2025 NFL Draft Scouting Watchlist: Edge rusher
Summer scouting is in full swing! Each week, I will publish a list of the players on my radar for the 2025 draft class at a given position. It won't be a complete list, there will be some players that end up surprising and working their way into consideration that we did not know to look for this far out. It happens every year.
If you don't see a player on the list that you think deserves some love, let me know! Send me a tweet(@cmcglynn84) or tweet at With The First Pick (@withthe1st_pick), or hop on our Facebook page and leave a comment.
This is one of the most discussed and dissected groups in every draft class. In an era where playing downfield coverage is about as difficult as it can get and defenders have to be very careful with how they tackle the ball carrier, there has never been a greater emphasis on finding pass rushers. If a defense can disrupt or prevent the quarterback from throwing, that is an incredibly valuable outcome on any given play.
Defining edge rushers can always be a little tricky. Some true stand-up rushers are not big or strong enough to play with their hand in the ground. Some tweeners have the size and power to kick inside when the defense goes small. Both of those player types and everyone in between all get lumped into this one group of edge rushers. It is a similar categorization. Come the spring, I will do a better job at specifying what each player's best-projected role would be, but for now, let's stick to edge rusher.
With that in mind, there are a couple of notable omissions from this group. I did not include Harold Perkins or Dasan McCullough in these rankings. Perkins told reporters at SEC Media Days that he is up to 225 pounds. Oklahoma lists McCullough at 223 pounds. Both of those numbers are in the 0th percentile for edge rushers. Right now, they are simply too small to play the position. If they get up to around 235 pounds by the combine, then we will have a different conversation.
With all of that in mind, let's dive into the edge rushers I am keeping an eye on this season with an eye to the 2025 NFL draft.
Tyler Baron, 5th-year senior, Miami
Baron is looking for a fresh start after four seasons at Tennessee. He heads to Miami coming off his best year yet. He posted six sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss in 2023. Like many in this group, he has good size at 6'5", 260 pounds. Baron excels at beating his assignment off the line with a quick first step and a well-practiced arm-over move. He plays with good leverage and does a nice job against the run. He will be a big part of a talented defensive front for the Hurricanes.
Ethan Burke, 3rd-year junior, Texas
While there is a lot of hype around Burke's new teammate Trey Moore, and rightfully so, Burke was the one who led the Longhorns in sacks (5.5) in 2023 as Texas reached its first College Football Playoff. Burke is a great all-around athlete. He was an all-state lacrosse player in high school and had multiple offers to play D-1. He chose football and after a relatively anonymous freshman season, he took some solid steps in 2023. His inclusion here is largely on projection, but he has enticing size and length.