Welcome to Part 8 of our 2023 draft preview series, which will be a position-by-position look at key prospects and where the Chargers roster stands ahead of the NFL Draft. This series will include a look at which prospects could be options for the Chargers later this month.

We chatted with NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah to break down the edge rushers in this draft class. Jeremiah, who is also the color commentator for Chargers radio games, can be found on Twitter @MoveTheSticks for his analysis.

Chargers status at Edge

On paper, the Bolts still have one of the top 1-2 punches in terms of edge rushers across the league.

But the Chargers grand plan of having Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa wreak havoc together didn't come to fruition in 2022 because of the injury bug. Bosa suffered a torn groin in Week 3 and missed nearly all the rest of the regular season, although he did return late in the season and for the playoffs.

Jeremiah said the jury is still out on pairing, even if it still has plenty of remaining potential.

"You just want to see them stay healthy and be on the field together to see what that looks like for a long stretch. It's been a huge loss when Joey hasn't been out there," Jeremiah said. "Still kind of wondering how it all looks like to be honest, so hopefully this year we get a chance to see it."

The Chargers still have Chris Rumph II as an edge rusher, but the 2021 fourth-round pick also battled injuries in 2022. He had a pair of sacks last season and has 3.0 total sacks in two years.

Kyle Van Noy was a key piece in 2022 with 5.0 sacks, but he remains a free agent. Carlo Kemp and Ty Shelby are also on the current roster as edge rushers.

"I do think there's also a need to give yourself more insurance there in case you do lose one of [Mack or Bosa] throughout the year," Jeremiah said.

Is Edge a position of need?

If Mack and Bosa are healthy and productive, that's a boon for the Bolts defense.

Yet both players aren't getting any younger, and Jeremiah believes the Chargers could address the depth issue at any point in the draft.

Could he see the Bolts taking one in the first round?

"I think so. I think it's a good group, I think you'll have highly graded players at that point in time," Jeremiah said. "I would not say it's out of the realm of possibility at all. I think there's some guys worthy of it that they're going to be staring at that I'd feel great about."

Even if the Chargers don't spend a Round 1 pick on an edge rusher, don't be surprised if they end up with one by the conclusion of the draft.

"They are probably two guys short on the outside of where you'd want to be," Jeremiah said.

Key draft questions

1. Who's an edge rusher that fits Brandon Staley's scheme?

"I think a couple guys are interesting. I think [Felix] Anudike-Uzomah from Kansas State who's heavy handed, can set the edge and also really rush and really rush with power. He's got excellent hands and he gets the ball out when he gets there, which I think is a great trait. Brandon he's still going to value the ability to set the edge, so I think having that firmness and that physical nature there on the edge against the run as well as someone who can win in a lot of different ways as a rusher."

2. Any Day 2 prospects that have caught your eye?

"There's a good group of guys. Keion White from Georgia Tech, I think early on in the process, I was probably too high on him and he's kind of come back down. I think he's got a chance to go in the second round now. He's kind of an inside, outside guy but would give them a 280-pound presence on the edge. A little bit tight, but can rush with power and can really set the edge. That would be one in the second round. In the third round, my mid-round draft crush is Jose Ramirez from Eastern Michigan, who's not real tall but he's got long arms and he's got a real knack as a rusher. He can bend at the top. I think he had 10 sacks, his 40-time was okay but his 10-[yard split] was excellent. He's just a good football player and I would take him in the third round. There's a chance he gets there in the fourth round, but personally I would take him in the third."

3. How about a Day 3 sleeper?

"Byron Young from Tennessee, he's a real fastball off the edge. He's one that's maybe in that fourth-round range. I would say YaYa Diaby from Louisville would be another one in that mix. Real explosive, both those guys have a ton of juice."

Expert rankings

NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah currently has nine edge rushers in his overall Top 50: 2. Will Anderson, Jr., 4. Tyree Wilson, 14. Lukas Van Ness, 18. Nolan Smith, 23. Myles Murphy, 26. Will McDonald IV, 28. Keion White, 32. Felix Anudike-Uzomah and 35. BJ Ojulari.

ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., has five edge rushers in his overall Top 25: 3. Anderson, 13. Smith, 20. McDonald, 21. Wilson and 23. Murphy.

Rankings for edge rushers by Jeremiah, his NFL Media counterpart Bucky Brooks, Kiper, analytics site Pro Football Focus and The Athletic's Dane Brugler are listed below.

Potential Chargers options

Note: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name).

