Philadelphia Eagles’ best rookie sleeper to make impact in 2025 NFL season

The Eagles need long-term answers at edge rusher

Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, the Eagles have a very interesting collection of edge rushers but only one established starter in 2023 first-round pick Nolan Smith.

With Josh Sweat gone and Charles Harris still a free agent, the Eagles are bringing back 2024 third-round pick Jaylex Hunt from 2024 and Patrick Johnson and have bolstered the position with Josh Uche and Azeez Ojulari in free agency, but the incumbents have a combined three starts under their collective belts opposite Smith, with the new additions both on one-year contracts. Sure, they still have Bryce Huff, who was signed to a big-money free agent deal last spring, but Vic Fangio didn’t trust him to play in the Super Bowl, with former Jet a healthy scratch for the big game, while opting to run a three-man rotation when it mattered most.

If either Uche or Ojulari hits, great, the Eagles will get that veteran edge rusher they expected when they signed Huff last spring. But if that happens, that player will then ask for a new, long-term contract, which may be hard for Howie Roseman to pull off, considering he has new deals for Carter and Smith that will need to be negotiated next year.

Enter Antwaun Powell-Ryland, who falls into the sweet spot of long-term team control and intriguing upside.

The NCAA sack leader over the past two seasons, with 25.5 on his resume between 2024 and 2025, APR doesn’t look like a prolific outside linebacker at the NFL level. Turning on his tape shows a player with short arms and a lack of obvious muscular definition, with the edge taking down ACC quarterbacks in a decidedly non-powerhouse Virginia Tech uniform.

And yet, while Powell-Ryland doesn’t look the part, it’s hard to argue that he wasn’t effective. Powell-Ryland has a lethal spin move, has a quick first step, and knows how to weave through the congestion of the trenches to get to the signal caller. APR backed his tape up with an impressive showing at the NFL Scouting Combine, running a 4.69 40-yard dash to go with a 1.64 10-yard split, a 36.5-inch vertical jump, and a 124-inch broad jump for good measure and proved that, while he may not look like Abdul Carter, he isn’t a non-athlete who can’t take his game to the NFL level.

Considering the variety of different players Fangio has had success with in the past, from long-lanky edges like Josh Sweat, to more compact bodies like those of Brandon Graham, who historically gave offensive tackles fits due to his size, if APR comes to camp willing to do everything in his power to help the Eagles win, from rushing the passer to dropping into coverage, it’s hard to see a world where he doesn’t get some play right away. And if the Eagles suffer an injury? Well, Powell-Ryland may get a chance to step up and establish himself as a legit rotational layer like Hunt in 2024.

Lance Zierlein like how Antwaun Powell-Ryland rushed

Taking to NFL.com to evaluate Powell-Ryland alongside almost 500 other players, Zierlein celebrated APR for how he approaches the rush snaps to snap, even if he doesn’t have the prototypical size to be considered a slam dunk prospect.

“Powell-Ryland used smart hands and a diversified rush plan to accumulate 25.5 sacks over the last two seasons. He lacks length and speed but creates pressures by remaining varied and unpredictable,” Zierlein wrote. “He uses accurate, violent hands to eliminate the punch and kick-start his bull rush. Powell-Ryland plays with a sturdy base and good leverage at the point, but he’s unlikely to control the edge. NFL length will limit his early wins, so he’ll need to keep developing his counters. The production is hard to ignore, but modest traits and average athleticism will make it tough for his numbers to translate to the next level.”

Now granted, Zierlein does have a point about college production not always translating to the NFL level. Curtis Weaver was one of the more productive edge rushers to grace a college football field in some time, averaging double-digit sacks over his three years at Boise State, but he fell to the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft and has recorded on tackle and one QB Hit at the NFL level, playing just six defensive snaps in the lone game he’s appeared in.

Is APR the next Weaver or the next Andrew Van Ginkel, who became a first-time Pro Bowler last season after turning himself into a player under Fangio in 2023 as a member of the Miami Dolphins? While only time will tell, it’s hard not to bet on Powell-Ryland, as he has the potential to become a serious player in Philadelphia and a position that could really use a long-term rotational answer.