My Favourite Day-3 Edge’s

Welcome back to my series of favourite day 3 players. Today, we are talking edges. Very much a position of need for the Lions, I can definitely see GM Brad Holmes double-dipping in this deep edge class. As this class is so deep, I will list my top 15 this time before going into depth on 10 day-3 prospects. I will take their average position from two consensus boards, Mock Draft Database and Detroit Lions Podcast, if this average ranking is 110+ then I will consider them a day 3 guy.

My Top 10:

1. Rueben Bain – Miami

2. David Bailey – Texas Tech

3. Arvell Reese – Ohio State

4. TJ Parker – Clemson

5. Keldric Faulk – Auburn

6. Cashius Howell – Texas A&M

7. Gabe Jacas – Illinois

8. Malachi Lawrence – UCF

9. Akheem Mesidor – Miami

10. Zion Young – Missouri

11. R Mason Thomas – Oklahoma

12. Derrick Moore – Michigan

13. Joshua Josephs – Tennessee

14. LT Overton – Alabama

15. Romello Height – Texas Tech

All these players are consensus day 1 or 2 picks. But you’re here for the day-3 guys…..

Mikail Kamara – Indiana – Average Consensus Rank: 180

Kamara is number 17 on my edge list. The redshirt senior has appeared in 51 games, 50 of which were starts. He gets in the backfield on a regular basis, with 45 career TFLs and 23.5 sacks during his college career, which started at James Madison before he followed his head coach, Curt Cignetti, to Indiana. Those of you who follow college football will know that Kamara thrived in Bloomington, racking up 10 sacks in 2024 and although he did not match these numbers in 2025, he was a crucial part of what was, in my opinion, the best defence in college football.

At 6’1’’ he is an outlier at the position, so probably lacks the length desired by most NFL teams, which is why he will be available on day-3. He is a good weight though, listed at 262 lbs, and this shows in his run defence, he uses this weight along with his ability to leverage against offensive tackles to set a good edge and as his TFL numbers will tell you he has the technique to shed blocks and disrupt the play. In the passing game, he relies on technique to get after the quarterback, he is not a top-end athlete, nor does he have elite bend but, due to his height, he does have the ability to get low, making it hard for the tackle to get hands on him at times.

I have a late third-round grade on Kamara, he’ll end up somewhere around 120 on my big board. I see no reason why his technique and tenacity won’t translate to the NFL, however I do think he lacks the top-end athleticism to be a consistent double-digit sack guy but he’s the type of player who plays for a decade in the league and defensive coordinators love. He’s just a FOOTBALL PLAYER!

Mason Reiger – Wisconsin – Average Consensus Rank: 212

The sixth-year senior started his career at Louisville, he has appeared in 44 games racking up 13 sacks. But let's talk about the elephant in the room, there are some injury concerns with Reiger, but not in the usual sense. He does not have a long injury history, he’s had one significant issue, which was in 2024 when he missed the season with a knee injury, widely accepted to be an ACL tear. By the time he was in shape to suit up again, he had undergone 5 further operations on his knee. During this time Louisville advised him to medically retire, but Reiger wasn’t giving up easily, he transferred to Wisconsin where he played this past year.

Reiger is an explosive player who can get upfield quickly and constantly challenge the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle, this often forces the tackle to overset, opening up the inside, Reiger often exploits this. His 1.61s 10-yard split, 40’’ vertical and 10’5’’ broad jump at the combine are also evidence of his athleticism. Despite this, he doesn’t have a deep bag of tricks when it comes to rushing the passer, could do with diversifying his arsenal. In the run game, he set a decent edge but can struggle to disengage from offensive linemen.

The Lions are reportedly very interested in Reiger, speaking with him at his pro day, combine and probably the Shrine Bowl too. I have a mid-fourth round grade on Reiger and expect him to go somewhere in that range.

Caden Curry – Ohio State – Average Consensus Rank: 155

Curry is a four-year Buckeye with 54 appearances but only 14 starts. All 14 of these starts came this past year after he spent his first three years buried on the depth chart, there is no shame in that at a program like Ohio State. The former 4-star recruit broke out his senior year with 11 sacks and was part of one of the best defences in the country.

Despite being slightly higher than consensus on him, I don’t think the tape always matches the production. He can often get stuck on blocks in the run game and does not consistently threaten the outside shoulder of the tackle. Why? Well, firstly he lacks length, he’s just under 6’3’’ which is fine, but his arms are only just over 30’’ and this shows when engaged with a blocker – he is unable to create the separation to shed the block. He also lacks top-end athleticism which was highlighted when he opted not to take part in any testing at the combine. However, I do like the way he plays with power, especially when he gets into the chest of the offensive lineman, the timing of his counters is also fairly good. Finally, he plays hard, fast and through the whistle which I love.

Realistically, Curry’s ceiling is lower than most of the other players on this list mainly due to the lack of length and athleticism, his floor however, may be higher. I don’t see Curry being a starter, but he will be an effective backup in my opinion, I graded him as a late 4^th round pick.

