Since 2009, there have been 19 defensive ends or outside linebackers picked within the top-12 of the NFL draft. Of those 19, five of those players were 23 or 24 years old during their rookie campaigns. Those five players are:
- Tyson Jackson, 3rd overall, 2009
- Dion Jordan, 3rd overall, 2013
- Ezekiel Ansah, 5th overall, 2013
- Vic Beasley, 8th overall, 2015
- Leonard Floyd, 9th overall, 2016
That’s the list. I’m not necessarily making a point about age, but that’s the list. I didn’t intend to cherrypick based on starting with the year 2009 or stopping at the top-12, but that’s the list.