The edge rusher class in the 2026 NFL Draft is drawing more attention from scouts than it has in previous years, partly because of its depth and partly because of how the position has evolved at the NFL level over the past two seasons.

Texas Tech's David Bailey is the consensus top edge rusher in the class and a candidate to go in the top five picks overall. His athletic profile — 4.50 40 time, exceptional first step, fluid hips in change-of-direction work — translates to the kind of every-down pass rusher that championship-caliber defenses are built around. The question scouts have been asking isn't whether Bailey can be a starter; it's whether he can be an anchor, the kind of player who makes the players around him better through the threat he creates.

Behind Bailey, the class gets more interesting. Michigan's Josaiah Stewart has spent three years developing at the college level and enters the draft as a prospect with above-average technique and adequate athleticism — the opposite profile from Bailey. Teams that value football IQ and scheme adaptability will find him more compelling than the raw-athletic evaluators who need a standout measurable to validate a pick.

Missouri's Darius Robinson showed during the season that he can be dominant against quality competition — his performance in the SEC Championship game against Georgia was genuinely impressive — but his consistency across the full season was spotty. Scouts who have watched every snap will tell you that's fixable; scouts who rely more heavily on pattern recognition from overall numbers will be less certain.

The depth of the class matters for teams selecting in the second and third rounds. There are a dozen edge rushers in this draft who could develop into starting-caliber players at the next level. That's not typical. Teams that miss in the first round at the position will have legitimate opportunities to recover later.