By Paul Vozzella
NEFJ Correspondent

There is plenty of talent in the draft pool at the Edge position for all schemes. The Patriots have bigger priorities, but it never hurts to add more talent in the pass-rush game.

Abdul Carter, 6’3 250, Penn State

The Good: Athleticism pops off the chart. Great bend. High motor. Comfortable dropping back into coverage. Respects run game and tackles well. Plenty of variety as a pass rusher. Quick off the LOS. Good instincts for offensive schemes.

The Bad: Smaller frame. Can get stonewalled/engulfed by bigger tackles. Overpursues ball-carriers.

Final Thoughts: It’s tough to find faults in Carter’s game and he is still new to the position. Starting college as an off-ball LB, he only has one full season at EDGE. The comparisons to Micah Parsons are spot on and Carter has plenty more room to grow. His injuries are minor and shouldn’t be a cause for concern.

James Pearce Jr., 6’5 245, Tennessee

The Good: Another athletic freak. Explosive from the first step. Extreme speed to power. Great versus the run and pass. Holds his gap and takes over control of the blocker. Great pursuit speed. Uses hands well.

The Bad: Pass rush is too reliant on pure athleticism rather than technique. Needs to develop more pass rush moves. Could stand to gain some weight. Only effective outside the tackle. Character concerns.

Final Thoughts: Pearce has the raw talent of a first round pick but needs his fair share of technical refinement. He doesn’t have much versatility and probably only suits a 4-3 scheme EDGE. His draft stock took a hit once teams started to hear about his character.

Donovan Ezeiruaku, 6’2.5 248, Boston College

The Good: Three-down player. Clear athleticism. Dip/bend and long arms allow him to use a diverse set of pass rush moves. Reliable when dropping into coverage. Tackles well. Good instincts to identify play. Ability to sink and hold gap.

The Bad: Undersized. Can get engulfed by blockers. Inconsistent contain. Closing pursuit is underwhelming. Explosion off LOS is not comparable to other top DL prospects. Not going to overpower opponents.

Final Thoughts: Ezeiruaku knows how to play to his strengths to maximize talent. His small frame can be taken advantage of but a little more coaching and improvement in technique can make the local prospect an even more well-rounded player with three-down versatility. He has the potential to blossom into a year-in, year-out 10+ sack player.

Mykel Williams, 6’5 260, Georgia

The Good: Super twitchy. Good explosion. Effective from a two-point and three-point stance. Active combination of hands and arms to shed blocks. Ideal frame. Creates separation. Great pursuit. Plays well against the run.

The Bad: Technique needs fair share of improvement, footwork especially. Needs to fill out frame a little more. Pass rush repertoire is not deep. Slower reaction to the snap. Loses sight of where the play is going on some reps.

Final Thoughts: While Williams has a long way to go before he will make a big impact in the NFL, he has all the tools and natural ability to develop into a household name. He comes with a high ceiling and a lower floor. Williams profiles as a 4i-tech and out.

Nic Scourton, 6’3 257, Texas A&M

The Good: Constant active hands with powerful punch. Insane burst. Moves well laterally. High effort player; never halfasts a rep. Reads backfield well and understands where play is going. Takes a fair share of snaps on both sides of the line.

The Bad: Lacks ideal bend and overall athleticism. Underwhelming pass rush repertoire. Relies on speed rush with sweep. Loses containment by over pursuing or rushing towards the interior. High pad level.

Final Thoughts: Different from a couple of the previous prospects, Scourton’s bend and athleticism is not something to write home about but he makes up for it with a tenacious playstyle. He has a really good understanding of the game and technique to be one of the safer picks at EDGE with a chance to develop into a high-end starter.

Oluwafemi Oladejo, 6’3 259, UCLA

The Good: Versatile as a former off-ball LB. Disciplined in the run game. Holds edge. Good get off at snap. Creates separation with a powerful punch. Uses hands well to shed blocks. Good locker room presence.

The Bad: A little stiff in the hips. Limited pass rush moves. Identifies play too late. Ability to cover will not translate to the NFL. Inefficient pursuit. Bad habit of over-pursuing when rushing the QB.

Final Thoughts: Just as Abdul Carter, Oladejo committed to playing EDGE full time just last season. His improvement from the beginning to the end of the season was clear. Although he does not have the elite athleticism team’s desire in an edge rusher, he brings a sturdy frame with plenty of upside. “Femi” will make a career out of stopping the run at bare minimum.

Josiah Stewart, 6’1 249, Michigan

The Good: Tenacious mentality. High motor. Good initial speed-to-power. Patience helps him read plays. Holds ground against the run game. Flashes of good swiping of hands. Ability to drop back into coverage. Keep pad level low.

The Bad: Underwhelming build. Gets dissected by blockers once their hands are engaged. Needs secondary pass rush moves; ones that play to finesse. Struggles to get off blocks.

Final Thoughts: Stewart oftentimes plays like he’s 6’5 and 270 pounds and it does not lead to production. He has the potential to be a great pass rusher but needs a heavy amount of coaching to cater towards finesse more than strength. A move to off-ball LB should not be off the table.

Barryn Sorrell, 6’3 256, Texas

The Good: Great against the run. Holds edge and does well in containment. Sheds blocks to make tackles. Good motor. Powerful upper-body. Great pursuit. Tackles well and gets in the backfield vs. rush.

The Bad: Lacks ideal burst. Delayed reaction to snap; full step behind play at times. Barely any bend. Underwhelming pass rush. Short arms are evident. Inconsistent hand placement leads to getting taken control of.

Final Thoughts: Sorrell is definitely a project. If he can learn to time a snap well, he can be a great run stopper and fit well as a 4i-technique. His powerful upper body could be a major factor if put to proper use. He does not have much room to grow as a pass-rusher due to his lack of athleticism and short arms.

Jah Joyner, 6’4 262, Minnesota

The Good: Good variety of pass rush moves with quickness. Maximizes long arms. Great at sinking hips and extending arms to hold edge and contain. Creates pressure in the backfield and reaches for strip sacks.

The Bad: Not the most explosive. Lacks bend and is a little stiff. Becomes narrow when taking on double teams. Questionable gap integrity vs. run. Gambles on pass rush. Technique has clear need for improvement.

Final Thoughts: His length is evident and maximized in how Joyner approaches the game. He showed flashes of great play but has a rollercoaster ride of tape. The talent is there and I think a team will take a chance on him earlier than expected due to his great build and for the position. He was a captain last season and his positive attitude only helps his case.

Jordan Burch, 6’4 279, Oregon

The Good: Great build for the position. Reads the backfield well and reacts quickly. Plenty of experience lining up outside tackle as well as closer to center. Great tackler. Good/efficient first step, setting him up for success later in rep. Potential in one-gap or two-gap role.

The Bad: Gets pushed off path in an effort to shed blocks. Once lineman is fully engaged, rep is over. Not much of a pass rush threat; seems to go in without a plan of attack. Lacks bend and agility.

Final Thoughts: Burch’s draft stock relies more on what teams believe he could be and not what he currently is. He doesn’t have a high ceiling as a pass rusher but offers plenty against the run. His game best translates in a 3-4, but other schemes may fit his playstyle with proper coaching.