Meet the New Guys: 2028 Edge Rushers

I'm as patient as they get when it comes to holding back classes of players. There's no worse feeling than ranking a player too early and having to drop them later. Accordingly, we wait until after the season to drop our initial 2028 rankings. But now, they're here. Our typical policy is to leave players without varsity film on the watch list, with a few exceptions. We'd rather be patient and right than early and wrong.   That being said, the 2028 class looks great and there are several players who made an immediate impact on their high school varsity team. Here, we break down all of the edge rushers in our initial 2028 rankings. This group is very Charlotte (Union County) centric and we're looking forward to evaluating more young players from across the state.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Introducing the 2028 Edge Rushers</h2>    Lewis played for Ballantyne Ridge last year but transferred to Providence Day in the offseason and reclassified to the 2028 class. He has elite size for the position and already looks like a top recruit at the next level. Lewis has great quickness and recognition, allowing him to make decisions and react to the run or pass. He has excellent strength and should continue to get better as he gets older.     Once Henriquez adds a bit more weight he's going to be even more dangerous than he was as a freshman. He played his entire freshman season looking more like a wide receiver than an edge rusher and yet put up 6.5 sacks. He has great quickness and dip around the edge allowing him to beat tackles to the outside. As he grows, I'm interested to see if he continues to improve as a pure edge rusher.     Unlike some of the other top freshman edge rushers, Mobley was able to move around a bit on the line, playing some inside as well as at the 7-technique and even wide-9 edge rushing position. Mobley has a quick first step and the ability to physically dominate when left on a tight end or running back. That helped him rack up four sacks last season.     Already 6'3" with a 6.5-foot wingspan, Sheronas played his freshman year at under 200 pounds and still made an impact on one of the deepest defensive lines in the state. Sheronas has the length and work rate to be a standout edge rusher in the future. The Warriors don't lose much depth on the edge this season, so don't be surprised if he doesn't have a dominant sophomore season. Just know he's waiting in the wings to break out.     Though Surles hasn't yet filled put his frame, he's a strong and lengthy edge rusher who plays multiple sports. He's still learning the intricacies of the position, but his pass-rush work rate is excellent and he made some nice plays as a freshman. Expect him to put on some more weight and thrive as he gains more experience.     Wardlaw doesn't have much varsity film, probably because he was playing behind one of our favorite seniors in the entire state, but he looks like the next great edge rusher from Grimsley. Wardlaw has a good first step and bend around the edge. He's been in the weight room and I don't expect him to play next season at his current size. He's one to watch in the future.

I'm as patient as they get when it comes to holding back classes of players. There's no worse feeling than ranking a player too early and having to drop them later. Accordingly, we wait until after the season to drop our initial 2028 rankings. But now, they're here. Our typical policy is to leave players without varsity film on the watch list, with a few exceptions. We'd rather be patient and right than early and wrong.