2018 NFL Draft: Defensive Linemen

As we move on to defensive linemen let’s recap some verbiage and classification. The split between the two groups is interior and edge. The interior group includes players that will play defensive tackle in either a 3-4 or 4-3, and end in a 3-4. These players are generally split further between nose/1 tech (players either heads up or shading to a shoulder of the center), 3 tech (outside shoulder of the guard), or 4/5 tech (heads up to outside shade of the tackle). The edge players are primarily outside shoulder of the last offense player on the line (5/7 tech), wide 9 (well outside the shoulder of the tackle), or 3-4 OLBs. As we get into each position group, I’m much more excited about the edge players than the interior players in this draft.

Interior

1)     Harrison Phillips, Sr, Stanford, 6’ 3 1/4", 307 lbs. – Starter (7.4)

Stats – Tackles: 69.5, TFLs: 16.5, Sacks: 7, 40: 5.21, Short Shuttle: 4.50, 3-cone: 7.28, Vert: 32”

2)     Maurice Hurst, Sr, Michigan, 6’ 1 1/4", 292 lbs. – Starter (7.3)

Stats – Tackles: 42.5, TFLs: 13.5, Sacks: 5, 40: 4.98, Short Shuttle: 4.59, 3-cone: 7.71, Vert: 31”

I see more in Phillips than most. With Phillips you start with a solid technique, add in good agility times, stir in some splash plays, and then only allow him to play late at night when no one is watching. When comparing Phillips and Hurst it’s absolutely fair to say that Hurst makes more spectacular splash plays and is a disruptive 3 tech but I see Phillips as a versatile player who can two gap as both a 0 or 5 tech, or penetrate as a 1 or 3 tech. Don’t overthink it, they’re both good.

3)     Taven Bryan, Jr, Florida, 6’ 5", 291 lbs. – Starter (7.1)

Stats – Tackles: 29.5, TFLs: 6, Sacks: 4, 40: 4.98, Short Shuttle: 4.48, 3-cone: 7.12, Vert: 35”

4)     Vita Vea, Jr, Washington, 6’ 4", 347 lbs. – Starter (7.1)

Stats – Tackles: 37.5, TFLs: 5.5, Sacks: 3.5, 40: 5.10, Short Shuttle: INJ, 3-cone: INJ, Vert: INJ

I want Vita Vea on my team. He’s 0 or 1 who can penetrate well and anchor well enough. Bryan on the other hand is a very good 3 tech disruptor from Florida who just needs to continue refining his game.

5)     B.J. Hill, Sr, NC State, 6’ 3 1/4", 311 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.8)

Stats – Tackles: 38.5, TFLs: 5.5, Sacks: 3, 40: 4.99, Short Shuttle: 4.53, 3-cone: 7.28, Vert: 26.5”

Hill was outshined by Chubb on the outside, but he’s a stout interior man with enough pass rush to be more than just a run stuffer. He’s a 4-3 linemen who can play both inside and out.

6)     Da’Ron Payne, Jr, Alabama, 6’ 2 1/2", 311 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.7)

Stats – Tackles: 37, TFLs: 1, Sacks: 1, 40: 4.95, Short Shuttle: 4.71, 3-cone: 7.58, Vert: 28.5”

7)     Tim Settle, RSo, Virginia Tech, 6’ 2 3/4", 329 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.6)

Stats – Tackles: 28.5, TFLs: 12.5, Sacks: 4, 40: 5.37, Short Shuttle: 4.83, 3-cone: 7.95, Vert: 23.5”

8)     Nathan Sheperd, Sr, Ft. Hays State, 6’ 3 3/4", 315 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.5)

Stats – Tackles: 38, TFLs: 12.5, Sacks: 4, 40: 5.09, Short Shuttle: 4.53, 3-cone: 7.50, Vert: 31”

All three of these players were tough evals for me. Payne absolutely dominated the national championship game but throughout the year seemed to play out of position/where needed to round out a talented Alabama defense. Payne should be a disruptive three technique who ruins guards afternoons and forces quarterbacks to constantly adjust in the pocket. Speaking of playing out of position Tim Settle played 3 tech at Virginia Tech. At 329 pounds that’s a rarity. What’s even better is that he won pretty consistently at that position in the games I watched. Settle is a 0 or 1 tech but kick him out to the 3 in a 4-3 or infrequently as a 5 to give an offense a weird look and I’m not sure that I’d doubt this kid’s ability to make it all work. There’s room to grow for Settle, I’m really excited to see what he’ll become. I watched Nathan Sheperd and P.J. Hall (DT, Sam Houston St, just missed this piece) back to back. When watching FCS or lower levels I’m always looking for a player to stand out and show that they are clearly a class above players at a lower level. Sheperd did this at Fort Hays State on a consistent basis to back up his testing.

