Possibly the Arizona Cardinals’ greatest offseason need is at the defensive edge at outside linebacker. Zaven Collins led the team in sacks with only five in 2024 and most of their outside linebackers (Dennis Gardeck, Baron Browning, Jesse Luketa, Victor Dimukeje, Julian Okwara) will all be free agents next month.
So that position is always one to pay attention to in both free agency and the 2025 NFL draft.
Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy gave an updated list of the top 50 prospects in the draft ahead of the NFL combine and, of the 50, nine are edge defenders.
In fact, four are in the top 20, meaning the Cardinals have a good shot at landing one of them with their first-round selection, No. 16 overall, should that be their desire.
Here are the edge rushers in the top 50.
Edge rushers in top 50 prospects of 2025 NFL draft
- No. 3: Abdul Carter, Penn State
- No. 7: Jalon Walker, Georgia
- No. 18: Mykel Williams, Georgia
- No. 20: Mike Green, Marshall
- No. 22: Semar Stewart, Texas A&M
- No. 27: Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
- No. 30: James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
- No. 40: Landon Jackson, Arkansas
- No. 45: Kyle Kennard, South Carolina
The Cardinals also have the 47th pick of the draft, so they could have two shots at these players.
The NFL draft kicks off Thursday, April 24 in Green Bay, WI.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.