EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The edge rushers at the top of the 2022 NFL draft come in all shapes and sizes with a wide range of skills. The New York Giants have a need at the position, hold the No. 5 and No. 7 overall picks and will consider several potential fits.
There is Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson, projected by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and many other draft analysts to be the No. 1 overall pick. Hutchinson stands almost 6-foot-7, 260 pounds and has the best technique of the bunch.
Georgia’s Travon Walker (6-5, 272) is working his way up draft boards with his power and eye-catching skills for his size. His 4.51-second time in the 40-yard dash was the fastest by a 270-pound player at the combine since at least 2006. Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson II showed quick hands and feet and the production to match (11.5 sacks) as a senior. Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux is not especially big for the position (6-4, 254), but has a first step that tantalizes the upside crowd.
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The sheer variety of edge rushers is the beauty of the position, and this year’s draft is no different. Not everyone is Von Miller (Buffalo Bills) or Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns), the pass-rushing prototypes who most anyone could scout and predict their greatness. It’s a position where seemingly flawed prospects such as 2021 NFL defensive player of the year T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who was considered an effort rusher and selected 30th overall in 2017, continuously prove the evaluations wrong.
So where does it all go bad? What is non-negotiable when scouting edge rushers and determining what really makes them effective getting to the quarterback at the next level?
“If you start focusing on just the measurables and you try to create something, sometimes you can get yourself in…
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