AFC West
Las Vegas Raiders: Maxx Crosby, EDGE
There are few pass rushers in the NFL who are as feared as Maxx Crosby. He’s one of the most dominant edge players in the league and is a rare type of player off the edge who hardly needs to come off the field at all. He rarely misses time due to injury and is just relentless in his pursuit of the quarterback. I think there’s a chance he could be a 20-sack player as he reaches the prime years of his NFL career. He’s that dominant.
Los Angeles Chargers: Tuli Tuipulotu, EDGE
If you’re not a Chargers fan, you might be sleeping on Tuli Tuipulotu. He’s already been one of the best pass rushers on the Chargers the last two years, and the team felt good enough about his progress last year with 8.5 sacks and 17 QB hits that they decided to let Joey Bosa walk in NFL free agency. You could easily put Khalil Mack in this slot as well, but he might receive too much attention.
Denver Broncos: Nik Bonitto, EDGE
The Broncos led the NFL last season with a whopping 63 sacks as a team, and Nik Bonitto led the team that led the league in sacks. Bonitto had such a good year that he was actually in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation for a bit, and he wound up being picked as a second-team All-Pro. There’s no doubt that this guy’s specialty is getting to the QB, and I think he’s got the potential to average a sack per game.
Kansas City Chiefs: George Karlaftis, EDGE
Over the course of his first three NFL seasons, George Karlaftis has averaged 8.5 sacks per season. He’s got the ability to be a 10-plus sack player every single season, and I think his only real competition in Kansas City is coming from Chris Jones. The Chiefs need Karlaftis to step up in a big way for them this coming season. He had 8.0 sacks last year but wound up with 28 quarterback hits in a career year.