This year’s class of defensive ends features plenty of top-end talent for teams looking to upgrade their pass rush in the NFL Draft.
With an emphasis on the passing game in today’s NFL, teams are constantly trying to add more and more pass rush to their respective rosters. That’s been reflected in the past few NFL Drafts, as general managers have not shied away from using high selections on the defensive end position.
In last season’s draft, six defensive ends came off the board by the end of the second round. That number should only grow in 2016, with up to 10 players at the position projected to possibly go in the first two rounds.
Just about every team in the league is looking to add youth and depth to its defensive line, and a few with high draft picks have an immediate need at the position. Fortunately for those teams, the 2016 class of defensive ends offers plenty of elite-level talent, along with solid depth later on.
While the draft class is strong as a whole at defensive end, three prospects stand out in particular as potential immediate impact talent. Ohio State’s Joey Bosa, Oregon’s DeForest Buckner and Clemson’s Shaq Lawson will likely all be taken in the top 20, and a few others have a chance to join them by the end of the first.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants in the top 10 alone could all consider selecting a defensive end to upgrade a position of weakness. General managers will have plenty of options to choose from, with these 10 players standing out as the best defensive end prospects of the 2016 NFL Draft.
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