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Ranking college football's top 10 returning edge defenders for 2020
Chase Young might not be rejoining the college ranks in 2020, but there's no shortage of talent among edge defenders as we look forward to the upcoming college football season. Using a combination of Pro Football Focus grades and PFF's wins above average (WAA) metric, we present the top 10 edge defenders returning to college football in 2020, as well as a sleeper to watch.
1. Quincy Roche, Miami
The recently transferred Roche was a solid pass-rusher in 2017 and 2018, earning above-average grades in both seasons, but he just so happened to produce one of the biggest breakout seasons in 2019, which cements his standing atop this list.
Roche's 93.3 pass-rush grade ranked behind only Young among edge defenders last season, while his 18.4% pressure rate tied for eighth. His quick, violent hands helped him to secure 68 total pressures a season ago, the fourth most among edge defenders, and that helped him finish the season as the nation's second-most valuable edge rusher in terms of PFF WAA. Miami's pass rush was its greatest strength last season, and that'll likely be the case again now that Roche is on the roster.
2. Chris Rumph II, Duke
Rumph, the second-best returning edge rusher in college football, is arguably the most underrated player in the country. He didn't record a start in his redshirt sophomore season for Duke in 2019, yet he came away with the third-highest pass-rush grade (92.9) among returning edge defenders, despite playing only 409 snaps.
Rumph finished the season with a pass-rush win rate of 30.8% and a pressure rate of 25.7%, both of which were the best among edge defenders (yes, even better than Young) and nearly 2.5 percentage points higher than second place. His last appearance of the season, against Miami in Week 14, was one of the best performances we saw all season regardless of position; he finished the contest with a 95.2 PFF overall grade and recorded an absurd 14 pressures on 31 pass-rush reps. He's a nasty and explosive player, and one to keep an eye on in 2020.
3. Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon
What Thibodeaux did as a true freshman last season was remarkable. He entered the year with lofty expectations as the nation's highest-ranked recruit, but it's safe to say that he found a way to exceed those expectations.
In terms of PFF WAA, Thibodeaux's 2019 campaign was by far the best by a true freshman edge defender in the PFF College era (2014 to present). He won a consistent amount of his pass-rush reps, and his 79.9 PFF pass-rush grade was second to only Bradlee Anae among Pac-12 edge rushers. Thibodeaux's burst and bend off the edge resembles that of a seasoned veteran -- he'll be the toughest matchup of the season for the majority of Pac-12 tackles.
4. Taylor Riggins, Buffalo
Riggins has been dominant since he first stepped foot on a college football field. He produced an 83.5 pass-rush grade in a limited role with Buffalo in 2018, then improved that mark to an elite 90.1 as a starter in 2019.
Riggins' two-year pass-rush win rate ranks ninth among edge defenders since 2018 and is second among the nation's returning players at the position. His name might not carry the same weight as Khalil Mack's once did in Buffalo, but he's certainly helping the Bulls' pass-rushing dominance in the MAC.
5. Malik Herring, Georgia
Herring is set to take on a bigger role in his senior season, and his past play proved he deserves that opportunity. He hasn't played many snaps over the past two seasons -- just 488, to be exact -- but he produced solid PFF grades of 86.2 and 86.6 in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Herring has stood out against the run and as a pass-rusher. He totaled 14 tackles for loss and an average depth of tackle of just 1.17 yards against the run while generating 41 pressures and a pass-rush win rate of 15.8%, which ranks 29th among 137 Power 5 edge defenders who've rushed the passer at least 300 times since 2018.
6. Keion White, Old Dominion
White played tight end for Old Dominion in 2018 before switching to the edge in 2019, so the fact that he's on this list of the nation's top 10 edge defenders heading into 2020 is pretty remarkable.
He finished the 2019 season as the 11th-most valuable edge rusher and produced a 19.4% pass-rush win rate and 16.1% pressure rate that ranked 17th and 15th, respectively, among the qualifying players at the position. And there's no argument for a weak schedule being the catalyst for such production: His best game of 2019 came against the Monarchs' best opponent -- at Virginia. In that game, he produced an elite 91.8 pass-rush grade and recorded eight total pressures.
