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Over the past several days here at Footballguys, yours truly has been breaking down the ideal fantasy landing spots for this year's top offensive prospects. I have ruminated about running backs. Offered wisdom about wide receivers. Queried the quarterbacks and theorized about tight ends.
I'm versatile like that. Intelligent. Charming. And, of course, humble.
But now, it's time to flip the script. To move to the important side of the ball. To start talking some defense. Because…defense…wins…championships.
And what better place to start than with the position group that is the strongest in this year's class—the defensive linemen.
As it happens, the first overall pick of the Common Draft Era was a defensive lineman—the first card handed in that year was Michigan State's Bubba Smith, who spent a decade in the NFL and made two Pro Bowls before going on to an incredibly successful career as an actor.
Such nuance. Such range. Captivating, I tell ya.
As recently as 2022, the first two picks in the NFL draft were edge rushers—Jacksonville's Travon Walker and Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson. Houston's Liam Anderson Jr. and New York's Abdul Carter were both top-three picks.
The first overall pick this year won't be an edge rusher. But we could easily see a pair drafted in the top five. Three drafted in the top-10. And you may well need to take off your shoes to count the defensive linemen who will be gone by the time the first round is over.
All of those young defensive linemen are immensely talented. They have bright futures ahead of them. But in IDP leagues, situation matters even more than on the offensive side of the ball. And their fantasy value (especially early in their careers) can depend largely on landing spot.
Get an ideal one? Jackpot.
Ideal Defensive Lineman Fantasy Landing Spots
EDGE Arvell Reese, Ohio State
Scout's Take
"While Reese has the versatility to play multiple roles, he projects to be a full-time edge at the next level with his blend of physicality and athleticism. He would fit best as a true stand-up edge, as he has zero snaps with his hand in the ground as a rusher. He will be a high-level run defender with his violent and explosive upper body, but will require time to round out his total pass rush ability." – Jordan Edwards, Sports Info Solutions
Ideal Landing Spot: Arizona Cardinals
Reese has drawn plenty of comps to Micah Parsons and Abdul Carter, both of whom converted from off-ball linebacker to edge rusher. He's also probably not getting past the New York Jets at 1.02. But as we saw with Carter in New York last year, conversion projects can be just that—and having Josh Sweat opposite Reese would alleviate at least some of the pressure early on.
EDGE David Bailey, Texas Tech
Scout's Take
"Bailey is a top-five pick. He's the most proven pass rusher in this class. For context, his pressure rate during his final three college seasons (22.1 percent) was better than Abdul Carter's (21.7 percent), Jared Verse's (18.3 percent), and Liam Anderson's (18 percent)." – Todd McShay, The Ringer
Ideal Landing Spot: New York Jets
At just 251 pounds, Bailey is a bit undersized to set the edge or play with his hand in the ground in the NFL. But his collegiate production can't be ignored—52 total tackles, 14.5 sacks, and 19.5 tackles for loss. Bailey is one of the more pro-ready edge rushers in the class, and the best bet to lead all rookie edge rushers in sacks. He could easily supplant Joseph Ossai as a starter in New York opposite Will McDonald IV.
EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami
Scout's Take
"A stocky, squarely built pass-rusher in the mold of Brandon Graham (6'2", 268 pounds). A thick, squat pass-rusher who has played in multiple alignments over three years. Played as a 4i/heavy five on early downs; kicked out to wide-nine on obvious passing downs, playing from both a three and two-point stance. A heavy-handed rusher who wins with speed, power, and enough flexibility." – Oliver Connolly, The Read Optional
Ideal Landing Spot: Cleveland Browns
To be clear, this isn't going to happen. The Browns aren't taking an EDGE at 1.06, and Bain isn't making it to 1.24—teeny-tiny T-Rex arms or no. That arm length is a concern, but Bain is an explosive, powerful, bendy edge rusher who can compensate for that deficiency by going around blockers instead of through them. Kansas City at 1.09 would also be a solid destination. George Karlaftis isn't Myles Garrett, but he's good enough to keep Bain from being a focal point for opposing offenses.