If your team needs a standout edge rusher for its 4-3 or 3-4 base defense in the 2022 NFL Draft, it should be able to find someone up and down the board to do the job, either as a top-flight starter or an impactful rotational player.
Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson is still holding down the No. 1 spot as the best, most relentless sack artist, but he's quickly found a lot of top-flight company early in the first round. There are fewer scheme- and alignment-dependent and a lot of energetic pass rushers with a variety of moves, with the level of refinement necessary being the biggest separator from the greatest to the still very good.
Here's The Sporting News' ranking of the 10 best pass-rushers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
MORE NFL DRAFT: TSN's 7-round mock | Top 200 big board
NFL Draft prospects 2022: Pass rusher rankings
1. Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan (6-6, 260 pounds)
Hutchinson used Michigan's big defensive breakout season with Jim Harbaugh to prove he's a lot more than a relentless finisher. He's a technically sound and exceptionally strong prospect who was built to play 4-3 end but with his agility and expanding pass-rush moves, has proved he can handle multiple spots in.a 3-4. If Hutchinson slips from his No. 1 overall projection to the Jaguars, he shouldn't be getting past the in-state Lions at No. 2.
2. Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon (6-4, 254 pounds)
Thibodeaux is off the charts athletically in every aspect, an explosive pass rusher and agile pursuit man who covers a ton of ground. He also brings underrated power with the speed. He has just needs to play with more consistency and sell teams more on his passion for the game. Hutchinson has the established high floor, while Thibodeaux has the more devastating ceiling should he put it all together.
3. Travon Walker, Georgia (6-5, 272 pounds)
Walker was the unheralded part of the national championship defense, and ran with his rising stock with his individual showcase at the Combine. Now Walker is an explosive, versatile playmaker who can line up at multiple spots up front and can with with both athleticism and power. He's done so much in a quick rise that he, not Thibodeaux, is the serious challenger to Hutchinson's top spot. He won't be slipping out of the top-10 and may go in the top 5.
4. Jermaine Johnson II, Florida State (6-5, 254 pounds)
Johnson has some freakish qualities that can equate to more than just a flashy pass rusher. He also was part of Georgia's dominant defense at one point before getting his chance to spread his wings as a Seminole star. He has nice size and length is showing teams just how much he can and likes to get after it. He is a top-half first-round pick with a chance for the top 10.
5. David Ojabo, Michigan (6-4, 250 pounds)
Ojabo has flashed devastating pass-rush skills with his unique combination of speed and power, boosted by his relentless energy. Unfortunately, his meteoric rise almost parallel to his former college teammate Hutchinson's was curbed by suffered a Achilles' injury at Michigan's pro day. Ojabo has too much upside to fall out of the first round.
6. George Karlaftis, Purdue (6-4, 266 pounds)
There's one Greek freak playing in the NBA for the Milwaukee and this can be another version in the NFL if he can put it all together. Karlaftis possesses elite athleticism for his size and is still tapping into his immense pass-rush potential. Although he could grow to dominate in any scheme, he can be more effective in a 3-4. He is slipping at the position because of how Walker and Johnson shot up, but he's a first-half first-rounder who can be had now deep into the first round.
7. Boye Mafe, Minnesota (6-3, 261 pounds)
Mafe showed off his high-level athleticism and pass-rush explosiveness at the Senior Bowl and how it can quickly translate into production. He's been steadily rising through his workouts to the point he's worked himself from second-round sleeper to back-end first-rounder.
8. Arnold Ebiketie, Penn State (6-2, 250 punds)
Ebiketie offers good natural strength and explosiveness and with some polish can be a very effective all-around player. Like Ojabo and Karlaftis, he has also has some freakish qualities out of the Big Ten, only in a smaller package. He should be a early-to-mid second-rounder.
9. Logan Hall, Houston (6-6, 283 pounds)
Hall matches his size with quickness and explosiveness and backs that up with a variety of pass-rush moves, outside or inside. That versatility makes him appealing for the best hybrid schemes in the league, including the Patriots and Titans. He should also go in the range of Ebiketie.
10. Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma (6-3, 248 pounds)
Bonitto has good versatility and quickness for his size with balanced passing game skills as a rusher and cover man. He can either hold up as a compact, sturdy 4-3 end or find an active spot on a 3-4. He should also be in play within the second round, with several others behind him also having that potential.
