2026 NFL Draft Edge Prospect Sleepers and Steals: Day 2 and 3
The 2026 NFL Draft is just deeper at the EDGE position. Headlined by studs like Ruben Bain, David Bailey and transitional edge types like Arvell Reese, it is the year to find pass rush. But it’s also the type of draft class where you scour the tape to find end pieces that would normally float higher in the draft. Even the second round is stacked with high profile sack artists like Malachi Lawrence, R Mason Thomas, and Derrick Moore.
This glut of talent pushes the depth of the edge position a full round deeper than a weaker class might. So if you think your team won’t get their guy in round 1, or you are looking for value, Cutcall’s analysis and ranking of the mid-round steals among the pass-rusher prospects is the low-down.
Gabe Jacas | Rough at the Edges but a Steal
If Gabe Jacas leaves the draft board in the late second, that is a steal. It’s not that Jacas is a perfect player. But he is the kind of prospect where you immediately know what you are at least getting on the next level. A high energy, well assembled early to late down heavy hitter with a big history of sack production behind him. He’s not going to get pushed around, and he’ll push the pocket. How far beyond that he’ll progress is the mystery.
There are things to work on: a one note songbook of pass rush moves that have relied too much on his athleticism and size, is one. An acute lack of tape signaling versatility is another. And new questions about his NFL playing weight, as he’s dropped 10lbs before the draft process. This broadens his appeal to odd front teams, but his space tape isn’t there.
In most NFL Drafts it is borderline impossible, though, to find a player with his mix of proven production, baseline competency at playing the EDGE and room to get even better. So when you think of what you could be getting late round two, it probably won’t be a better deal than Gabe Jacas.
Romello Height | Not an Edge, but an Edge Threat
Romello Height is more of a moveable threat than a true EDGE, but he’s classed himself with the group throughout the draft process. And he will play the edge on passing downs in the NFL. It sounds tough opening his record with questions, but Height’s appeal is how versatile he’s been. TTU sent him from everywhere the past two seasons, taking advantage of his electric first step and ability to shift course and drop any of a dozen different tricks to create a crease on his blitz.
It was hard to reconcile the first round buzz for Romello Height during the College Football Playoffs, but it’s also hard to see how far he’s fallen from there as late evaluators got a hold of his record which is long (age 25 at draft) and spotty (not a heavy producer until year 4). You can’t forget that he’s weighed under 240 for most of his career, which makes his frame a non-starter on the edge for a lot of defenses.
But we know what Romello Height isn’t, and that is a 4th round pick value, where many evaluators are classing him. Somewhere between the end of the second round and beginning of the third is really where he should go. And the later the better, because Height is really in need of some additional polish in gap-fitting and coverage, from being a real issue for coordinators at the next level.
LT Overton | The 5 Tech Type
LT Overton could be the poster child for an EDGE who is caught between two positions. He’s high on technique. He’s played from 3 tech to the very edge at 9. Alabama even plays him in space when they can. Overton has great length for any position in the box, a terrific anchor, and a nose for the ball.
On the other hand, Overton has a boxy, thick build and the first step of an interior defender, paired with a frame that will probably top at 280. Even if he can play in space, he’s better off doing so on an infrequent basis, because his pace during a change of direction is in the battleship range.
If LT’s production hadn’t taken a ding in 2025 this might be a different conversation, but if consensus has him drifting toward the 4th round, it’s where he starts to have tremendous value stacked against a crapshoot of pass rushers. And what Overton brings to that part of the board is a very high functional floor as a catch-all transitional edge who can get you snaps inside, then transition and play a power rusher role on late downs. And that’s a lot more than the surrounding talent.
Nadame Tucker| Too Good to be True
Nadame Tucker straight up dominated the MAC, and if raw sack margins are truth, he was the best pass rusher in the FBS in 2026. Tucker has the athletic specs to back that production up. He’s got rubbery hips that can slip around tackles with ease. Tucker’s first step shows on tape like one that translates from the Group of Five to the Power 4 and NFL. Tucker also has relentless effort, and he transitions speed to power much better than you would think given his frame.
But even if you hate the term one year wonder – track record matters, and 2025 was Nadame’s first productive season in five years. So it’s a thin resume versus legitimate pass rusher traits. Because there are cracks in the tape too. He’s shallow in his rush move arsenal, and leans heavily on a few go too moves (dip/swim). And his production uptick came right after a significant competition downtick, shifting from the Big-12 to MAC.
Tucker is the dream project you typically think of when you say, value edge though. He’s a round 5 target on most boards. He has a good balance of room to grow and traits to build off of. An EDGE who can provide instant auxiliary late down rush artistry for a team in need, while also playing the role of developmental piece is the kind of find you are looking for around the 150th selection.
Caden Curry | The Big School Sleeper
It’s tough sledding when you are coming off a 11 sack, 17TFL season for Ohio State, but are pigeonholed into the late 5th round. But that is where Caden Curry is at, and what his resume has going for it. Curry is a blast to watch play football. He’s got speed-metal guitar solo energy on every play, choppy feet and a keen eye for action coming ahead of him.
But scouts are scouts, and his low build and overeliance on rip and rush power moves doesn’t help his case. More importantly, his arms measured around 30” which is firmly in outlier territory. These traits might be less of a concern if he were a few inches taller or carried himself on a frame with more natural pass rusher flexion.
But as a firm late day 3 player, he’ll be a coup for odd front teams looking for a solid edge piece. Curry will be an immediate contributor on special teams. And he’ll bring an attitude as a high-energy sub with some pass rush juice.
