College Football
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College Football: Top-10 returning edge defenders for the 2025 season

  • Two true sophomores at the top: Texas’ Colin Simmons and South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart are already the best edges in America after incredible freshman seasons. 
  • Clemson has the top edge defender in the 2026 NFL Draft: Since Simmons and Stewart aren’t eligible to be selected in 2027, T.J. Parker projects as the top edge rusher in next year’s draft. 
  • 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

With the 2024 college football season in the books, it’s time to turn our attention to 2025 by ranking the top returning players at every position. 

Next up is edge defender. While there are plenty of talented edges departing college for the 2025 NFL Draft, this is still one of the most star-studded positions in college football. And for the first time in the five years of PFF’s collegiate positional rankings, there are two rising true sophomores at the top.

Below is a list of PFF’s top-10 returning edge defenders in college football in addition to an honorable mention nominee. Please note that NFL projection was not taken into account in these rankings.

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1. Colin Simmons, Texas

Simmons entered college with a ton of hype as a top-15 overall recruit and has somehow already exceeded expectations. The Texas native was the sixth-most-valuable edge defender in the nation according to PFF’s wins above-average metric. He trailed only Abdul Carter, Jack Sawyer, Mike Green, Josaiah Stewart and JT Tuimoloau in that metric. Simmons ended up winning the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award, which is given to the best true freshman in America.

His 18.6% pressure rate was a top-15 mark in the nation, and he was no slouch as a run-defender either, posting a 73.4 run-defense grade. Simmons’ elite combination of bend and advanced pass-rushing moves is reminiscent of Von Miller. 

2. Dylan Stewart, South Carolina

Stewart is the freakiest athlete the Gamecocks have had at edge defender since Jadeveon Clowney was launching helmets over a decade ago. And like Clowney, he has the upside of becoming a No. 1 overall pick if he keeps up this trajectory.

The former five-star recruit earned a 91.4 pass-rush grade as just a true freshman, tied for sixth among all edges in America. His 51 pressures were tied for second among returning Power Four edge rushers as well. Stewart needs to get a bit stronger to set the edge better in the run game, but he’s already the most fearsome pass-rusher in college football thanks to his physical gifts.

3. T.J. Parker, Clemson

Between Parker and Peter Woods, the Tigers currently project to have the first edge defender and defensive tackle selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. His 12 sacks in 2024 led all returning Power Four edge rushers and he’s one of three in that same group who posted 80.0-plus grades both as a pass-rusher and as a run defender. 

Parker has a devastating bull rush thanks to his power at 6-foot-3, 265 pounds. He has all the makings of a top-10 selection next April if he can put together a similarly strong junior year.

4. Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (FL)

A calf injury kept Bain from taking a significant jump in his sophomore year like many were expecting, but he still deserves a spot in the top-five of this list for how good he’s been over his first couple of seasons. 

Bain’s 73 pressures since 2023 stand third among returning Power Four edge defenders while his 16.9% pass-rush win rate is fourth. His 82.7 run-defense grade this past season is also fourth in that same group. Bain can line up anywhere on the defensive line at 6-foot-3, 275 pounds and should remind many why he’s a first-round caliber talent now that he’s fully healthy.

5. Keldric Faulk, Auburn

Faulk has been one of Auburn’s starting edge defenders in each of his first two seasons and took a major step forward as a sophomore. His 83.8 PFF grade was more than 16 points better than what he posted as a freshman and is the fifth-best mark of any returning Power Four edge rusher. 

The former four-star recruit is at his best in the run game, tying for eighth among Power Four edges with 23 run-defense stops last year. Faulk is still developing moves as a pass rusher, but he did show improvement there with nine sacks and 45 pressures last year. Both those figures stood in the top 20 of the Power Four.

6. LT Overton, Alabama

Overton was a top-15 overall recruit in the 2022 class but failed to live up to the hype during his first two seasons at Texas A&M, posting a 61.5 PFF grade in that span.

A transfer to Alabama did wonders for his development, as he ended the year as one of the 15 most valuable edge defenders in America. Overton’s 18% pass-rush win rate was a top-30 mark in the nation while his 81.7 run-defense grade was 25th. He blurs the line between an edge rusher and defensive tackle at 283 pounds and can line up anywhere along the defensive line and succeed.

7. Tyreak Sapp, Florida

Sapp enjoyed a major breakout in his fourth season with the Gators. His 90.4 PFF grade placed 10th among all edge defenders in America and second among returning ones. 

The former defensive tackle is at his best in the run game, placing fourth among all FBS edges in run-defense grade (88.7) while tying for fourth among Power Four ones in tackles for loss/no-gain (13). Sapp is a more than capable pass-rusher as well, earning an 82.2 grade in that regard. He plays with natural pad level at 6-foot-2 with the strength to stack-and-shed blockers very well.

8. Mikail Kamara, Indiana

Kamara was one of many former James Madison Dukes to follow head coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana. While he leveled up in competition by going from the Sun Belt to the Big Ten, the fifth-year senior upped his game as well. In fact, he led all FBS edges with 67 pressures last year while his 28 combined sacks/hits were the third-most in the nation. 

While his length at 6-foot-1 will be an issue for his NFL outlook, Kamara has a stocky build at 265 pounds with a quick first step and good hand usage.

9. Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State

The Nittany Lions may have lost the best edge in the country in Abdul Carter, but they’re still in a very good place at that position thanks to the return of DDS. Dennis-Sutton is tied for the most valuable returning Power Four edge over the last two years according to our wins above average metric and his 75 pressures in that span trail only T.J. Parker in that same group.

The former five-star recruit has all of the traits you’d look for in an edge and could climb this list with further development.

10. Derrick Moore, Michigan

Moore was one of the most efficient pass-rushers in the country last year. His 23.1% pass-rush win rate was fourth among all FBS edges while his 86.5 pass-rush grade was sixth in the Big Ten.

Moore has very good bend and a bull rush that can knock back even the largest offensive tackles. With Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant and Josaiah Stewart off to the league, it’ll be up to him and top-10 defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny to lead the next era of dominant defensive linemen in Ann Arbor.

Honorable Mention: Joshua Josephs, Tennessee

Josephs was part of a deep rotation of Tennessee defensive linemen but he made the most of his 353 snaps. The junior led all edge defenders in the nation with a 91.4 run-defense grade in 2024 and was one of only three edges in America who earned 85-plus grades as both a run defender and as a pass rusher.

Like his former teammate, James Pearce Jr., Josephs has an explosive get-off that allows him to blow up blockers before they even know what hit them. And like Pearce, he can become a first-round pick if he can keep up this level of play under a heavier workload next season.

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