The 'On The Clock' crew of Matt Williamson, Mike Prisuta and Max Starks take a look at the top prospects in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, which will be held in Pittsburgh later this month. Today, they take a second look at the defensive edge position.
Note: The opinions expressed here are their own and not those of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Matt's First Look
1. Arvell Reese, Ohio State, 6-4, 241 lbs.
2. David Bailey, Texas Tech, 6-4, 251 lbs.
3. Rueben Bain, Miami, 6-2, 263 lbs.
4. Malachi Lawrence, Central Florida, 6-4, 253 lbs.
5. Cashius Howell, Texas A&M, 6-2 1/2, 253 lbs.
Matt's Thoughts
My top five at this position hasn't changed. Noticeably absent are Auburn's Keldric Faulk (6-6, 274 lbs.) and Bain's teammate at Miami, Akheem Mesidor (6-3, 259 lbs.). Not that either is a poor prospect, but there are concerns about both. First off, Faulk really isn't anything resembling a traditional edge bender. He is probably best suited in a 3-4 defensive end role, and he is an excellent run defender. But Faulk is late off the ball and just isn't very twitchy. As for Mesidor, his advanced age and injury history are clear red flags and while he had an exceptional 2025 season, Mesidor did benefit a great deal from having Bain on the other side. Michigan's Derrick Moore (6-4, 255 lbs.) gets more attention than his teammate, Jaishawn Barham (6-3 ½, 240) but don't be surprised if Barham goes on to be the better pro. Barham has spent a lot of his football life as an off-the-ball linebacker so he is new to this position, but also shows the ability to drop into coverage. Barham is a tone setter though that just has a tenacious style to go alone with plenty of pure ability. As for Moore, he is a productive player that kept getting better at Michigan. Moore lacks discernable weaknesses, but also doesn't have stand out strengths. He projects as a rotational player in the NFL. Speaking of teammates, Faulk's Auburn teammate Keyron Crawford (6-4, 253 lbs.) is the better edge pass rusher of the two. Crawford really broke out in 2025 even though he didn't get a plethora of pass-rush opportunities. He isn't very long and doesn't look the part quite like Faulk does, but Crawford explodes off the ball and is really developing a pass-rushing repertoire. He is twitchy and plays with great effort.
Mike's First Look
1. Arvell Reese, Ohio State, 6-4, 241 lbs.
2. David Bailey, Texas Tech, 6-4, 251 lbs.
3. Rueben Bain, Miami, 6-2, 263 lbs.
4. Cashius Howell, Texas A&M, 6-2 1/2, 253 lbs.
5. Akheem Mesidor, Miami, Fla., 6-3, 259 lbs.
Mike's Thoughts
This remains a position with an abundance of candidates that will stack based on individual team preferences. The initial Top 5 remains as good an evaluation as any, and I'll stand with Western Michigan's Nadame Tucker (6-17/8, 247) as a sleeper who lacks experience and isn't noted for his run defense but can really rush the passer. Duke's Vincent Anthony (6-55/8, 258) had a three sack game against Illinois and drew rave reviews during his workout at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Michigan's Jaishawn Barham (6-31/2, 240) has played off-the-ball linebacker as well as EDGE and his effort got NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah's attention. "You can see him close from the backside," Jeremiah noted. "He can really run." Ohio State's Caden Curry (6-3, 257) isn't as flashy as some of his more-publicized Buckeyes teammates but had 16.5 tackles for a loss and 11 sacks on the way to earning Associated Press Third-Team All-America honors in a breakout 2025. Penn State's Dani Dennis-Sutton had 8.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons and led FBS with three blocked kicks in 2025. Auburn's Kendrick Faulk warrants first-round consideration thanks in part to his athleticism even though he's only a three-year player. "His effort is good, and coaches rave about his character/work ethic," Jeremiah reported. "Overall, I was hoping he would play with more ferocity but there's a lot to dream about with his potential." Romello Height (6-23/4, 239) played two seasons at Auburn, two at USC and one at Georgia Tech before registering 11.5 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks at Texas Tech in 2025. Gabe Jacas (6-4, 260) of Illinois had a combined eight sacks in his first two seasons, then eight more in 2024 and 11 last season. He also forced three fumbles in each of the last two campaigns. Oklahoma's Marvin Jones Jr. (6-4, 245) has bloodlines that include father Marvin "Shade Tree" Jones spending 10 seasons as a linebacker with the Jets after being selected fourth overall in 1993. Jr. played at Georgia and Florida State before finishing his four-year college career with the Sooners. UCF's Malachi Lawrence (6-4, 253) might have been a sleeper initially despite amassing a combined 19.5 sacks over the last three seasons, but then Indianapolis happened, including Lawrence posting a 4.52 40-yard dash. "I got a text from a player personnel guy when he ran," NFL Network analyst Charles Davis mentioned. "And it said, 'I love this guy. And unfortunately, everyone else is going to start to love him, too.'" Added Jeremiah: "You can see it, he's an athlete. He's helping himself (at the Combine)." Iowa's Max Llewellyn (6-6, 258) had a good season, a good Senior Bowl week and a good Combine, which came as no surprise to Jeremiah. "Llewellyn's just a good player," Jeremiah maintained. "Everything you see him do, he does it well." Clemson's T.J. Parker (6-35/8, 263) could also wind up as a first-round selection. He was better in 2024 than he was in 2025 but, "He's a really good player and I'm going to judge him off his best," Jeremiah insisted. "I think as he comes through this whole process he's really going to solidify himself as a a first-round pick. I'm a fan of what you see in the '24 film. I'm a fan of what you see late in '25 and what we've seen at the Senior Bowl and he's had a great workout (at the Combine). And I think he's young and I think he's still improving." Wisconsin's Mason Reiger (6-45/8, 251) had five sacks in 2025 and three more in the East-West Shrine Bowl. He's a former walk-on at Louisville whose nickname, according to NFL Network reporter Stacey Dales, is "Energizer Bunny". Oklahoma's R Mason Thomas (6-21/4, 241) is another EDGE destined to hear his name called sooner rather than later. "Overall, Thomas doesn't fit the prototype, but I believe he'll be a valuable NFL starter right away," Jeremiah said. Jeremiah also mentioned telling a friend Thomas' name "looks like an author." The response was, "His best-selling book is 'To Kill a Quarterback."
Max's First Look
1. David Bailey, Texas Tech, 6-4, 251 lbs.
2. Rueben Bain, Miami, 6-2, 263 lbs.
3. Arvell Reese, Ohio State, 6-4, 241 lbs.
4. Keldric Faulk, Auburn, 6-6, 276 lbs.
5. Akheem Mesidor, Miami, Fla., 6-3, 259 lbs.
Max's Thoughts
Outside of wide receiver, I believe this edge group is the deepest of the draft. This group has well over 30+ draftable prospects. To be fair, this group consists of defensive ends, outside linebackers and edge rush Specialists, so there should be a large crop. There is a lot of talent in this group and a knack for being able to get after opposing quarterbacks and the stats & metrics prove it to be so. I think the top three of this class can be moved around however you see fit, but I still believe David Bailey is the front runner because of his day one versatility to jump into a scheme and be productive. In the case of Rubin Bain Jr., arm length is going to be the only question you have on him and where he falls in this top three. Arvell Reese, on the other hand, I believe is the number two slotted player at this position group because he has such a high floor, and the ceiling is immeasurable because of the talent. Falk can slide in to a 34 defensive end because of his size, but would also benefit greatly if you put him in a 4-3 defense on the edge. Overall, there is a lot of talent and a lot more guys to mention than I have space to write about, but let's just say they will be drafted early and often throughout the draft.
