The 2026 edge rusher class is loaded, and unlike interesting risers at guard and wide receiver, we have long known that it would be a surplus.
Florida Gators edge rusher Tyreak Sapp was among the top-50 prospects flirting with the first round as the college season began. He was coming off a seven-sack season in 2024, a dominant campaign that sent his stock soaring.
The 2025 season has been a different story. While 27% of his pressures turned into sacks a season ago, only about 7% of Sapp's pressures have gotten home as a senior, a rate that has forced evaluators to take a longer look at his profile.
Sapp still has definitive strengths
It wasn't foolish for Sapp to be a constant figure in early-round mock drafts this summer. He's big, physical, and versatile, offering potency at 3-, 4-, and 5-tech and producing like one of the sport's best defenders. That blend of every-down run defense and pass-rushing production is easy to fall for.
While he has taken a sizable step back getting after the quarterback, his run defense remains strong. There's a role for him as a bigger base end, making plays on run downs and allowing defenses to create size advantages in the box.
Sapp has a strong anchor for the position and manages double teams well. He's excellent at using his burst laterally to cross the face of opposing linemen and make plays against zone rushes, and I expect him to rack up stops at the line of scrimmage at the next level.
Sapp's size makes him a problem for offenses running in his direction, and he also has a knack for penetrating gaps when asked to fly upfield. He sheds well and transitions quickly to tackles.
As a pass rusher, there are limited but enticing flashes of bend and quality bull rushes. And while I'm interested in seeing his arm length measurements later in the draft cycle, Sapp's technique is one of his best traits. He has a strong feel for hand placement, and it supports his power capacity.
Sapp's weaknesses may render him a rotational player
Sapp is a consistent run defender, but it is hard to find a consistent tool to generate sacks. His burst is merely average, and his athletic profile is closer to that of a defensive tackle than a 240-pound edge rusher. At 275 pounds, that's not the end of the world, but it makes his speed-to-power and technique all the more important.
Both are fine traits with room to improve; neither stands out.
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Against Miami, first-round prospect Francis Mauigoa largely erased him, winning with mass and length in ways unbecoming of a size-based prospect. Sapp can win with power and counters later in reps, but finds himself in stalemates too often and rarely dominates.
Despite his prior production, Sapp projects more as a pass rusher who pushes the pocket and sets up his teammates more than he finds pay dirt. Perhaps that pushes him inside more often at the next level.
Sapp's NFL projection
Entering Week 14, Sapp has a third-round grade on my board, with a poor pre-draft circuit opening the door for a descent into early Day 3.
He projects as a useful rotational starter who can make an impact as an early-down run defender. As the league moves toward bigger edge rushers, there could be a growing appreciation for that skill set. While he doesn't have to move inside at the next level, occasional B-gap reps as a pass rusher could amplify his strengths.
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His pressure-to-sack rate is unsustainably low, and last season's rate is more in line with expectations. However, Sapp doesn't have the athletic traits to inspire optimism about that rate being statistical noise and not an indictment of his pass-rushing prowess.
He might not impact the box score as much as other Day 2 prospects, but if Sapp's athletic testing numbers check the box, even an underwhelming senior season could see him round out the top 100.
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