Max Lleywellyn – Iowa – Average Consensus Rank: 175.5

A big year was expected from the redshirt senior, who clocked up his 43^rd appearance for the Hawkeyes in 2025, but he did not live up to expectations. He notched up 6.5 sacks, bringing his career tally to 14.5, which for a player whose calling card is pass rushing, is a little disappointing. However, I believe the tape shows a little more promise.

Let's start with the good, he has a pass rush plan, which is becoming increasingly rare amongst draft prospects, he knows how to set up a tackle and has a variety of pass rush moves to finish the rep. His spin move is ridiculous, one of the best I’ve seen, he does rely on this and other inside moves a bit too often for my liking. This is probably because I think he lacks the bend to win consistently around the outside, first step is good but not top-end and he can get fairly easily slowed down if the tackle lands his first punch. He flashes a decent long-arm move as his power option. In run defence, he really struggles to set an edge, gets moved far too easily and lacks the power to take on pullers. All of this is disappointing given that he is 258 lbs, so not a small man.

Early in his NFL career he will be a designated pass rusher only, while he works on his run defence. If it all comes together, he could end up being a good starting edge in the league, that is a big IF though. Late 4^th is where I have him graded.

Jaishawn Barham – Michigan – Average Consensus Rank: 135

The first ‘tweener on the list, the senior has played the majority of his college snaps at off-ball linebacker, he moved to a more pass-rushing role in his last year. He transferred from Maryland to play for the Wolverines in 2024. Barham was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school and the no. 10 linebacker, he started as a freshman for Maryland and has gone on to appear in 48 games with 47 starts, but we need to focus on his most recent season in Ann Arbor, as I believe that to make it in the NFL he needs to be a pass rusher rather than a linebacker.

Barham is an intriguing player, he currently relies too much on his athleticism to beat offensive tackles, he’s a good athlete but not elite in my opinion. His length, 6’3 ½’’ with nearly 33’’ arms, paired with his good bend and ability to flatten the angle to the quarterback tells me there is plenty of potential here, I just think he needs to refine his technique a bit and add some more variety to his pass rush bag. As a run defender, he does have some good pop in his hands and flashes the ability to shed blocks quickly and effectively, if he doesn’t win quickly though, he can get stuck and displaced from the line of scrimmage. There are also times that he guesses where the run is going and loses edge contain, however this may be what Michigan is asking of him.

I’m not sure I ever see Barham becoming a starting traditional edge in the NFL, i think he is best suited to a 3-4 outside linebacker role on a team that likes to send their linebackers after the quarterback, someone like the Vikings. In Detroit, he would be best served as a SAM linebacker as Derrick Barnes’ long-term replacement? I have a 4^th/5^th round grade on him, slightly lower than consensus.

Vincent Anthony Jr – Duke - Average Consensus Rank: 185

A long, slender-looking edge rusher who has spent 4 years with Duke amassing 49 games with 15 career sacks. The former 3-star prospect played 490 snaps as a freshman, going on to play 1887 career snaps. At 6’5 ½’’ with over 34’’ arms and a massive 84’’ wingspan, it’s easy to see why an NFL team would like him. I was left slightly underwhelmed by his combine performance other than his broad jump which was 10’3’’, both his 10-yard split, 1.67s and vertical jump, 32.5’’ are below average.

Although he flashes some power, and I believe there is more to come there, Anthony Jr is a speed rusher, his wins mainly come with a ghost move and a nice double-hand swipe. This means he’s a constant threat to the outside shoulder of offensive tackles where he can show off his great bend to round the corner to the quarterback. He does, however, lack a consistent inside option to exploit the space when a tackle over-sets. Against the run, he is inconsistent, I’d expect someone with his length to be able to set an edge and show the ability to disengage from blocks, I didn’t see this on Anthony Jr’s tape that I watched. He lacks any pop in his hands which allows the offensive lineman to dictate the rep, he is often moved off the line of scrimmage. I don’t know if this is a coaching, strength or mental issue for Anthony Jr, but it will need to improve in the NFL.

I really like the ceiling for Anthony Jr., who I have graded as a late 5^th/early 6^th round player, but I can see a team falling in love with his length and taking him early. He needs to improve his run defence, utilise his power on a more regular basis and add some diversity to his pass rush arsenal, specifically some inside moves. If he manages this he could have a long and productive NFL career.      

Nyjalik Kelly – UCF – Average Consensus Rank: 297

Similar in many ways to Vincent Anthony Jr, Kelly looks like he can scratch his ankles without bending over. His 35 ¼’’ arms are 96^th percentile for the position, 82 ½'’ wingspan on his nearly 6’5 ½’’, 256 lbs frame, he's about 10 lbs away from the ideal build for an edge. He committed to Miami (FL) as a four-star recruit in 2022 where he played 12 games as a freshman, contributing with 4 sacks. After an injury-affected sophomore season, he transferred to UCF where he tallied 17 TFL’s and 8.5 sacks over two years as a Knight.

