NFL Power Rankings for all 32 starting EDGE duos in 2021

30. Jacksonville Jaguars: Josh Allen, K’Lavon Chaisson

The roster overall for the Jacksonville Jaguars is clearly lacking, which is why they picked No. 1 overall this past season — and have been picking in the top five in nearly every single NFL Draft for the past 15 years or so.

One of those very early picks was Josh Allen from Kentucky, who they took seventh overall in 2019 and he broke out in a big way as a rookie. Allen had 10.5 sacks and 44 tackles, looking like one of the bright young stars in the game. Unfortunately, in 2020 he saw his numbers go the wrong way.

In just eight games, he had 13 tackles and 2.5 sacks. While he still scored well when it came to production, it was still not as good of a season as it could have been for Allen.

Looking forward to 2021, he’s hoping to put it all together as is his fellow projected starter, K’Lavon Chaisson. Another first-round pick (Chaisson was taken 20th overall in 2020 with one of the picks obtained in their Jalen Ramsey trade) and had 19 tackles and a sack in 16 games with three starts.

Chaisson is slightly undersized but should play closer to the line this season — and while his potential is through the roof, the Jags remain low on this ranking since there’s a lot of projection when it comes to the LSU product.

29. Houston Texans: Shaq Lawson, Whitney Mercilus

After losing J.J. Watt this offseason, the Houston Texans defensive line is going to look weird. I mean, it might not be as weird as seeing Watt in a different uniform, but still, seeing this unit without the man who has been the face of their entire team since 2011 is going to take some getting used to.

With him headed to the desert, the Texans top pass-rushers will be Shaq Lawson and Whitney Mercilus. Of course, with them being a 3-4 defense, these outside linebackers should have always been their top EDGE players, but that also was not the case with Watt.

But enough about him, let’s look at Lawson and Mercilus. First is Mercilus, who will now be the veteran leader of this defense. The 31-year-old has just one season with double-digit sacks (he had 12 in 2015) but he’s still been a solid player who generates pressure and holds up against the rush.

The problem is, he’s coming off his worst season as a pro which is very discouraging. And getting older usually isn’t how a player shakes off a bad season.

Across from his is Lawson, a former first-round pick of the Buffalo Bills. He spent one season in Miami but was traded to the Texans after it was clear that Emmanuel Ogbah was the better option for them.

Lawson has 20.5 career sacks and has never recorded more than 6.5 in a single season. He’s able to generate pressure but doesn’t finish enough and while he’s solid against the run, he could struggle as well with the lack of help around him.