• Laiatu Latu leads the pack: A lot would have to happen in the 2024 NFL Draft to knock Latu out of this top spot. He stands out as one of the more impressive edge prospects in recent years.
• A decision between Jared Verse and Dallas Turner for the second spot: Pick your flavor between one of the more NFL-ready prospects and an athletic long-term project who could be the first defensive player drafted in 2024.
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The 2024 NFL Draft is right around the corner, and with so much draft content available, it’s time to solidify our pre-draft IDP fantasy football rankings for this year’s class.
Edge defenders are arguably going to be the most valuable IDPs, dependent on scoring, as the top options are incredibly rare yet have a stronger repeat rate among the highest scorers at their position year-over-year. The 2024 class offers several players who have the potential to be great long-term IDP assets.
These dynasty IDP rookie rankings will take into account each player’s college career, production profiles and projected draft capital, as well as personal bias after watching their tape.
Check out some of the other fantasy-related work on this year’s defensive line class:
- Fantasy Football: How 2024 NFL Draft's edge defender class stacks up in stable metrics
- Fantasy Football: How 2024 NFL Draft's interior defender class stacks up in stable metrics
- Fantasy Football: Analytical spotlight on the top 2024 rookie edge defenders
- PFF Fantasy Podcast: 2024 Rookie EDGE IDP Preview
1. Laiatu Latu, UCLA
No 2024 edge defender is more NFL-ready than Latu, who comes out of UCLA as one of the highest-graded prospects at his position in the PFF era (since 2014). His 96.3 overall grade in 2023 is about as good as it gets, and his 94.3 pass-rush grade this past season is the third-best mark from a potential first-round prospect over that span, behind only Chase Young (2019) and Josh Allen (2018).
Latu boasts a full repertoire of pass-rush moves and posted some elite underlying metrics throughout his college career. While he did medically retire for a season due to a neck injury, he’s been back on the field and playing at a very high level for the past two seasons. Latu dominated PFF’s stable metrics for the position over the past two years and is set to be a potential first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He should be an immediate IDP contributor as long as he’s getting sufficient snaps. Thanks to his pro-ready talent, he shouldn’t have an issue contributing, which puts him ahead of others on this list who are not as far along in their development.
Laiatu Latu’s Career Ranks Among EDGE Prospects Since 2016
| Metric | Value | Rank |
| Pass-Rush Grade | 93.8 | 98th percentile |
| Pressure Rate | 19.4% | 95th percentile |
| Quick Pressure Rate | 14.7% | 96th percentile |
| Pass-Rush Win Rate | 20.8% | 91st percentile |
2. Jared Verse, Florida State
Similar to Latu, Verse ranks highly because he offers one of the more polished pass-rush repertoires in this class, with an impressive collection of underlying metrics to solidify his case. Verse’s full bag of tricks is paired with great size, speed and athleticism. He is set to be drafted early into the NFL and in IDP leagues.
Verse never posted an overall grade or pass-rush grade below 80.0 in a season during college while consistently improving that pass-rush grade to 90.8 in 2023. As a result of Verse’s high-end play, his career 92.7 pass-rush grade ranks in the 95th percentile among edge defender prospects since 2016. Verse also boasts one of the best career run-defense grades in this class (79.3), which significantly helps his chances of being an every-down player at the next level and should translate to IDP production.
3. Dallas Turner, Alabama
The odds-on favorite to be the first defensive player taken in this year’s draft (-110), Turner offers significant long-term upside due to his age and strong athletic profile. However, unlike both Latu and Verse, Turner doesn’t have nearly as refined a pass-rush repertoire at this stage of his career, which often means he will take longer to develop into a reliable IDP option.
Many of Turner’s underlying metrics tell a similar story of a player who still has a ways to go before he’s likely to be considered a mainstay in IDP lineups. His career 84.4 pass-rush grade ranks in just the 52nd percentile among edge prospects since 2016, while his career win rate sits at just the 30th percentile of prospects.
Turner could very well see a lot of snaps each week as a rookie, but without developing into a consistent pass-rushing threat, there could be a longer period of ups and downs in his fantasy production that, depending on roster construction, may make him less valuable to competing dynasty managers than his draft capital suggests.