7. Myjai Sanders, Cincinnati
Sanders was one of the few true sophomores who impressed throughout the 2019 season. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound edge defender recorded an 82.8 pass-rush grade and the 16th-highest WAA at his position, and he was at his best playing 6/7-technique (hand in the dirt, outside the tackle), where he posted the second-best win rate among underclassmen. With last year being his only college season with significant reps (he played just 49 snaps in 2018), Sanders is one to keep an eye on for a breakout year in 2020.
8. Malcolm Koonce, Buffalo
Another Buffalo edge defender cracks the top 10, as Koonce and Riggins form arguably the best edge-rushing duo set to take the field this fall. Koonce first earned the starting nod in 2019 and ended up earning a PFF pass-rush grade that ranked 14th at his position along with a 24.1% pass-rush win rate, the highest figure among returning edge defenders.
9. Jordan Smith, UAB
Smith finished the 2019 season as the fourth-highest-graded edge rusher in the FBS. He earned the highest run-defense grade among players at his position (92.7), making him one of two edge rushers who recorded run-defense and pass-rush grades above 90.0. In his one game against Power 5 competition in Week 10, Smith recorded nine pressures on 24 pass-rush reps en route to an elite overall game grade. If he matches that type of production in 2020, he'll creep even higher up this list.
10. Ali Fayad, Western Michigan
Fayad has been making impact plays throughout his three-year career. He has gathered up eight forced fumbles in that span to go along with 97 total pressures, a top-40 figure among edge defenders since 2017. His 12.5% pressure rate ranks only 52nd among 159 qualifying edge rushers over the past three seasons, so there's certainly room for improvement in that regard, but he has the moves to climb the ranks in 2020. Fayad has never really had one of those "domination" games, but he has recorded at least one pressure in every game played since 2018.
Sleeper: Jamar Watson, Kentucky
There isn't much not to like about Watson as a pass-rusher. He has rushed the passer only 358 times in his three seasons with the Wildcats, but he has generated an elite 90.3 pass-rush grade and a win rate of 21.7% over that span, 29th and 10th among qualifying edge defenders since 2017.
His work in run defense (67.1 run-defense grade since 2017) and as a tackler (he has missed 16 of his 68 tackle attempts since 2017) has a lot of room for improvement, however, and they are the only reasons he is on the outside of this top 10.
Chase Young might not be rejoining the college ranks in 2020, but there's no shortage of talent among edge defenders as we look forward to the upcoming college football season. Using a combination of Pro Football Focus grades and PFF's wins above average (WAA) metric, we present the top 10 edge defenders returning to college football in 2020, as well as a sleeper to watch.
1. Quincy Roche, Miami
The recently transferred Roche was a solid pass-rusher in 2017 and 2018, earning above-average grades in both seasons, but he just so happened to produce one of the biggest breakout seasons in 2019, which cements his standing atop this list.
Roche's 93.3 pass-rush grade ranked behind only Young among edge defenders last season, while his 18.4% pressure rate tied for eighth. His quick, violent hands helped him to secure 68 total pressures a season ago, the fourth most among edge defenders, and that helped him finish the season as the nation's second-most valuable edge rusher in terms of PFF WAA. Miami's pass rush was its greatest strength last season, and that'll likely be the case again now that Roche is on the roster.
2. Chris Rumph II, Duke
Rumph, the second-best returning edge rusher in college football, is arguably the most underrated player in the country. He didn't record a start in his redshirt sophomore season for Duke in 2019, yet he came away with the third-highest pass-rush grade (92.9) among returning edge defenders, despite playing only 409 snaps.
Rumph finished the season with a pass-rush win rate of 30.8% and a pressure rate of 25.7%, both of which were the best among edge defenders (yes, even better than Young) and nearly 2.5 percentage points higher than second place. His last appearance of the season, against Miami in Week 14, was one of the best performances we saw all season regardless of position; he finished the contest with a 95.2 PFF overall grade and recorded an absurd 14 pressures on 31 pass-rush reps. He's a nasty and explosive player, and one to keep an eye on in 2020.
3. Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon
What Thibodeaux did as a true freshman last season was remarkable. He entered the year with lofty expectations as the nation's highest-ranked recruit, but it's safe to say that he found a way to exceed those expectations.
