In a copycat league, anyone who watched the Denver Broncos completely dismantle the NFL's highest-scoring offense in the Super Bowl had to be thinking, "I gotta get one of those." Now, plenty of teams have a great pass-rusher, but Von Miller's performance in particular -- and no, I'm not forgetting DeMarcus Ware -- was a reminder of what we've seen over the past few years in the playoffs. A great quarterback can get you into the playoffs, but teams that can disrupt those quarterbacks are getting to (and winning) the Super Bowl.
We discussed this theory and pass-rushers on yesterday's First Draft podcast, and while there's no Miller in this draft -- the guy was a productive, versatile freak coming out of Texas A&M -- there are a whole bunch of pass-rushers in this draft. And I need to remind people that this is a position where the craft can be as important as the raw explosiveness, and you see great pass-rushers emerge from all over the draft board.
Here are some names to know, with a quick note on each.
Important: These are all simply "guys who can get to the quarterback," as opposed to simply edge rushers, classic 4-3 defensive end types. It's not one type of player, just guys who have some pass-rush to their game.
First-round mix
Joey Bosa, Ohio State
A devastating pass-rusher who also makes great reads against the run, he's a legit option to go No. 1 overall. Forget system fits -- he'll be fine anywhere.