I gave you a sample of this year’s edge class last week. Some would say I damn near gave you the whole meal (or maybe it’s just me saying that). When you speak of me, speak well.
Now comes part two. It is a unique group to say the least. I don’t love it. But I do like it, and think if the Patriots play their cards right, they can get a player who will contribute this year. That’s important when you consider Harold Landry’s knee and the fact that this team struggled mightily to get to the passer with just four rushers. Is it the be-all, end-all? No. The Pats got to the Super Bowl. But would it make life easier on the new defensive coordinator, Zak Kuhr? Hell yeah. Would it put less stress on the secondary? Of course.
TIER ONE: Arvell Reese (6’4”, 241/Ohio State); David Bailey (6’3”, 251/Texas Tech); Rueben Bain (6’2”, 263/Miami); Akheem Mesidor (6’3”, 259/Miami)
I will not dig too deep into this foursome because I don’t envision any scenario in which these guys fall into the back end of the first round. Reese or Bailey is going 2nd overall to the Jets. The one who doesn’t get picked is looking at a floor no lower than 6th. Bailey is the more polished pass rusher, but Reese only got 300 snaps at the edge (he played linebacker before Matt Patricia got his hands on him) and tantalized with his ability there. If he actually has a plan, to go along with his freak athleticism, he could be a Micah Parsons-type player.
Bain has short arms, and now the much-publicized (but already well-known by NFL teams) off-field situation (as written in the NFL Notebook). But he was immense for the Hurricanes in the playoffs, and his power and technique have allowed him to thrive collegiately. Will that carry over to the next level? I can’t imagine he gets out of the top 15, and it's still conceivable he goes as high as 9 to the Chiefs (we know they never have concerns with taking players with off-field issues).
Mesidor is 25 years old. The last time someone 25 or older went in the first round was QB Branden Weeden in 2012. So there’s that. But Mesidor started three years for Miami and had 17.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, and forced 4 fumbles. He’s bendy, can play the run, and goes hard at all times. There is an injury history that teams will have to consider. I wouldn't put him in this tier but too many people have told me otherwise, so...
TIER TWO, PART ONE: Keldric Faulk (6’6”, 276/Auburn); T.J. Parker (6’3”, 263/Clemson); Zion Young (6’5”, 262/Missouri); Gabe Jacas (6’3”, 260/Illinois)
Faulk would have been the perfect Patriot DL when Bill Belichick was the head coach. Two-gapping. Stout at the point of attack. Enough playmaking to get after the passer. As discussed elsewhere, Faulk makes a lot of big plays. With a little more experience and coaching, will he start getting home more often? There is a lot of love for the player across the league, and it feels like the floor for him is 20 overall.
Clemson was a massive disappointment this past season, and Parker was one of their stars who didn’t play as well in ‘25 as he did in ‘24. But his tape was a lot better than teammate Peter Woods' (DT), who should have been a top-5 pick but was out to lunch for much of the year. Parker is another guy who plays hard and plays physical.
I think if Young doesn’t go in the first round, there ought to be an investigation (I’m exaggerating slightly. Top 40 player all day, every day). I don’t think he’s ever sacking the quarterback 10 times in a season, but he beats tackles and pulling guards up. And heaven forbid you try to block him with a tight end. That should be a fireable offense. There’s been some chatter that he’s a different kind of cat, and he had a DWI in December. But he was a team captain last season, and I’ve heard good reports on his interviews with teams.
Jacas is a lot like Young in that you know you’ve been in a war when you’re playing against him. The difference between the two, however, is that Jacas has more in his pass rush bag and a little more explosion in that regard. He spent this season working with former Pats assistant Joe Kim (pass rush specialist). Jacas could have spent more time on his run defense and play recognition. Not a strong suit. Dude is also built like me. An absolute specimen (just seeing if you were paying attention). But seriously, Jacas is jacked.
TIER TWO, PART TWO: Malachi Lawrence (6’4”, 253/UCF); Cashius Howell (6’2”, 253/Texas A&M); R. Mason Thomas (6’2”, 241/Oklahoma)
The second tier, in two parts, comes down to what flavor you like best. The previous grouping was about power. This one is about speed.
TIER THREE: Keyron Crawford (6’4”, 253/Auburn); Dani Dennis-Sutton (6’5, 256/Penn St); Derrick Moore (6’4, 255/Michigan); Jaishawn Barham (6’3”, 240/Michigan); Romello Height (6’2”, 239/Texas Tech)
“You’re not wrong,” was the text I got about putting Crawford in round two of my last mock (to the Patriots, btw). "He could absolutely end up there." The 22-year-old out of Auburn didn’t start playing football until his senior year in high school, but has developed quickly, and was quickly snapped up by the Tigers after entering the transfer portal following his sophomore season at Arkansas State.
“You knew of him coming into the year, but every time we watched Faulk (Keldric, his teammate), you couldn’t help but be drawn to Keyron,” noted one scout. “They asked him to do a lot in that scheme, and he did it well.”
Crawford’s pressure rate was the 4th-best in the SEC and 12th in the country, and that shows with the amount of stuff he has in his bag. Also had no problem dropping into coverage, displaying a good understanding of space and showing off his athleticism. Can have problems with power, and that may be related to his weight (he struggled to stay in the low 250s).
“Not perfectly, but his best ball is ahead of him,” added an assistant coach.
Dennis-Sutton looks like he was created in a lab. Length. Big hands. Power. Speed (benched 225 lbs 26 times). At his best, he chews up ground in pursuit. Can jolt blockers. Attacks the football. But…you just don’t see it enough, in my opinion. Despite great athletic testing, that lower-half explosion doesn’t always translate to the game. Dennis-Sutton isn’t all that bendy, either.
I don’t know if Moore is the best bull-rusher in the class, but he certainly leans on that aspect of his game and is good at it. That’s key, because he’s got a certain level of stiffness at the top of his rush (aka, not bendy, but how many times can I write that?). Moore feels like he’s not going to be a splashy player in the pros; rather, just a solid C+/B- type, but there is room for improvement as a run defender, and perhaps that pushes his floor to a higher level.
When Eliot Wolf talked about winning with speed, I should have included Barham in the equation from the start. That’s his game. He’s not polished, not by a long shot, but he’s newer to edge rushing (was an off-ball linebacker primarily before this past season) and is twitched-up. His first step is quick, and there’s an explosion in it. I have a hard time seeing him being a good edge setter, but I love Barham’s potential against the pass, although someone has to remind him not to get pushed past the QB as often as he does.
“I could absolutely envision a scenario where he’s a 10-sack guy a year or two from now,” an assistant coach told me.
Barham head-butted an official during the Ohio State game.
Height is 25 years old, having spent 6 years in college at 4 different schools (Auburn, USC, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech). That sounds miserable, but welcome to the world of college football and NIL. Height was the edge opposite Bailey and had a terrific season. He’s a whirling dervish - hands, feet, legs, and arms flying all over the place, yet controlled (if that makes sense. It does to me, but…)
However, hard to imagine he’s anything more than a designated pass rusher. Height is built but slender, and with his frame, seems unlikely to be able to hold significantly more weight to make him more viable against the run or even long-armed tackles who, once they get paws on him, should be able to squelch that slippery fella.
Others of note: LT Overton (6'3", 274/Alabama); Caden Curry (6'3", 257/Ohio St); George Gumbs (6'4", 245/Florida)
Gumbs is intriguing. He started his college career as a wide receiver (!), switched to tight end, then ended up at edge. Predictably raw but there's talent there.