In terms of PFF WAA, Thibodeaux's 2019 campaign was by far the best by a true freshman edge defender in the PFF College era (2014 to present). He won a consistent amount of his pass-rush reps, and his 79.9 PFF pass-rush grade was second to only Bradlee Anae among Pac-12 edge rushers. Thibodeaux's burst and bend off the edge resembles that of a seasoned veteran -- he'll be the toughest matchup of the season for the majority of Pac-12 tackles.
4. Taylor Riggins, Buffalo
Riggins has been dominant since he first stepped foot on a college football field. He produced an 83.5 pass-rush grade in a limited role with Buffalo in 2018, then improved that mark to an elite 90.1 as a starter in 2019.
Riggins' two-year pass-rush win rate ranks ninth among edge defenders since 2018 and is second among the nation's returning players at the position. His name might not carry the same weight as Khalil Mack's once did in Buffalo, but he's certainly helping the Bulls' pass-rushing dominance in the MAC.
5. Malik Herring, Georgia
Herring is set to take on a bigger role in his senior season, and his past play proved he deserves that opportunity. He hasn't played many snaps over the past two seasons -- just 488, to be exact -- but he produced solid PFF grades of 86.2 and 86.6 in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Herring has stood out against the run and as a pass-rusher. He totaled 14 tackles for loss and an average depth of tackle of just 1.17 yards against the run while generating 41 pressures and a pass-rush win rate of 15.8%, which ranks 29th among 137 Power 5 edge defenders who've rushed the passer at least 300 times since 2018.
6. Keion White, Old Dominion
White played tight end for Old Dominion in 2018 before switching to the edge in 2019, so the fact that he's on this list of the nation's top 10 edge defenders heading into 2020 is pretty remarkable.
He finished the 2019 season as the 11th-most valuable edge rusher and produced a 19.4% pass-rush win rate and 16.1% pressure rate that ranked 17th and 15th, respectively, among the qualifying players at the position. And there's no argument for a weak schedule being the catalyst for such production: His best game of 2019 came against the Monarchs' best opponent -- at Virginia. In that game, he produced an elite 91.8 pass-rush grade and recorded eight total pressures.
7. Myjai Sanders, Cincinnati
Sanders was one of the few true sophomores who impressed throughout the 2019 season. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound edge defender recorded an 82.8 pass-rush grade and the 16th-highest WAA at his position, and he was at his best playing 6/7-technique (hand in the dirt, outside the tackle), where he posted the second-best win rate among underclassmen. With last year being his only college season with significant reps (he played just 49 snaps in 2018), Sanders is one to keep an eye on for a breakout year in 2020.
8. Malcolm Koonce, Buffalo
Another Buffalo edge defender cracks the top 10, as Koonce and Riggins form arguably the best edge-rushing duo set to take the field this fall. Koonce first earned the starting nod in 2019 and ended up earning a PFF pass-rush grade that ranked 14th at his position along with a 24.1% pass-rush win rate, the highest figure among returning edge defenders.
9. Jordan Smith, UAB
Smith finished the 2019 season as the fourth-highest-graded edge rusher in the FBS. He earned the highest run-defense grade among players at his position (92.7), making him one of two edge rushers who recorded run-defense and pass-rush grades above 90.0. In his one game against Power 5 competition in Week 10, Smith recorded nine pressures on 24 pass-rush reps en route to an elite overall game grade. If he matches that type of production in 2020, he'll creep even higher up this list.
10. Ali Fayad, Western Michigan
Fayad has been making impact plays throughout his three-year career. He has gathered up eight forced fumbles in that span to go along with 97 total pressures, a top-40 figure among edge defenders since 2017. His 12.5% pressure rate ranks only 52nd among 159 qualifying edge rushers over the past three seasons, so there's certainly room for improvement in that regard, but he has the moves to climb the ranks in 2020. Fayad has never really had one of those "domination" games, but he has recorded at least one pressure in every game played since 2018.
Sleeper: Jamar Watson, Kentucky
There isn't much not to like about Watson as a pass-rusher. He has rushed the passer only 358 times in his three seasons with the Wildcats, but he has generated an elite 90.3 pass-rush grade and a win rate of 21.7% over that span, 29th and 10th among qualifying edge defenders since 2017.
His work in run defense (67.1 run-defense grade since 2017) and as a tackler (he has missed 16 of his 68 tackle attempts since 2017) has a lot of room for improvement, however, and they are the only reasons he is on the outside of this top 10.
