1010XL Draft Guide: 2024 EDGE Rankings

Welcome to the latest edition of our 2024 NFL Draft prospect rankings! All the football heads at 1010XL/92.5 FM have gathered to preview the upcoming draft in April. Today, we’ll be focusing on edge defenders (outside linebackers/defensive ends).

Here’s how our internal panel of experts ranked* this year’s class.

*Subject to change. Final rankings will be released in a full Draft Guide in March. 

Here’s more information on our consensus top-five prospects.

Dallas Turner, Alabama

Our consensus rank: 1 | National consensus rank: 1

Bio: Turner was a five-star recruit out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School and committed to Alabama. He registered 10 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks in his first season to earn a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team. After a relatively down year as a sophomore, Turner had 14.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in 2023 and was a co-recipient of the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award. He also received consensus All-American and first-team All-SEC honors. 

Player comp: Leonard Floyd

Strengths: Frame, burst, fluidity

Weaknesses: Power, finishing, consistency

Jared Verse, FSU

Our consensus rank: 2 | National consensus rank: 2

Bio: Verse was an unranked recruit out of Central Columbia High School, where he played tight end and defensive end. He committed to Albany, redshirted as a true freshman, and then had 4 sacks in four games to win Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020. The next year, Verse ranked third in the conference with 9.5 sacks to earn a first-team All-CAA selection. He transferred to FSU in 2022 and received consecutive first-team All-ACC and All-American honors. 

Player comp: Ryan Kerrigan

Strengths: Power, burst, fluidity

Weaknesses: Balance, pass coverage, age

Laiatu Latu, UCLA

Our consensus rank: 3 | National consensus rank: 3

Bio: Latu was a four-star recruit out of Jesuit High School, where he was named first-team All-California as a senior, and committed to Washington. He played in 12 games as a freshman but a neck injury led to a brief retirement during his sophomore year. Latu transferred to UCLA and was cleared to play as a junior by team physicians. He ranked second in his conference with 10.5 sacks in 2022 to earn his first of consecutive first-team All-Pac-12 honors. In 2023, Latu paced the Pac-12 with 13 sacks and 22 tackles for loss. He received a unanimous All-American nod plus Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Polynesian Football Player of the Year, and Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year.

Player comp: Jaelan Phillips

Strengths: Frame, technique, fluidity

Weaknesses: Medicals, power, length

Demeioun “Chop” Robinson, Penn State

Our consensus rank: 4 | National consensus rank: 4

Bio: Robinson was a five-star recruit out of Quince Orchard High School and committed to Maryland. He played in every game as a true freshman but transferred after one year to Penn State, where he recorded a career-high 10 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks as a sophomore to earn an All-Big Ten honorable mention. Robinson received a first-team All-Big Ten selection following his 4-sack junior season. 

Player comp: Josh Uche

Strengths: Burst, fluidity, effort

Weaknesses: Balance, power, consistency

Bralen Trice, Washington

Our consensus rank: 5 | National consensus rank: 5

Bio: Trice was a three-star recruit out of Sandra Day O’Connor High School and committed to Washington. He redshirted his first year and opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. Trice returned to play in 2021 and broke out the following season when he had a career-high 9 sacks and won the 2022 Alamo Bowl Defensive MVP. He earned his second first-team All-Pac-12 nod in 2023 thanks to 7 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. 

Player comp: Jabaal Sheard

Strengths: Frame, power, effort

Weaknesses: Fluidity, tackling, consistency

Follow along as we rank each position group leading up to the draft!

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Offensive Tackles

Interior Offensive Linemen

Tight Ends

Cornerbacks

Safeties

Edge Defenders

Defensive Tackles

Inside Linebackers