Renner’s 2027 NFL Draft scouting series: Who’s the No. 1 EDGE between Dylan Stewart and Colin Simmons?

The top of this edge class has a chance to be special. Dylan Stewart vs. Colin Simmons could end up being Jadeveon Clowney vs. Khalil Mack for a new generation of draft fans. 

Outside of those two, the 2027 class is loaded with prospects who look the part but relatively short on prospects who play the part. The good news is that this far out from the draft, the former is often more important than the latter. It will be a very fun class to track this fall for just that reason.

Positional rankings:  IOL • S • LB • DT • TE • OT • RB • CB • EDGE • WR • QB

Note: ⭐️ represents each player’s 247Sports star rating as a high school recruit

Class strength rating: 9/10

• Player type: Do-it-all edge
• Early grade: Top 10

Dylan Stewart’s absurd physical talent has been on display since the first time he stepped on a college field.

His combination of bend and burst looks closer to that of a cornerback than a 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive end. He’s the closest physical specimen to Myles Garrett since Garrett came out of Texas A&M in 2017. 

While Stewart’s strength hasn’t progressed the same way Garrett’s did after his freshman year — Garrett gained 30 pounds at Texas A&M to reach 270 by his junior year, while Stewart is listed at 250 — even 90% of Garrett is still an elite edge rusher in the NFL. He doesn’t need to show any more to be a top-10 pick.

• Player type: Speed rusher
• Early grade: Top 10

Colin Simmons is the modern prototype speed rusher, the kind who can get by in the 240s because he’s so athletic and overtly physical. With how much defenses use stunts and slanting blitzes, those kinds of athletes are incredibly valuable. If you’re slow out of your stance against him, you’re toast. He’s yet another prospect who doesn’t have to play another down to go top 10.

Renner’s 2027 NFL Draft big board: Preseason top 100 as Arch Manning headlines a potentially historic class

Mike Renner

• Player type: 4-3 defensive end
• Early grade: Late Day 1/Early Day 2

There were a couple of defensive linemen on Clemson last year who entered the season with a lot more hype, but by the end of the year, no one was more effective than Will Heldt. 

At 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds, it’s hard not to see some pre-breakout Aidan Hutchinson when watching Heldt’s tape. That’s because at that size, he doesn’t so much win with pure power but rather bend and agility. He’s got a whirlwind spin move that he deploys in obvious passing situations that will be even more of a weapon in a defense without so many schemed rushes.

I’d like him to get better as a pure bull rusher, but as someone who’s relatively young for a senior (he turned 21 in February), there’s still time for improvement in that regard.

• Player type: 4-3/3-4 defensive end
• Early grade: Early Day 2

I got to Sahir West’s tape late in the summer and most certainly did not expect a James Madison transfer to UCLA to be one of the most physically impressive defensive ends in the class. At 6-foot-3 and 279 pounds, 

Sahir West can move. Obviously, you’d expect an end that big to win with power, and he does, but there are a handful of times a game when he leaves offensive linemen grasping at air.

He didn’t even get many true pass-rushing opportunities last season, as James Madison heavily featured three-man rushes, and he still notched seven sacks. If he can pin his ears back more this fall, his production should soar.

• Player type: Toolsy project
• Early grade: Day 2

Don’t let Tennessee’s heavy edge rotation, which kept Jordan Ross largely under wraps last season with just 249 snaps, make you think Ross is a normal backup. He’s a former five-star with an ideal edge-rusher frame, bend and explosiveness. It’s all there physically for him to end up a first-rounder. 

You see flashes of everything, but nothing is particularly consistent. That’s not too concerning, though, for an inexperienced redshirt freshman. It’s really just a matter of reps and block awareness at this point. If he gets those at LSU, he’ll fly up boards.

• Player type: Toolsy project
• Early grade: Day 2

Yhonzae Pierre’s scouting report is eerily similar to the man above him on this list except he’s just a year older. Pierre barely saw the field his first two seasons at Alabama before a breakout eight-sack campaign last fall.

The only thing standing between him and a first-round selection is consistency in his power. He has the physical tools to be a bull rusher and hard edge-setter, but he ran hot and cold in both regards on tape.

• Player type: Power end
• Early grade: Day 2

Matayo Uiagalelei is a former five-star who started as a true freshman for Oregon in 2023 and has gotten steadily better ever since. He’s never quite made the leap to dominance, though, which may be due to the fact that he’s young for his grade and only turned 21 in July. He’s a power player who wins through opponents’ chests.

• Player type: Sub-package rusher
• Early grade: Late Day 2

While every other prospect in this top 10 has a relatively ideal frame for the edge position in some way, Clev Lubin decidedly does not. He’s got a squatty build for an edge with shorter arms and a bit of an awkward gait. 

When he fires off the line to rush the passer, though, it’s like someone strapped NOS to his back. Add a relentless motor, and it’s easy to see him still working out in the league despite not being the prototype.

• Player type: Power end
• Early grade: Late Day 2

It’s rare to describe an Ohio State defensive lineman as a project with legendary line coach Larry Johnson, yet that’s where I see Kenyatta Jackson Jr. in his development. That’s not terribly encouraging for a player heading into his fifth year, but Jackson has traits that are going to be hard to give up on — especially his play strength. 

He’d line up as a 3-technique in bear fronts last year and stack-and-shed guards with ease. That kind of ability will at least give him a high floor against the run at the next level.

• Player type: Toolsy project
• Early grade: Late Day 2

This is a tall top 10, and Boubacar Traore fits right into that mix at 6-foot-5. He looks the part coming off the bus, and his high-end flashes do as well. He came back from a torn ACL in 2024 to be Notre Dame’s best pass rusher last year. 

I just wish he played with more active hands, as he has a lot of rushes where I’m not sure what he’s even trying to do.

Ranking all 191 first-round NFL Draft picks since 2020: Best, worst selections of the decade

Mike Renner

Three names to watch

Note: These aren’t necessarily the next three players in my rankings, but rather three prospects who caught my eye for one reason or another.

Chris Cole and Quintavius Johnson (Georgia)

When watching tape of Chris Cole and Quintavius Johnson, former Georgia first-rounder Jalon Walker came to mind for both. With Cole, it’s the role he played last year as an off-ball/on-ball hybrid that was similar to Walker’s in 2024, and I could easily see Cole making a similar transition to the edge. Truthfully, his body type is even more suited for it than Walker’s.

With Johnson, it’s the overt physicality that Walker played with. He’s a grown man in the run game, even if his pass-rushing bag is a work in progress.

Teitum Tuioti (Oregon)

Teitum Tuioti may not have the prototypical traits of an early-round defensive end, but he knows how to play the position inside and out. He should, after all, as his father has been Oregon’s defensive line coach since the 2022 season. While I trend more toward the athletes in summer scouting, by the time the pre-draft process rolls around, I’m a sucker for pass rushers with a well-refined toolbox.

Taylor Wein (Oklahoma)

Taylor Wein is a distinctly different type of defensive lineman from everyone else on this list. At 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, he’s a bit of a tweener, and his most impressive reps came rushing from the interior. That’s because lateral agility is his calling card. He can knife around guards with ease. His best bet may be continuing to bulk up to play on the interior with the way the NFL game is going.

Superlatives

• Most NFL ready: Colin Simmons (Texas)
• Most versatile: Sahir West (UCLA)
• Best pass rusher: Colin Simmons (Texas)
• Best vs. run: Teitum Tuioti (Oregon)
• Most athletic: Dylan Stewart (South Carolina)
• Top non-Power-4: Braydin Ward (Marshall)
• If only they were bigger: Marquise Lightfoot (Miami (FL))