Jared Verse, Byron Murphy Headline 2026's Rising Defensive Stars

Twelve defenders earned first-team All-Pro nods for the first time last season, and the class of 2026 looks stacked with rising talent. Leading the pack: Rams edge rusher Jared Verse, who logged 80 pressures in 2025 — the sixth-most in the league — despite flying under the radar on a deep Los Angeles front. His bull rush is already elite. If he adds counter moves to his hand-fighting, the ceiling gets scary.

History says he's got the pedigree, too. Nine of the last 14 edge rushers to make an All-Pro team were first-round picks, and Verse went 19th overall in 2024. For IDP managers, that combination of youth, volume and untapped upside is exactly the kind of profile you circle before draft season.

The Trenches Get Younger

Seattle's Byron Murphy II is the interior name to know. He's done the dirty work freeing up the Seahawks' edge rushers, but he still stacked seven sacks in 2025 — eighth-most among interior defenders — and ranked 19th in pressures (50) among linemen with 200-plus pass-rush snaps. Like Verse, he checks the draft-capital box: 16th overall in 2024, and seven of the last 11 All-Pro DTs were first-rounders. New England's Milton Williams was his closest competition for the projected honor.

At linebacker, Cleveland's Carson Schwesinger backs up his production where it counts. His 11 tackles for loss last season ranked fourth among off-ball linebackers, behind only Eric Wilson (17), Jordyn Brooks (13) and Devin White (11). The 2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year, a second-round pick, has the range to keep climbing.

The Secondary Names

Panthers corner Jaycee Horn is only 26 but entering year six, and he's cleaned up the durability concerns — just three games missed over the past two seasons. He picked off five passes after signing an extension in March 2025, and adding Jaelan Phillips up front should generate more turnover chances. On the back end, Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori impressed on a Super Bowl defense despite essentially missing four games with injury; his 6-foot-3 frame lets him muddy windows and cover ground.

A couple of secondary sleepers landed on the radar too, though the fantasy math is grimmer. Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter — a WR in our rankings at #262 (#91 at the position) — managed just 28 catches for 298 yards and a TD across seven games in his 2025 season, worth 64 PPR points. Texans' DJ Turner sits at WR #312. Neither moves the offensive needle right now.

The fantasy call: in IDP formats, treat Verse and Murphy as priority WATCH targets — the pressure volume translates directly to sack and tackle production, and both are still ascending. Schwesinger is a sneaky mid-round LB add given his tackle-for-loss floor. On the offensive side, Hunter and Turner stay on the wire until the usage justifies otherwise.