Packers 2018 Draft: Pre-Combine Position Rankings

Edge Rusher Rankings

1. Bradley Chubb, NC State

2. Harold Landry, Boston College

3. Arden Key, LSU

4. Sam Hubbard, Ohio State

5. Uchenna Nwosu, USC

6. Lorenzo Carter, Georgia

7. Marcus Davenport, UTSA

8. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma

9. Tyquan Lewis, Ohio State

10. Hercules Mata’afa, Washington State

Other: Jeff Holland (Auburn), Dorance Armstrong Jr. (Kansas), Duke Ejiofor (Wake Forest), Marquis Haynes (Ole Miss), Davin Bellamy (Georgia), Jaylen Holmes (Ohio State), Kemoko Turay (Rutgers), Josh Sweat (Florida State)

Overview: Outside of Chubb, the edge rusher class lacks elite talent. The NC State product is top-five prospect and a complete edge defender. He’ll probably be the first non-quarterback drafted this spring.

However, after Chubb, there are a lot of question when it comes to the edge rushers. Landry was coming off a monster 2016 season before being hindered with an ankle injury throughout the 2017 season. Even though his senior season wasn’t as productive, Landry still shows all of the bend and first-step quickness that allowed him to win on the edge as a junior.

Key is an excellent athlete with length, bend, and explosion, but off-field red flags could cause him to fall out of the first round. Carter is a similar athlete, but he comes without the red flags. However, his injury history might seal him as a Day 2 player.

Hubbard and Nwosu are solid pass rushers who have flashed top-end potential in college, but they haven’t been as dominant as their peers. They’re likely late-first or early-second round prospects.

Following the Senior Bowl, Davenport is getting a lot of hype, but his game is very raw. Right now, he just seems like a superb athlete with ideal size that lacks bend and still needs to really develop his pass rush ability. His level of competition may also hurt him given he played in the Conference USA and not a Power Five school.

Finding another talented pass rusher should be a high priority for the Packers, but I’m not convinced the value will be there in the first round. I don’t see them going for a player like Key, but maybe they’ll like Landry enough to consider him with the 14th overall selection.

However, with players like Hubbard, Nwosu, and Carter, the best value in finding an edge defender might be in the second round.