Winter Stock-Risers: 2028 Edge Rushers

We're onto Week 2 of our latest rankings update. Last week, we released our updated <a href="https://prepredzone.com/north-carolina/rankings/2028-rankings/">2028 class rankings</a>, and we've been churning out content since then. As always, I started by going <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/behind-the-scenes-of-the-2028-rankings-update-january/">behind the scenes</a> of the update, and then wrote about the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/3-things-to-know-about-the-2028-class/">class as a whole</a>. This week, we're looking at all the defenders who rose in the rankings. Here are our 2028 edge rusher stock-risers.   Editor's Note: If you missed our evaluations of our six edge rusher newcomers, <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/02/2028-edge-rusher-newcomers-winter-rankings-update/">check it out here.</a>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2028 Edge Rusher Stock-Risers</h2>    Cruickshank's name popped up on our radar in the summer, but at that point, he was still an "off the bus" guy, somebody who looked extremely impressive in a uniform, but hadn't had the on-field production yet. While we expected the production to come, you can never know for certain. But Cruickshank left no doubt this season, with five sacks in limited action as a sophomore. There's still some projection here, but we love what we see so far.     Womack has elite length and is getting stronger every offseason, and he's turning into quite the athlete off the edge. Unlike lots of other slightly undersized edge rushers, Womack excels against the run, and he's not just a speed rusher. He uses his length to keep tackles at bay, so he can read and react to the offense.     Johnson had a huge season, and we moved him up over 100 spots in the last update. But he continued his momentum into the offseason, and we decided to bump him again. So far this month, he's picked up a <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/friday-recruiting-rundown-floodgates-opened/">handful of FBS offers</a> and continues to add good weight. His production came before the elite athleticism, so now that he's starting to retool his body and put together some fantastic testing numbers, he's an easy evaluation for college coaches.     It takes a lot to be a stock-riser when sitting just outside the top 10 before an update, but Williams has shown us enough to suggest he'll be an elite recruit. His get-off and bend are what you'd expect to see from the best of the best, and Williams has the pass-rushing production to match that elite potential. Expect him to live near the top of our rankings for the next two years.     Grimsley is one of several elite teams in the state that doesn't update film or statistics until after the season, so while we'd heard Wardlaw was starting to break into the location, we didn't see it until later in the year. He's put on some good weight and has the physical profile to be one of the great power-speed guys in the state. He already pairs a great get-off with impressive raw power. He's one with the potential to move higher on our list.    There's plenty to come from Matt Morrow, Joshua Graham, and me on the 2028 rankings over the next week. Stay locked in with Prep Redzone for more insights, evaluations, and rankings updates. Want to share Prep Redzone with a friend? Promo code Helms30 will get them 30% off their first billing cycle for any subscription.

We're onto Week 2 of our latest rankings update. Last week, we released our updated 2028 class rankings, and we've been churning out content since then. As always, I started by going behind the scenes of the update, and then wrote about the class as a whole. This week, we're looking at all the defenders who rose in the rankings. Here are our 2028 edge rusher stock-risers.