Six 2028 Defensive Players You Need To Know

Whyce is our top player in our initial 2028 rankings, and for good reason. He is a pass-rushing monster and has several pass-rush moves to get into the backfield. He has great bend for his size. His athleticism is a major plus and he bullied some of the offensive linemen he lined up against. He will likely end up as someone popping up on P4 boards very soon, and everyone will have to know the name [player_tooltip player_id='1636891' first='Jameer' last='Whyce'].     Jones is a great player on both offense and defense for Taylor. He plays with great athleticism and as a defender, he covers a lot of space quickly. He is a good zone defender who can manipulate quarterbacks into bad throws. He can give up space and recover to get to the ball and he can battle with receivers to break up passes. It will be interesting to see what side of the ball Jones goes with as his primary side, but I see a great future for Jeremiah regardless.     Edwards put together a great season on film that rewarded him the top DB spot in our initial 2028 rankings. He can play both inside and out, but he worked primarily from the inside. He has great speed and can match with anyone he goes against. He has good hands and can take away leverage well. He attacks the ball and found himself with multiple interceptions as a freshman. Over the seasons, I see himself getting targeted less and will look to become a great defensive back nationally.     Lyons proved himself as a good outside linebacker who can rush his way into the backfield. He has good vision and can get to rushers before they can break free. Lyons bends well and can manipulate his body to get contact. He is a good bluffer and can drop into coverage quickly to get off the line of scrimmage. Lyons is a total package as a player and I expect to see him getting hype over the next season.     Daniel plays WR on offense, but he brings a blitzing pace on defense that I like. He is an athletic monster defensively and can go sideline to sideline as a linebacker. His best role at this point is as a run stopper, but he can rush the passer with his twitch and can blow up plays at the line of scrimmage. He doesn't have much tape on his pass coverage ability, but with time and development, I think Daniel could end up as a name to know in the near future.     Rufener plays with a ton of physicality and strength. He is able to utilize a great bull rush from the middle and blow up passing plays. He holds contain well as a run defender and is able to make plays when rushers get to his gap. I think Rufener has a good future ahead of him if he can continue to develop and add a little bit to his height and weight.