We are inside of a week to the start of the 2025 NFL draft and we have finalized our positional unit rankings for the defensive side of the football. Last year, defense took a back seat early in the draft thanks to a strong offensive group of prospects. This year, the defense is stealing the show. Here are our top five players at each defensive positional unit.
EDGE defender
1 – Abdul Carter – Penn State
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2 – Mykel Williams – Georgia
3 – James Pearce Jr. – Tennessee
4 – Mike Green – Marshall
5 – Donovan Ezeiruaku – Boston College
Defensive tackle
1 – Mason Graham – Michigan
2 – Walter Nolen – Ole Miss
3 – Kenneth Grant – Michigan
4 – Derrick Harmon – Oregon
5 – Tyleik Williams – Ohio State
Linebacker
1 – Jihaad Campbell – Alabama
2 – Jalon Walker – Georgia
3 – Demetrius Knight Jr. – South Carolina
4 – Chris Paul Jr. – Ole Miss
5 – Jeffery Bassa – Oregon
Cornerback
1 – Will Johnson – Michigan
2 -Travis Hunter – Colorado
3 – Trey Amos – Ole Miss
4 – Jahdae Barron – Texas
5 – Benjamin Morrison – Notre Dame
Safety
1 – Malaki Starks – Georgia
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2 – Nick Emmanwori – South Carolina
3 – Xavier Watts – Notre Dame
4 – Andrew Mukuba – Texas
5 – Kevin Winston Jr. – Penn State
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Updated defensive rankings