4. Chop Robinson, Penn State
Robinson could be the most explosive edge rusher in this year’s class. He has an extremely quick first step that allows him to blow past pass blockers before they know what hit them. This is reflected in his career quick pressure rate (16.0%), which places in the 98th percentile of prospects since 2016.
Robinson earned a 93.4 career pass-rush grade (97th percentile), but his run-defense numbers struggle to match up with his high-end pass-rush marks. He ranks in the 40th percentile in career run-defense grade as a very aggressive run defender, which often works against him and may cause him to contribute less in the NFL until he develops more reliability in that regard. Robinson is among the best pure pass rushers in this class, and his big-play ability alone makes him worthy of a top-five ranking.
5. Bralen Trice, Washington
Trice offers a level of physicality that not many in this year’s class can match, as he often wins with power and violent hands to make his way to the quarterback. Trice earned a 92.4 career pass-rush grade (94th percentile) to go along with a 20.4% pass-rush win rate (90th percentile) and an 87th-percentile pressure rate. Most surprisingly for a player who seeks contact on a large majority of his pass rushes is that he owns an 80th-percentile career quick pressure rate (11.3%), highlighting just how effective he can be when he imposes his will on opponents.
6. Chris Braswell, Alabama
Braswell is the other highly rated Alabama edge defender in this year’s class and is trending toward being an early Day 2 pick. He does an excellent job of converting speed to power and wins consistently with his bull rush and strength. His career 18.5% pressure rate places him in the 93rd percentile of edge prospects since 2016 and speaks to his motor and willingness to not give up on plays. He is unlikely to be a three-down defensive lineman to start his career, ranking in just the 20th percentile of prospects in career run-defense grade (68.1).
7. Gabriel Murphy, UCLA
Another UCLA edge defender with a lot of potential, Gabriel Murphy, who enters this draft along with his twin brother, Grayson, boasts an impressive profile worth taking a shot on. Murphy may not be drafted until Day 3, but he delivered a career 92.1 pass-rush grade (93rd percentile) with a respectable 80.4 run-defense grade (74th percentile), helping make his case as a future three-down player in the NFL. He has good size and athleticism, earning a great 9.24 Relative Athletic Score. Murphy is a personal favorite to watch in this draft. Keep an eye on if he gets an advantageous landing spot for IDP relevance.
2024 NFL Draft fun fact:
UCLA edge defenders Gabriel and Grayson Murphy are not just identical twins, but some of their career college pass-rush metrics are also near identical, per @PFF…
Pass-rush grade:
Grayson: 92.2
Gabriel: 92.1Win rate:
Grayson: 17.8%
Gabriel: 17.3%… pic.twitter.com/a1jaQlvg3T— Jon Macri (@PFF_Macri) February 22, 2024
8. Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State
Kamara spent five seasons with Colorado State and gradually increased his overall pass-rush grade, culminating in a 91.2 mark in 2023 after recording a career-high 64 pressures and 14 sacks. Kamara scored well as a pass rusher, but his run-defense marks were well below average, including a 69.9 career run-defense grade (27th percentile). One concern for Kamara will be size, as he is one of the smallest players at his position (6-foot-1 and 248 pounds), and while he has good speed and pass-rushing ability, he’s likely to be more of a rotational piece in the NFL.
9. Adisa Isaac, Penn State
Isaac did a nice job of developing his pass-rush toolbag throughout his college career, though he hasn’t quite perfected any one of them, which makes him more of a work-in-progress as a potential Day 2 pick. His 77.8 career pass-rush grade is just a 35th-percentile mark, but with added refinement, he could develop into a startable NFL edge defender. He could stand to add more thickness/muscle to help him in the NFL, as he has a lanky frame at 6-foot-4 and 247 pounds. Still, as a potential stand-up 3-4 edge, Isaac has decent tools to bet on for the long term.
10. Jonah Elliss, Utah
Elliss, who could be a Day 2 or Day 3 pick, took a big step forward in 2023 to become worthy of draft consideration, going from a 62.7 pass-rush grade in 2022 to 90.1 this past season. His overall grade also improved from 73.8 to 85.3 in 2023. Elliss’ career 80.8 pass-rush grade places in the 49th percentile of prospects since 2016, but again, his strong improvement in that regard is a much-needed positive sign going forward.
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