6 of 11

Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

1. Demarcus Lawrence

2. Ezekiel Ansah

3. Trey Flowers

4. Frank Clark

5. Bruce Irvin

6. Chris Long

7. Brandon Graham

8. Cameron Wake

9. Dante Fowler Jr.

10. Julius Peppers

Top-tier pass-rushers don't often get to market either, which would explain why the best names here played under the franchise tag in 2018.

Demarcus Lawrence made good on the tag situation by recording 10.5 sacks in 2018. It didn't match the 14.5 from 2017, but teams aren't going to blink much at the difference considering they are getting a 26-year-old pass-rusher in the heart of his prime who has rarely missed time lately.

The outlook isn't as pretty for Ezekiel Ansah, who has double-digit sacks in two of his last four seasons. The problem is the two other seasons in that span, when he only tallied six combined sacks while missing 12 games. Despite being a slight injury risk and turning 30 in May, Ansah figures to get a boatload of money.

Quietly, Trey Flowers has been one of the most consistently improving defenders in the NFL on a year-to-year basis. He's not only a solid edge-setter in his fourth season at the age of 25, but he has also recorded at least 6.5 sacks in three consecutive seasons.

Then there is Frank Clark, who has only missed one game over four seasons, recording at least nine sacks in each of his last three campaigns. If he isn't franchise-tagged, there is an outside chance he receives the biggest contract of any name here.

After the top four or so, things get risky from an age or injury standpoint, but the players could provide solid value if a team gambles correctly.

Bruce Irvin, for example, is now going on 32 years old in November but has 6.5 or more sacks in three consecutive seasons. Chris Long will be 34 in March but hasn't missed a game since 2015 and remains productive. Brandon Graham, 31 in April, had his lowest sack count since 2013 but could still be a solid rotational get. Dante Fowler Jr. put up four sacks between two teams in 2018 and still hasn't met the bill of being the third overall pick in 2015.

Then there are the old guys. If Cameron Wake wants to keep playing, he's sitting on six or more sacks in all but his rookie season dating back to 2009 and only missed two games last year. He's turning 37 in January. Julius Peppers registered five sacks in 2018, down from 11 in 2017, but has five or more in every season since 2007 and hasn't missed a game since 2007, too. He'll be 39 in January.

Rookie class inbound or not, there is some superb value for teams looking to either gamble on a blue-chip piece or simply add some veteran depth to a rotation, which these days sometimes feels more important than anything after quarterback itself.