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CLEVELAND, Ohio Theres a reason NFL teams spend first-round picks on edge rushers year after year.
The ability to consistently disrupt a quarterback, to make his life miserable from the outside, is one of the most valuable commodities in professional football.
In the latest episode of Orange and Brown Talk, Tim Bielik and Lance Reisland dove into two prospects who could define the position at the top of the 2027 NFL Draft: Colin Simmons from Texas and Dylan Stewart from South Carolina.
The debate isnt really about whos better right now.
Its about what each player represents as an investment and the answer reveals how differently you can look at two elite-level prospects with similar skill sets.
Simmons was Bieliks No.
2 overall non-quarterback prospect and the film Reisland has studied on him led to one striking comparison.
I think he becomes really good, really quick.
If hes in an odd front, if he plays on air outside and that tackles covered inside of him, hes going to be a Micah Parsons-style player because he has that type of bend and get off, Reisland said on the podcast.
Thats a ceiling worth paying attention to.
Parsons has been one of the most disruptive defensive players in the NFL since the moment he arrived in Dallas and now Green Bay.
The fact that Reisland sees that type of athleticism and bend in Simmons as a college sophomore tells you everything about the kind of impact player the Texas edge rusher could become.
Bielik pointed to Simmons relentless motor as one of his most translatable traits.
This isnt a prospect who shows up in big moments and disappears.
He had a sack in each of his last five games of the season.
The only caveat? At 240 pounds, NFL teams will want to see him add weight before hes ready to deal with the run-stopping demands of a full defensive line role.
Reisland suggested that in the right scheme, an odd front where Simmons plays free on the edge, you may not even need him to bulk up dramatically to be highly effective immediately.
Then theres Dylan Stewart.
At 6-5, 245 pounds out of South Carolina, Stewart is what Bielik describes as the ultimate get off the bus prospect, the kind of physical specimen that turns heads the second he enters the stadium.
His 11 career sacks and six forced fumbles over two seasons in the SEC are legitimate production against legitimate competition.
But the analysts noted that his pass rush win rate, around 13.1% per PFF, lags behind the elite tier of college pass rushers, suggesting that his current production is more about raw physical dominance than polished technique.
That distinction became the heart of the floor-and-ceiling conversation.
I think Simmons floor is solid starter.
Stewarts floor is lower than that, but ceilings almost as high.
So I think even just from a safe value, thats why I have Simmons ahead of Stewart, Bielik said.
That framing cuts right to the core of NFL draft evaluation.
Both players could be franchise-altering talents.
But if youre a team selecting in the Top 5, the question isnt just who has the highest ceiling, its who guarantees you something if the ceiling doesnt materialize.
Simmons, with his refined bend and proven production in the SEC, offers that safety net.
Stewart, still refining his technique, carries more boom-or-bust energy.
What makes both players worth watching closely heading into the 2026 season is exactly that uncertainty.
Simmons needs to show he can add functional strength.
Stewart needs to prove he can win with more than just athleticism.
A full college season of data will clarify a lot.
For Browns fans eyeing a potential top draft pick, the edge rusher position has never been more relevant and this particular matchup of styles is a preview of exactly the kind of debate that will dominate NFL draft coverage next spring.
Catch the full conversation on Orange and Brown Talk, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and the Cleveland Browns on Cleveland.com YouTube channel.
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