9)     James Looney, Sr, California, 6’ 2 3/4", 287 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.4)

Stats – Tackles: 30, TFLs: 9.5, Sacks: 3.5, 40: 4.89, Short Shuttle: 4.37, 3-cone: 7.32, Vert: 35.5”

10)  Poona Ford, Sr, Texas, 5’ 11 5/8", 306 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.4)

Stats – Tackles: 28, TFLs: 8, Sacks: 1.5, 40: 5.13, Short Shuttle: 4.75, 3-cone: 7.76, Vert: 29.5”

Let’s start this group with Poona Ford, or how a disruptive undersized DT didn’t get a combine invite. Ford is considerably shorter than every d-lineman other than fellow NT Deadrin Senat from USF who is my #16 interior linemen. Both men are stout despite, or because of, their height disadvantage and the leverage it provides. Getting back to Looney at the top of this grade clump, he showed flashes of what could be at Cal. Often placed in the 5-tech role in a 3-4 Looney was disruptive when given then chance to attack the edge.

11)  Mike Ramsay, Sr, Duke, 6’ 1 5/8", 300 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.3)

Stats – Tackles: 32.5, TFLs: 9.5, Sacks: 3.5, 40: 4.89, Short Shuttle: 4.37, 3-cone: 7.32, Vert: 35.5”

12)  Da’Shawn Hand, Sr, Alabama, 6’ 3 5/8", 297 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.3)

Stats – Tackles: 18, TFLs: 3.5, Sacks: 3, 40: 4.83, Short Shuttle: 4.62, 3-cone: 7.98, Vert: 31.5”

13)  Breeland Speaks, Jr, Mississippi, 6’ 2 7/8", 283 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.2)

Stats – Tackles: 47, TFLs: 8, Sacks: 7, 40: 4.87, Short Shuttle: 4.65, 3-cone: 7.63, Vert: 32.5”

14)  Andrew Brown, Sr, Virginia, 6’ 3 3/8", 296 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.2)

Stats – Tackles: 32, TFLs: 10.5, Sacks: 3.5, 40: 4.98, Short Shuttle: 4.48, 3-cone: 7.51, Vert: 28”

15)  Deadrin Senat, Sr, USF, 6’ 0", 314 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.2)

Stats – Tackles: 50.5, TFLs: 10.5, Sacks: 6, 40: 5.16, Short Shuttle: 4.79, 3-cone: 7.77, Vert: 26”

Da’Shawn Hand is the big name in the 11-15 range. The Crimson Tide prospect was slightly less productive and athletic than teammate Da’Ron Payne. Ramsay and Senat are the surprising additions in this group. I didn’t know much about Ramsay when I went to look at his tape, but his production was above average and his testing was very good. Ramsay showed those physical traits on the field at Duke and found ways to disrupt the interior of the offensive line. As for Senat, I happened upon him by accident while studying up on a teammate. I routinely found that my attention was drawn to disruption by the nose/1 tech. That player was Senat and it wasn’t a fluke game.

Edge

1)     Bradley Chubb, Sr, NC State, 6’ 4 3/8”, 269 lbs. – Starter (7.6)

Stats – Tackles: 56.5, TFLs: 25, Sacks: 10, PD: 2, 40: 4.65, Short Shuttle: 4.34, 3-cone: 7.37

2)     Harold Landry, Sr, Boston College, 6’ 2 3/8”, 252 lbs. – Starter (7.5)

Stats – Tackles: 30.5, TFLs: 8.5, Sacks: 5, PD: 2, 40: 4.64, Short Shuttle: 4.19, 3-cone: 6.88

So much of me wants to Landry above Chubb but the rational side of me reminds me that Chubb is more varied at the point of attack and wasn’t plagued by lower body injuries in 2017. Landry is my personal favorite, Chubb’s the logical choice, and I don’t believe either will disappoint the team that drafts them in round 1.

3)     Marcus Davenport, Sr, UTSA, 6’ 5 3/4”, 264 lbs. – Starter (7.3)

Stats – Tackles: 44, TFLs: 17, Sacks: 8.5, PD: 4, 40: 4.58, Short Shuttle: 4.41, 3-cone: 7.20

4)     Josh Sweat, Jr, Florida State, 6’ 4 3/4”, 251 lbs. – Starter (7.1)

Stats – Tackles: 43.5, TFLs: 12.5, Sacks: 5.5, PD: 3, 40: 4.53, Short Shuttle: 4.28, 3-cone: 6.95

My evaluations for both Davenport and Sweat were a bit of a learning experience for me. Both players were played heads up or inside technique on the tackle far too often to fully utilize their best skill sets at the next level and it became frustrating at times when you were unable to really see them use their athleticism to bend the edge. This is where we need to rely on athletic testing and both the short shuttle and 3-cone show us athletic players that have the ability to test the edge of an offense.

