Photo: USA Today Sports

The 2024 NFL Draft is behind us, and it’s time to take a look at some of the impact IDPs out there, with a few sleepers mixed in for good measure.  Let’s start with the defensive ends.

If you want to reference our defensive rookie rankings, they can be found here.

The Big 4 IDP Rookie DEs

Dallas Turner, Minnesota

Turner has a lot going for him, one major thing being opportunity.  That being said, it remains to be seen what sites like MyFantasyLeague list him at, eligibility-wise.  Right now, he’s listed as a defensive end, which would be ideal for his fantasy value.  As it stands now, however, depth chart sites like Ourlads have him listed as an outside linebacker.  We’ve been through this exercise before with edge rushers, and for the most part, we’ve seen MFL list these players correctly.  Turner, at 6-foot-3 and 247 pounds, is probably best suited as an OLB, given that the Vikings added Jonathan Greenard to their defense.  But he has room on his frame to add bulk, which could point him in the direction of being a true defensive end.   Turner has pass rush moves, strength, and an overall nose for the football, which could make him a solid pass rusher like his former Alabama teammate Will Anderson (who’s only one inch taller and actually weighs less, for the record).  We will assume Turner’s listed as a lineman and will be a solid fantasy option at that spot for many years.

Laiatu Latu, Indianapolis

Given Indianapolis’ defensive scheme, we know where Latu (6-foot-5, 259 lbs.) will stick, and that’s at defensive end.  He will slide right into the left defensive end position, likely supplanting Kwity Paye, who’s put some good tape out there but perhaps not quite enough as the team had hoped in terms of being an effective pass rusher.  Latu is blessed with a host of pass-rush moves, exhibiting incredible athleticism and fluid hips for a guy his size.  The only real question remains:  is he fully healed from a neck injury that caused him to medically retire from the game while at the University of Washington?  If the answer is yes, he may actually have more upside than Turner. 

Chop Robinson, Miami

Speaking of opportunity, it would appear that Robinson will have it, especially if Jaelan Phillips and/or Bradley Chubb aren’t ready to hit the ground running when the season starts.  But, like Turner, Robinson is listed as an outside linebacker on Ourlads, whereas MFL lists him as a DE.  The good news, though, is despite their designations on Ourlads, MFL has Chubb and Phillips listed as DE, too.  So hopefully Robinson will keep his DE designation and therefore a solid fantasy outlook.  Like Turner and Latu, Robinson is blessed with a quick first step and elite pass-rush moves.  He’s a bit on the lean side but has the frame to add some strength.  If you miss out on Latu or Turner and believe Chubb is probably either too long-in-the-tooth to serve as a regular pass rusher, Robinson is worth waiting for.

Jared Verse, LA Rams

Common theme here with positioning on host sites like MyFantasyLeague, with Verse currently designated as an end but Ourlads listing him as a linebacker.  The good news is Verse has the size (6-foot-4 and well over 250 lbs.) to be classified as an end.  It’s really what we end up seeing on the field.  Verse, like the trio listed ahead of him here, has a quick first step and good pass-rush moves.  On tape, he looks a little stiffer than Latu and Turner and doesn’t really profile as a plus athlete.  But as a straight pass rusher, Verse has the chops.  All in all this is a good foursome of pass rushers that could certainly profile as “number one defensive ends” in terms of a fantasy squad.  This guy is a bull in a china shop, which is a good thing.