Five 2029 North Jersey Edge Rushers To Know For The Future

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Looking at NFL salaries, behind a franchise Quarterback, game-changing Wide Receiver and personal protector (Left Tackle), defensive players who can get after the QB are a highly sought-after commodity. Like the five 2029 prospects below, most of those players are Edge rushers. Take a look at five from North Jersey that have the potential for a bright future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1544708"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6720fb0491310"} --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Plays for Northern Highlands in the North Bergen Junior Football League and is from Bergen County.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Missed some time with a knee injury this year, but is an instant difference maker when on the field. Listed at 6-foot and 170-pounds and obviously spends a ton of time in the weight room.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Altman is a three-sport athlete (wrestling/baseball) with a ton of athletic ability. He's listed as an Edge/ATH right now because he's playing Defensive End this year. However, with his speed (plays RB on offense), he looks like a future Outside Linebacker to me. Time will tell.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1544902"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6721216956fde"} --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Plays for the Manchester Junior Falcons in the Meadowlands Football League and is from Passaic County.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Has been worth the price of admission on both sides of the ball this season for a Falcons team that has outscored its opponents 190-28 and has recorded five shutouts during a 7-1 regular season.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>There's very little doubt in my mind that McGregor will be thought of as a Wide Receiver prospect as he heads into high school. That said, he's done a very commendable job using his height and long arms as an Edge defender this season. Long arms and a vertical (he's also a basketball player) make him hard to block and/or throw over.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1544773"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67212169570a5"} --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Plays for Silk City in the Big Tri State Youth Football Conference and is from Passaic County.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>A physically strong and versatile player that is somewhere between an Edge rusher, Middle Linebacker and Defensive End on defense, while playing Fullback on offense just for good measure. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>I don't like throwing out comparisons to NFL HOF'ers but there's a ton of similarities between Stevenson and Dwight Freeney. Like Freeney was when he played, Stevenson is a smaller and more compact player. He bends the edge very well and uses his combination of speed and power to make life tough for opposition. Depending on how much bigger he gets, the move to Middle Linebacker could make the most sense.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1544737"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67212169570e5"} --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Plays for the Lincoln Park Raiders in the Tri County Youth Football League and is from Morris County.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Has flashed on both sides of the ball at times this season for the Raiders, who sit in a three-way tie for 2nd place in the league, with a 5-2 record. Playing in a league that isn't terribly deep with talent (comparatively) and with smaller field dimensions, I'm confident in saying we haven't seen anywhere near the best of Zammit yet.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>He's the younger brother of the unanimous 2026 No.1 Quarterback in New Jersey, [player_tooltip player_id='1544737' first='Justin' last='Zammit'], and little bro appears to already have an inch on him. While he does play Tight End on offense, he looks like a future defensive player at Edge/Defensive End/Outside Linebacker.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1544742"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6721216957122"} --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Plays for the Wood-Ridge Blue Devils in the Meadowlands Football League and is from Bergen County.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Part of a Blue Devils team that is about to start the playoffs after finishing the regular season 8-0. Perhaps the most dominant team in North Jersey, outscoring their opponents 252-12 with six shutouts, in just eight games.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>There is a lot of potential here with Zabaleta and his 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame. His height and length are obvious plusses as he fills out over the next few years. He played both interior D-Line and some D-End this year, but his future looks to be on the edge. He's very raw and needs to make the weight room a priority. He's been successful on the pre-high school level, but has to keep working to cash in on his potential.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->