3 pass rushers not named Abdul Carter Browns must target in 2025 NFL Draft

Browns general manager Andrew Berry, left, and head coach Kevin Stefanski watch practice during minicamp, Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Berea.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry, left, and head coach Kevin Stefanski watch practice during minicamp, Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Berea. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Cleveland Browns needed one more pass rusher no matter what happened in the 2025 offseason, and things got revved up to an even more intense degree when future Hall of Famer and current All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett requested a trade in the name of competing for championships.

If the Browns acclimate this request, they could land a very obvious replacement by taking Penn State dynamo Abdul Carter in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, with Travis Hunter possibly hanging around and the dire quarterback situation possibly enticing Andrew Berry to draft either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, edge rusher may need to wait until later.

The Browns will need to expand their edge rusher search to include these three much-hyped NFL Draft prospects. None of them will come close to Garrett, but they could at least help the Browns build a respectable defensive line that makes life tough for opposing quarterbacks.

3 pass rushers not named Abdul Carter Browns must target in 2025 NFL Draft

3. Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College

Ezeiruaku is never going to be a very good run defender in the NFL, but the Browns likely won;t be turned off by that if they are sold on his pass rush potential. Ezeiruaku is fresh off tallying 16.5 sacks last season thanks to his tremendous speed and explosion off the line.

Replacing Garrett is going to be almost impossible, but the Browns could try to piece togethe a homunculus that provides a convincing facsimilie. The former Eagles star keep bring Garrett's juice off the edge and very refined collection of pass rush moves in town after the trade.

2. Kyle Kennard, South Carolina

Kennard, who won the Bronko Nagurski Award on the back of an 11.5 sack campaign with the Gamecocks, is another player who lacks great functional strength and can get washed out of plays. Kennard's game is all about speed and burst, which should ease his transition to pro ball.

Should Kennard be able to add about 10 pounds without losing any of his trademark explosion off the ball and bbend around the edge, there's a good chance he could end up reaching double-digit sacks at the peak of his powers in the pros.

1. Mykel Williams, Georgia

Carter is the top edge rusher in this class, creating a competition between Williams, Tennessee's James Pearce Jr, and Texas A&M's Nic Scourton (among others) for the title of second-best. Williams, due to his exceptional upside and run defense skills, is the leader th the clubhouse currently.

Williams may need a year or two to develop into a star, as he never amassed more than five sacks at any season at Georgia, but he has some enticing raw power and the potential to eventually grow into a very disruptive two-way pass rusher in the Garrett mold.

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