2015 NFL Draft: Elite Pass-Rushers Getting After the Quarterbacks

The 2015 NFL Draft is littered with talented pass rushers with many projected to go within the first two rounds. Let’s take a look at the top ten pass rushers entering this years draft.

The ability to effectively pass the football is at a premium in the NFL today. The game revolves around quarterbacks and the most successful teams have perennial Pro Bowl talents at quarterback. Take a look at the four quarterbacks to reach championship weekend: Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady. Brady and Rodgers have already established themselves as future Hall of Famers while Luck and Wilson have made tremendous strides since entering the league in the 2012 NFL Draft. While the importance of throwing the ball is at an all time high, NFL teams are constantly looking for new players to rush the passer. A strong pass rush can help neutralize passing attacks and slow down even the top tier quarterbacks in the league.

1. Vic Beasley, Clemson

Over the past two seasons, Vic Beasley has been one of the most dominant, consistent pass rushers in the entire country -tallying 13 sacks in 2013 and 11 sacks in 2014. He is extremely fast off the ball, and has a good repertoire of pass rush moves to go along with his blinding speed off the edge. His athleticism leaps off the screen whenever he rushes the passer. The only issue with Beasley is that he will have to play linebacker in the NFL as he simply doesn’t have the weight to hold up in the run game against tackles in the NFL. However, with his athleticism, rushing the passer from a 2-point stance shouldn’t be a problem for him.

2. Randy Gregory, Nebraska

After transferring from Arizona Western Community College in 2013, Randy Gregory was an impact pass rusher immediately upon arriving at Nebraska. He racked up 16.5 sacks in two seasons  even though he missed a few games due to injuries. At 6’6″ he has the prototypical size and length for an NFL defensive end to match with top notch athletic ability. Add in a developed set of pass rush moves and its clear Gregory has elite pass rushing potential for the NFL level.

3. Shane Ray, Missouri

Exit Michael Sam and Kony Ealy, enter Shane Ray and Markus Golden. Ray is the better half of the most recent Missouri pass rushing duo. He tallied 4.5 sacks in limited playing time in 2013, but exploded for 14.0 sacks in 2014. He is utterly relentless off the edge giving maximum effort each time the ball is snapped. His pass rush moves might be best out of the players on this list, but only one season of serious playing time keeps him behind Beasley and Gregory.

4. Dante Fowler, Florida

Since arriving on Florida’s campus as one of the top recruits in the nation, Dante Fowler has played every position in the front seven for the Gators defense. However, the best fit for Fowler is clearly as an edge rusher where he uses his tremendous strength and instinct to get heat on the quarterback. His dominant performance against ECU in the Birmingham Bowl (3 sacks) showed that he has the skills to be an impact player at the next level. Right now, Fowler typically uses pure strength or speed to rush the passer, but that won’t work against NFL offensive lineman. He needs to develop some pass rush moves to reach his full NFL potential.

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5. Leonard Williams, University of Southern California

A player doesn’t have to be an edge defender to be considered a pass-rushing threat. Leonard Williams fits that bill. Williams generates a ton of pressure from the middle of the defensive line, and at times uses his freakish ability to rush from the edge as well. Men that are 6’5″ 300lbs shouldn’t be able to move the way that he does, but this allows him to generate a lethal pass rush from the interior.

6. Danny Shelton, Washington

Danny Shelton has been a load at the point of attack for the Washington Huskies during his career there. This past season he collected nine sacks, though that number is a little inflated as he racked up four sacks against 1-AA opponent Eastern Washington. At 330-plus pounds, he is able to collapse the pocket with ease and has surprising burst for a player his size. He stands around 6’1″ or 6’2″ which allows him to easily gain leverage against taller offensive lineman. His size, burst, and relentlessness allow him to wreck the line of scrimmage which bodes well for his NFL future.

7. Alvin “Bud” Dupree, Kentucky

Alvin Dupree has been a consistent performer for a lackluster Kentucky program over the past three years, earning a total of 21.5 sacks in that time span. He is good athlete and has the size to set the edge at 6’4″ 264lbs, while having the speed to get a good burst off the snap and beat tackles off the line of scrimmage. One has to wonder how his production would be if he was consistently surrounded by impact players in the rest of the front seven. His sack totals are impressive for being the only real threat on a Kentucky defense outside of the occasional flash from Za’Darius Smith.

8. Markus Golden, Missouri

The other half of the 2014 Missouri pass-rushing duo, Golden had a very productive year with 8.5 sacks across from Shane Ray —  even though he missed some time due to injury during the season. Like Ray, Golden is a good athlete with a great motor on the field, though he is not the caliber athlete as the edge rushers listed above. Golden is still talented enough to go in the second round of the draft which really preaches to the depth and talent of the pass rushers in this draft class.

9. Hau’oli Kikaha, Washington

Missouri wasn’t the only team that featured two standout pass rushers in 2014. Washington had the duo of Shelton and Kikaha to really get after the quarterback. Kikaha led the nation in sacks in 2014 with 19 after collecting 13 in 2013. He was extremely consistent, acquiring a sack in every game this season. He isn’t the most explosive athlete, but makes up for it with a great repertoire of pass rushing moves and an utterly relentless motor. The only real concern with Kikaha are the two torn ACLs he suffered early in his career.

10. Eli Harold, Virginia

Eli Harold was about as productive as he could be for a struggling Virginia defense that featured him as the only true impact player in the front seven, and maybe the entire defense. He struggled from the same situation as Alvin Dupree with even worse talent than Kentucky boasted as a whole. He was still able to accumulate 15.5 sacks over the past two seasons despite having little to no help in the front seven. He’s not the same caliber athlete as Dupree and didn’t produce in the same manner as Kikaha over his Washington tenure —  the reason he lands at number 10 on the list of pass rushers.

All ten of the players on this list could feasibly go in the first two rounds of the 2015 NFL Draft. It truly is a special year for pass rushers with a plethora of impact players that could make some noise in their rookie seasons.