Renner’s 2027 EDGE top tier centers on Dylan Stewart vs. Colin Simmons, with draft ceilings even if they sit out 2026

CBS Sports’ Matt Renner has put Dylan Stewart and Colin Simmons at the center of his 2027 NFL Draft scouting look at EDGE talent, asking a simple question with high-stakes implications for draft-watchers: who is the No. 1 pass-rushing prospect between the two. In Renner’s framing, the race is not just about talent in a single season. It is about whether a player can preserve or even elevate draft value despite losing 2026 game film.

Renner’s series highlights a distinctive scenario for this class. He argues that Stewart and Simmons both have a realistic path to landing as first-round picks in April, even if they choose to sit out the 2026 season. That concept matters because most edge rankings are built on repeatable production, the accumulation of pressures, sacks, and run-defense reps, and measurable development year over year. If a prospect can still project as a top-tier NFL player without adding a full season of additional college production, it shifts what scouts are betting on.

At the top of the position group, Renner compares the potential impact of the Stewart-versus-Simmons debate to earlier eras of elite EDGE matchups. His thesis is that the very first tier of the 2027 class could be “special,” with the duel potentially creating a draft fan experience comparable to past marquee prospect comparisons. While the exact apples-to-apples is speculative by nature, the takeaway is clear: this is the group Renner expects most teams to monitor closely, not just for 2027, but as an early indicator of how the position is trending in the league.

The scouting approach that produces a comparison like this generally relies on a combination of traits and projection. For an EDGE prospect, that typically includes how efficiently a rusher converts athleticism into functional pass-rush moves, whether hand fighting and leverage translate against top collegiate tackle matchups, and whether the player can still create disruption as roles expand. Renner’s series suggests Stewart and Simmons are viewed as having enough of those foundational elements that a missed season would not necessarily erase their draft grade.

Still, there are unavoidable caveats for draft watchers. Betting draft outcomes on a season not played is always difficult, because game film is the currency scouts use to validate technique, consistency, and how a player responds to different offensive schemes. The next concrete indicator would be what either player does between now and the 2027 process: practice availability, workouts, positional drills, and the way teams evaluate them through interviews and team-led processes.

For the 2026 season, the broader implication is that the league-wide EDGE pipeline could be unusually defined by players who do not need to maximize the immediate year to remain in the spotlight. If Stewart and Simmons truly become the defining “top of the board” debate, it will change how fans and front offices interpret 2026 at the position. Instead of trying to guess which rusher spikes fastest that fall, the focus will be on who separates long-term from merely good year-to-year production in a class already seen as elite.