2025 NFL Draft Guide: Get to know the edge defenders

Welcome to our 2025 NFL Draft Guide rollout!

Today, we’ll be focusing on edge defenders in our “get to know the prospects” series.

The full 1010XL 2025 NFL Draft Guide — complete with a big board and roundtable questions by our radio hosts — will be released in a PDF for free in late March.

Abdul Carter, Penn State

Consensus positional ranking: 1

Prospect bio: Carter was a four-star recruit out of La Salle College High School and committed to Penn State. He began his career as an off-ball linebacker and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as a freshman before earning first-team recognition as a sophomore. Due to the personnel on Penn State’s roster, Carter switched to defensive end as a junior, and he rattled off 12 sacks — the third-most in a single season in school history — to receive unanimous All-American honors and the 2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award. 

2024 stats: 68 combined tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 12 sacks

Player comp: T.J. Watt

Jalon Walker, Georgia

Consensus positional ranking: 2

Prospect bio: Walker was a five-star recruit out of Salisbury High School, where he was named North Carolina’s Gatorade Football Player of the Year as a senior. He committed to Georgia and played in all 15 games as a true freshman to help the Bulldogs capture the 2022 national championship. He played in each game again as a sophomore before breaking out as a junior to receive second-team All-SEC and first-team All-American recognition. Walker also won the Dick Butkus Award as the country’s top linebacker, though he’s expected to primarily play defensive end in the NFL. 

2024 stats: 60 combined tackles. 11 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks

Player comp: Haason Reddick

Mykel Williams, Georgia

Consensus positional ranking: 3

Prospect bio: Williams was a five-star recruit out of Hardaway High School, where he was named the Maxwell Football National High School Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. He originally committed to USC before switching to Georgia. Williams played in all 15 games as a true freshman to help the Bulldogs capture the 2022 national championship, and he earned second-team All-SEC honors as a sophomore and a junior.

2024 stats: 21 combined tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 5 sacks

Player comp: Ezekiel Ansah

Mike Green, Marshall

Consensus positional ranking: 4

Prospect bio: Green was a three-star recruit out of Lafayette High School, where he played linebacker and tight end. He committed to Virginia and recorded 1 sack in six games as a true freshman. After not playing at all in 2022, he transferred to Marshall and totaled 4.5 sacks during his junior season. Green then led the country with 17 sacks as a senior to earn first-team All-American honors and the Sun Belt Player of the Year award while leading the Thundering Herd to its first ever Sun Belt Conference championship. 

2024 stats: 84 combined tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 17 sacks

Player comp: Alex Highsmith

James Pearce Jr., Tennessee

Consensus positional ranking: 5

Prospect bio: Pearce Jr. was a four-star recruit out of Julius L. Chambers High School and committed to Tennessee. He played in all 13 games as a true freshman before earning first-team All-SEC honors during his sophomore and junior seasons. The last Volunteer defensive lineman to earn consecutive All-SEC honors was former Jaguar John Henderson from 2000-01. 

2024 stats: 38 combined tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks

Player comp: Brian Burns

Go to 1010xl.com/jaguars to check out the other positions we’re reviewed!