2019 NFL Draft: 11 Edge prospects that fit the Kansas City Chiefs

While there are a lot of great first round edge prospects in this draft class, the problem for the Chiefs is most of them are unlikely to still be on the board at No 29 where the Chiefs are slated to pick. Nick Bosa, Josh Allen, and Brian Burns seem to be the consensus top three edge prospects. I don’t see the Chiefs trading up high enough to draft one of them. (Burns is a little smaller than my minimum size requirements as well.)

However, these other three prospects could be an option if they fall far enough. If you wanted to expand this list to interior defensive linemen it would add even more names (like Jerry Tillery), but today we’re just focusing on guys that play the edge.

Clelin Ferrell – Clemson

If there was one edge prospect that I would love to see the Chiefs land in the first round, it would probably be Clemson’s Clelin Ferrell. The 6-4, 264 pound Ferrell was a force getting after the quarterback last season. Pro Football Focus (whose pass rushing numbers I’ll be using throughout this piece) credited him with 13 sacks, 11 quarterback hits, and 32 hurries. The only other player with better numbers on this list is Jaylon Ferguson (more on him later).

Ferrell put up those numbers against strong competition, and he also has the size and strength to hold up in the run game as well. In addition to his impressive combination of size/strength/athleticism, Ferrell has really great hand technique that he uses to work past offensive tackles. If Ferrell was somehow still on the board when K.C. picks, he would be a no brainer. He might even be a temptation to trade up for should he fall into the teens in the first round.

You can see Ferrell in action in the tweet below.

Montez Sweat – Mississippi State

Montez Sweat is another elite edge prospect who I’m sure the Chiefs would be interested in, should he fall far enough in the first round. Sweat is probably even less likely to fall than Ferrell is thanks to his blazing time of 4.41 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

Sweat wins more off the edge with his explosive speed than Ferrell does with his combo of power/athleticism/hand technique. However, unlike some other players that win off the edge with speed, Sweat is able to hold up well in the run game as well. He’s a little lankier than Ferrell, but his tape does show an every-down player. Like Ferrell he’d be a fantastic pick if he fell all the way to K.C., but it’s much more likely that they would need to trade up to land him.

In the tweet below you can see Sweat getting by first round prospect Dalton Risner.

Rashan Gary – Michigan

There may not be a more freakish athlete on this list than Michigan’s Rashan Gary. At 6-4, 277 pounds, he still moves incredibly well. There simply aren’t many humans on this earth that weigh 277 pounds, can do 26 bench press reps, and run a 4.58 forty time.

Here’s the problem, that freakish ability only shows up in flashes on his tape. If you simply watch Gary’s highlight reel you’d think he was an absolute lock to be a top ten pick (and he still could be), but when you watch every snap, you simply see too many downs in which his talents aren’t put to good use. Gary has the ability to get pressure off the edge, stop the run, and could even move inside next to Chris Jones on some passing downs.

The question will be if the Chiefs’ coaches believe they can get Gary to use his gifts more effectively in the NFL. If they can, he’d be a potential steal at the back end of the first round, but because of his up and down tape, I’d be nervous about the Chiefs giving up very much to move up in the draft to take him.

Next up let’s look at some guys the Chiefs could target in the second or third round.