raw power, sound hand usage, and an unrelenting motor.

A longtime fixture along the Buckeyes defensive line, Sawyer is as experienced as edge rushers come. He plays with an advanced understanding of leverage, he’s rarely out of position, and he’s battle-tested, coming up huge in the biggest games.

When rushing the passer, it’s clear he goes into each rep with a plan, consistently showing effective rush moves with well-timed counters. He’s also got big, naturally powerful hands that cause a visible knockback when he makes contact. Against the run, he sets a hard edge and is one of the more reliable tacklers in the class. All this goes into why he offers a legitimate NFL floor with three-down potential.

The problem with Sawyer is that his ceiling appears capped by his lack of NFL-level raw traits. His strength and technique should translate very well, but he doesn’t have the bend, length or first-step explosiveness to truly be considered among the very best in the class.

While he may not be a future NFL game wrecker, and isn’t the “toolsiest” of edge defenders, Sawyer easily translates as a longtime pro with a solid floor and consistent production. He would thrive playing as the 1B to someone else, or as the “power guy” in a versatile stable of rushers. Sawyer would be an inexcusable reach at the No. 7 pick, but with the possibility that he winds up going on day two, I’d have him circled on my board if I were the Jets.

JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State

Sawyer has been great for Ohio State, but his teammate off the other edge is a legit NFL prospect in his own right. JT Tuimoloau (6-foot-5, 269 pounds) is another uber-experienced former five-star who plays with NFL-ready power and technique.

With a frame ready to take on NFL blockers, and huge hands that pack legitimate knockback power, this is another guy who offers a high floor at the next level. His strength, leverage, physicality and overall football IQ should all translate seamlessly.

These Ohio State edge rushers are clearly very well-coached. Tuimoloau plays super disciplined against the run, setting a hard edge and reliably finishing tackles. Against the pass, he’s very refined in his go-to moves, and his power gradually wears out linemen over the course of a game.