Lukas Van Ness

School: Iowa | Year: Redshirt sophomore | Ht: 6-foot-5 | Wt: 272 pounds

2022 stats: 13 games; 38 tackles (17 solo), 11 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 1 interception, 2 passes defensed

Quick fact: While Van Ness made his presence known in opposing backfields on defense, he also did it on special teams. In a game against Iowa State, Van Ness tied the Iowa single-game record with two blocked punts.

Myles Murphy

School: Clemson | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-5 | Wt: 268 pounds

2022 stats: 13 games; 40 tackles (22 solo), 11 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 2 passes defensed

Quick fact: Murphy's three years with Clemson were productive, as he culminated it with a First-team All-ACC selection in 2022.

DJ's Take: "Big, long, I think there's a lot in his body, I don't think he's got it all figured out just yet. He hasn't put it all together, but literally that's the body type that everybody would choose for an edge rusher. He's tall, he's long, he's real rangy, I just think he's still kind of developing a game plan as a rusher."

Nolan Smith

School: Georgia | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-2 | Wt: 238 pounds

2022 stats: 8 games; 18 tackles (14 solo), 7 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, 1 pass defensed

Quick fact: Smith's final collegiate season was cut short due to injury, but he finished his time at Georgia as a two-time National Champion and a part of one of the best defenses in college football.

DJ's Take: "He's crazy dynamic. He was a big-time recruit coming out of high school. When he's been on the field, he's pretty electric. His numbers are not just workout numbers, it translates to the field. He's got big time get off, he can really change direction. He's a little undersized. Somebody I was talking to the other day with a team that compared him to Jerry Hughes, I thought that was a pretty interesting comparison. He can really go."

Will McDonald IV

School: Iowa State | Year: Redshirt senior | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 239 pounds

2022 stats: 12 games; 36 tackles (23 solo), 7.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, 4 passes defensed, 1 force fumble, 1 fumble recovery

Quick fact: The Big 12 Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2021, McDonald was consistently productive with the Cyclones, voted First-Team All-Big 12 by the coaches from 2020 to 2022.

DJ's Take: "Will McDonald is probably the loosest edge rusher. He's real loose and fluid and bendy. He can corner, and he was someone who showed up to Iowa State like 207 pounds. He just continued to add strength and weight, but even at 207 pounds, when they roll him out there, [Iowa State Head Coach] Matt Campbell told me they couldn't block him at practice. They threw him out in a game at that weight and he got a sack and played like four games before they redshirted him. He has a sack in first game at 207 pounds. He's just continued to add weight, he's been really productive for them and the way they used him, he played in a lot of tight alignment, similar to Travon Walker last year, where he didn't get a chance to really loosen up and rush up the edge like some other guys. I think he's even better than his numbers, and his numbers were pretty good."

Keion White

School: Georgia Tech | Year: Redshirt senior | Ht: 6-foot-5 | Wt: 285 pounds

2022 stats: 12 games; 54 tackles (29 solo), 14 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 1 pass defensed

Quick fact: In his first full season with Georgia Tech, White earned 2022 Third-Team All-ACC honors and led the team with 7.5 sacks.

BJ Ojulari

School: LSU | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-2 | Wt: 248 pounds

2022 stats: 11 games; 58 tackles (34 solo), 8.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble

Quick fact: Ojulari will join his older brother, Azeez, in the NFL. Azeez is a member of the New York Giants, and was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Felix Anudike-Uzomah

School: Kansas State | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-3 | Wt: 255 pounds

2022 stats: 14 games; 46 tackles (31 solo), 11 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 pass defensed

Quick fact: The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Anudike-Uzomah finished his collegiate career tied for fourth-most forced fumbles (8) and sixth-most sacks (20.5) in school history in just three seasons.

Isaiah Foskey

School: Notre Dame | Year: Redshirt junior | Ht: 6-foot-5 | Wt: 264 pounds

2022 stats: 12 games; 45 tackles (23 solo), 14 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 1 forced fumble

Quick fact: Foskey, a 2022 consensus All-American, broke the Notre Dame career sack record in his second-to-last college game, capping off what was a decorated career with the Fighting Irish.

Tuli Tuipulotu

School: USC | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-3 | Wt: 266 pounds

2022 stats: 14 games; 46 tackles (31 solo), 22 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, 3 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles

Quick fact: Tuipulotu was a force in his junior season, winning the Pac-12's Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year and Morris Trophy Award following his dominant performance.

Derick Hall

School: Auburn | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-3 | Wt: 254 pounds

2022 stats: 12 games; 60 tackles (42 solo), 12 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, 1 interception, 1 pass defensed, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery

Quick fact: A three-year starter at Auburn, Hall finished college on a high note, as he was voted team captain and earned First-Team All-SEC honors.

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