I thought his get-off was good, albeit not elite, so I was slightly disappointed with his 1.69s 10-yard split at the combine, his 37’’ vertical jump does show he has explosiveness. He uses long strides to close the gap between him and the tackle, he can get quick depth on his pass rushes, but does take it too far at times, opening escape lanes for quarterbacks. He has these massive arms but seems hesitant to use them when rushing the passer, he lacks an inside move too. He does use his arms in the run game where he sets a decent edge and flashes the ability to shed blockers easily but it’s currently inconsistent.

The tape outshines the production for Kelly, who has only 8.5 sacks over the last two seasons. There is definitely a player here, he needs some good coaching to iron out some technical flaws but the foundation for a long NFL career is set. I have an early fifth-round grade on Kelly.

Tyreak Sapp – Florida – Average Consensus Rank: 186.5

After two long, speedy edge rushers, it’s time for us to make a 180 and talk about a run-stuffing fire hydrant at just over 6’2’’ and weighing 273 lbs. The redshirt senior started this season as a projected top 50 pick but has suffered a significant fall as a result of a drop in production, 13 TFL’s and 7 sacks in 2024, down to 3.5 and 1 in 2025. So what happened? I have no idea, other than Florida having an awful year and firing their head coach. I do wonder whether he was impacted by not having DT Caleb Banks by his side for most of the season, not that a program like Florida should struggle to field a competitive defensive line, even with a top-40 pick missing.

Few people get as excited as I do about run defence, and Sapp was an elite college run defender, so you can see why I like him. I see no reason why this level of play won’t continue in the pro’s. Sapp does not have good length with 32’’ arms, but this does not show on tape, he looks and plays bigger than he is. He has a powerful upper body, shown by his 28 bench press reps at the combine, which allows him to neutralise any momentum an offensive lineman has. I don’t remember seeing a single rep in which he was moved off the line of scrimmage and he shows the ability to shed a blocker at will. Now, his pass rush is a different conversation, he has a subpar first step and doesn’t threaten the outside shoulder at all. He does possessthe upper body strength, leverage and leg drive that equate to a good bull rush, which he does show from time to time. When he does get into the backfield, both in the run and pass game, he can miss tackles due to a lack of agility.

I really like Sapp, he is probably already very close to his ceiling, I don’t see much realistic room for improvement. Even if he becomes more consistent with his bull rush, he will only ever be a pocket crusher from the edge position, he does tend to have more success inside against guards. I think Sapp has a chance to be an early starter on first and second downs, with the ability to play in the NFL for a long time. He graded as a mid-high fifth-round talent for me.

Keyshawn James-Newby – New Mexico – Average Consensus Rank: 390

James-Newby first appeared on my radar at the beginning of the 2024 season when he was still at Idaho. He played against my Oregon Ducks, going head-to-head with two offensive tackles that were drafted in the following April, one of which was a first-rounder, Josh Conerly Jr, and Ajani Cornelius. James-Newby was the reason that the game remained close going into the fourth quarter, he got the better of Cornelius on the majority of plays and even had a couple of wins on Conerly Jr.

I have watched him play against Oregon in 2024 and Michigan in 2025 and was impressed by how he played against this level of competition. At just under 6’2’’, 240 lbs with 32 ¾’’ arms he has the build of a speed rusher, and while he is very effective with speed moves, I was pleasantly surprised with how much he rushed with power, he has an effective bull rush and flashed a long-arm move. This power also showed in the run game, where he rarely got pushed off the ball and was able to set an edge, where he struggled was shedding that block, he often had to concede ground in order to break the grip of the offensive lineman.

I really, really like James- Newby, he plays with great intensity and is often in the backfield, I would love to see him in Detroit. He will probably start as a designated pass rusher in the NFL but will not be a liability versus the run either, I can’t wait to see his career continue at the next level. I have a mid-fifth-round grade on the former JUCO star.

Nadame Tucker – Western Michigan – Average Consensus Rank: 169

An interesting study, a former JUCO star who transferred to Houston, made next to no contribution for three years, entered the portal again, this time he ended up at Western Michigan where he was incredibly productive, 21 TFL’s, 14.5 sacks in 2025 alone. So why the jump in production? For a start, he actually played, starting in all 13 games, he is also an older prospect, he played his final year in college as a 25-year-old man, playing against younger prospects, maybe this aided his production, maybe it didn’t.

Tucker’s get-off is really good, but not because of athletic explosiveness, but because he times the snap so well that he’s often two steps into his rush before the offensive tackle has moved, who then has to over-set to protect his outside shoulder. This opens the door for Tucker’s favourite move when he flashes across the face of the tackle beating his inside shoulder. He does lack a power aspect to his game which shows in both the run and pass game. He’s a gap-shooter versus the run, doesn’t set an edge and can’t get off a blocker when engaged.

Now, I love the MAC, but realistically how many of the offensive tackles that Tucker played against will play in the NFL? Not many. For me, Tucker will never be more than a designated pass rusher in the NFL which still has value in today's game. I can’t see him ever being able to constantly play the run in the pros. He needs to add strength and power and refine his run game technique, for a player who will be a 26-year-old rookie, is concerning. I have a late fifth-round grade on Tucker.

There are so many others I could have talked about in this edge class, if there’s anyone you want to read about let me know in the comments.