Zaven Collins

A first-round off-ball LB who converted to EDGE — and his sack curve is climbing every year.

Collins was the 16th overall pick in 2021 as a traditional off-ball LB — and the position experiment hasn't gone smoothly until the EDGE convert. The tackle volume collapsed from 50 → 19 in 2023 when he moved off the second level, but the disruption stats took off in trade. 2024's 5 sacks marked his real arrival.

2025: 10 QB hits but only 1.5 sacks — pressure without finish.

This is the strangest line on the page. In 2024, Collins converted 5 of 7 total pressures into sacks — a 71% rate that ranked among the best on the Cardinals defense. In 2025, he's flipped to 10 QB hits and just 1.5 sacks (15%).

More disruption, fewer takedowns. The pressure rate is up, but quarterbacks are getting the ball out faster on him.

11 TFLs in 2022 — and he's been a 6+ TFL guy every year since the convert.

The 11 TFLs in 2022 were Collins' first sign of NFL-level disruption, and they came as an off-ball LB. Since the move to EDGE in 2023, he's posted 6, 7, and 6 TFLs — a stable 6-plus baseline at the second level.

For a 1st-round LB who initially looked like a misfit, that's a reliable production line that quietly justifies the Cardinals' patience.

3 fumble recoveries + 3 FFs in his first 5 seasons — disrupting plays without picking off passes.

Collins doesn't get picks (career INTs: 0), but the ball comes out on him: 3 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries in his career. 2025 alone produced 2 fumble recoveries, his career high in that stat.

The combination of run-disruption (6+ TFLs) and ball-jarring contact (3 FF, 3 FR) makes him a more complete EDGE convert than the raw sack column suggests.

5 seasons in Arizona — same team, jersey 25, and the only first-round LB the Cardinals have re-signed off rookie deal.

Collins has played his entire career in Arizona — 5 seasons, 136 solo tackles, 92 assists, plus the position convert from off-ball to EDGE in year 3. After producing 5 sacks, 7 QB hits, and 7 TFLs in 2024, the Cardinals re-signed him to a 2-year deal — making him the rare 1st-round off-ball LB pick to actually stick around after the rookie contract.

The convert has produced 9.5 sacks and 23 QB hits since 2023 — workmanlike, but legit EDGE-rotation production.

3 different defensive coordinators in 5 years — and the production has only gone up.

Collins' total pressure count has climbed from 6 → 9.5 → 12 → 11.5 across the position convert and through three different defensive staffs. The 2025 number is going to hold steady at the 12-pressure ceiling even with the sack regression.

That's the case for him as a quality EDGE-2 starter: the disruption is real and replicable. The finish rate is the one variable that swings the headline year-to-year.