NFL Power Rankings for all 32 starting EDGE duos in 2021
By Randy Gurzi
26. Kansas City Chiefs: Frank Clark, Alex Okafor
The Kansas City Chiefs made quite the move for Frank Clark in an effort to fix their pass rush. After seeing Clark record 136 tackles and 35 sacks in four seasons with Seattle (32 of those sacks came in years two through four), the Chiefs gave up a first and third-round pick for Clark and a third-round pick from Seattle.
This was in the same campaign where they traded Dee Ford to the San Francisco 49ers following his 13 sack campaign. The front office saw Clark as a better fit and ignored his checkered past before signing him to a five-year contract worth $105.5 million with a whopping 63.5 million being guaranteed.
So far, he has not lived up to his contract status. In two seasons, Clark has 14 sacks which is good but not elite. He also has a felony gun charge over his head, that could lead to a suspension — which hurts their standings here. Across from Clark will be Alex Okafor, a journeyman who had three sacks last season.
Of course, the Chiefs do have a very good defensive line overall which helps them out. They have Chris Jones, one of the best pass-rushing defensive tackles in the game, as well as Jarran Reed in the middle of the line. That more than makes up for any shortcomings they have on the edge, but in this ‘pure-EDGE ‘ ranking, the Chiefs could be better.
25. New York Giants: Lorenzo Carter, Azeez Ojulari
It might be time to call the New York Giants pass rushers Georgia North. Lorenzo Carter was a third-round pick in 2018 and has 9.5 career sacks. Across from him this season will be Azeez Ojulari, a second-round pick from Georgia.
They have high hopes that Ojulari can be a 10-plus sack guy and if he does, that could help take some pressure off of Carter who has yet to really come into his own.