As the 2026 NFL Draft approaches, we’re breaking down position rankings individually based on the big boards of Yahoo Sports NFL Draft experts Nate Tice and Charles McDonald.
More position rankings: QB | WR | DL
1. Rueben Bain Jr., Miami
Bain has been an all-star defender pairing a powerful frame with high-end athleticism to be an impactful player for one of the best defenses in the country. Bain has a shot to be the first edge rusher off the board, and for all concerns about his arm length, he’s already adjusted his game around that to focus on power and leverage on his way to the quarterback. — Charles McDonald
2. David Bailey, Texas Tech
Bailey might be the best pass rusher in the draft. He has a combination of get-off, bend, creativity and technical skills that should immediately allow him to be productive off the edge in the NFL. Bailey has some worrisome reps against the run, but he has enough flashes that it’s reasonable to believe he can be an average player in that regard in the NFL. His pass rush skills are enough to take him high. — CM
3. Keldric Faulk, Auburn
Faulk is a smooth athlete who can bend and knife inside on stunts and really disrupt run games. He has developed a much better pass rush plan this season and with vastly improved hand usage. He is built like a traditional 4-3 defensive end, but Faulk aligns across the defensive line for Auburn and can be used as an inside pass rusher and even as a two-gapper in a three-down front. Faulk isn’t strictly a flashy player against the pass. He is willing to scrap against the run and will meet pullers at the point of attack and absolutely dominates tight ends in the run game. His fluidity, length and hard-working style has all the makings of a disruptive edge. Faulk still has room for improvement, but he’s young and has already shown the ability to take over games, but not quite consistently. Even if it doesn’t always show up in the box score, Faulk is already a strong run defender who will translate to the next level. Even if he becomes just an average pass rusher, that’s a good defender to have on your team. — Nate Tice
4. T.J. Parker, Clemson
Clemson, as it has done for many years, has multiple highly-touted defensive linemen in consideration for the early portions of the draft. The athletic, heavy-handed Parker joins defensive tackle Peter Woods in the top-25 of this big board. Parker might not have the super athletic traits to end up as a perennial 10-sack player in the NFL, but he has the chance to at least be a plus starter on quality defensive lines in the future. At 263 pounds, Parker’s frame gives him the option to either be a true defensive end in a four-man front or get a little heavier to be a flex player in more creative defenses. — CM
5. Zion Young, Missouri
He’s a rugged defender who doesn’t have ideal bend but can knock blockers back to collapse the pocket and has the strength and length to set the edge in the run game. Young has some versatility to move across the defensive line in sub-packages and is an overall competitive player who takes it to blockers every snap and will try to chase plays down. His heavy-handed style reminds me a bit of old Patriots defender Trey Flowers. — NT
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6. R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma
Every defense could use a dirty work edge defender and Thomas fits that bill easily. He doesn’t necessarily excel in every single task, but he is at least competent as an all-around player and shows real flashes of brilliance throughout his film. He was a big reason why the Sooners’ defensive line was one of the most feared in the country and should be a high-end rotation player at worst in the NFL. — CM
7. Akheem Mesidor, Miami
Age (he will be 25 on draft day) and medicals are going to be Mesidor’s big hang-ups. But, man, he can rush the passer and is relentless in doing so. Mesidor can vary his pass rush moves and has shows the ability to win with an arsenal of moves or with power. He doesn’t have overwhelming length, but can get his hands inside to drive blockers back. He also has aligned across the defensive line over his college career, opening up positional versatility for sub packages at the next level. Mesidor looks like he can be a good secondary pass rusher for a team that plays with relentless energy. But he might be maxed out as a player, too. — NT
8. Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State
Another Penn State edge dominated the scouting combine — stop me if you’ve heard this before. Dennis-Sutton, a long-time contributor for the Nittany Lions’ defense over the years, cemented his status as at least a Day 2 pick by having an outrageous workout relative to his size. Dennis-Sutton had nearly a 40-inch vertical leap and was an inch away from 11 feet on the broad jump. He cemented himself as one of the most explosive players in this draft class and has a solid all-around game to give him credence beyond the athletic results. — CM
9. Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
Howell is a bit more of an idea than a solidified edge prospect who should be starting early in his NFL career. He was fast at the scouting combine, but had some poor scores in the jumps that highlight a concern with him as a player: the ability to be stout and explosive at the point of attack, and not sacrifice the integrity of the defense. This is a player who feels like the ultimate boom-bust defensive lineman in this year’s class. — CM
10. Romello Height, Texas Tech
I’m a little partial to him. Older player (25 when he’s drafted), but he’s got some juice, and he’s twitchy. He’s not big, but I view him somewhere between pick 50 and 75. I’m comfortable with him going Round 3. I warmed up to him, and he’d have some plays that were almost as impressive as David Bailey. I think there’s a role for him in the league, even if it’s as a designated pass rusher. — NT