5)     Uchenna Nwosu, Sr, USC, 6’ 2 1/8”, 251 lbs. – Expected Starter (7.0)

Stats – Tackles: 61, TFLs: 11.5, Sacks: 9.5, PD: 14, 40: 4.65, Short Shuttle: 4.27, 3-cone: 7.05

6)     Kemoko Turay, Sr, Rutgers, 6’ 4 5/8”, 253 lbs. – Expected Starter (7.0)

Stats – Tackles: 46.5, TFLs: 7, Sacks: 4, PD: 1, 40: 4.65, Short Shuttle: 4.25, 3-cone: 6.81

Nwosu and Turay are, to say the least, different types of players. Nwosu played multiple linebacker positions throughout the season at USC while Turay was the edge player both standing up and with his hand in the dirt for Rutgers. Nowsu is the only edge player with double digit passes defensed, but his ability to rush the passer and show it with some regularity are what kept him here instead of moving to the OBLB rankings. If you’re not sold on Turay there are two plays in the Washington game that show why I think he has a chance to very good. The first of the two plays he’s playing upright on the tackle who blocks down, Turay crashes hard down the line and ends up across the face of the running back and complete avoids the kick out block from the puller. He flips his hips in one motion and is the first to contact the running back in the backfield. The second is on a speed rush in which after dipping and ripping he completes his destruction of the OT by getting his body to a 45-degree angle and finishing the play. That type of bend and body control can’t be taught.

7)     Tyquan Lewis, Sr, Ohio State, 6’ 3 1/4”, 269 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.8)

Stats – Tackles: 16, TFLs: 9.5, Sacks: 7, PD: 2, 40: 4.69, Short Shuttle: 4.34, 3-cone: 7.20

I’m going to use this spot to talk about the Ohio State defense/ defensive players in general. This year’s team was so loaded at DE that Lewis, Hubbard, and Holmes routinely played defensive tackle throughout the game. This is turn limited edge opportunities for all but gives us a pretty decent idea of how all three will handle moving inside on sub-packages at the next level. I think Lewis and Hubbard handled it better than Holmes, but all three showed at least some propensity to makes plays from the inside as well as the outside.

8)     Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Sr, Oklahoma, 6’ 1 5/8”, 253 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.6)

Stats – Tackles: 61, TFLs: 17.5, Sacks: 8, PD: 2, 40: 4.76, Short Shuttle: 4.34, 3-cone: 7.09

9)     Duke Ejiofor, Sr, Wake Forest, 6’ 4”, 264 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.5)

Stats – Tackles: 34.5, TFLs: 16.5, Sacks: 6.5, PD: 1, 40: INJ, Short Shuttle: INJ, 3-cone: INJ

Both Okoronkwo and Ejiofor are long term P5 starters with established levels of production over multiple seasons. The knocks for these two are stature and healthy respectively.

10)  Sam Hubbard, Sr, Ohio State, 6’ 5 3/8”, 270 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.5)

Stats – Tackles: 34.5, TFLs: 13.5, Sacks: 7, PD: 0, 40: 4.95, Short Shuttle: 4.32, 3-cone: 6.84

See: Lewis, Tyquan

P.S. Hubbard should have come out last year, but he still balled out in his athleticism testing and that should at least cushion the length of the drop in this year’s draft.

11)  Ade Aruna, Sr, Tulane, 6’ 4 3/4”, 262 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.4)

Stats – Tackles: 20, TFLs: 3, Sacks: 3, PD: 2, 40: 4.60, Short Shuttle: 4.48, 3-cone: 7.44

On film you never go the idea that Tulane completely knew how to use Aruna or that Aruna completely knew how to take advantage of his physical gifts. That said put him upright, play him in space, and let him grow into his athleticism.

12)  Hercules Mata’afa, Jr, Washington State, 6’ 2 1/4”, 254 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.3)

Stats – Tackles: 38, TFLs: 22.5, Sacks: 10.5, PD: 0, 40: 4.76, Short Shuttle: N/a, 3-cone: 7.24

What to do with Hercules Mata’afa? He was a disruptive force as an interior lineman for the Washington State Cougars, but at 254 pounds it is highly unlikely he can hold up or be effective at the next level inside. His athleticism testing however suggests that he’s not as quick twitch as you would like to see for a pure edge player. I put him here because I think he’s an asset and as coaches become more and more comfortable with tweeners a guy who makes life miserable for QBs and OCs is useful… Somewhere.

13)  Jalyn Holmes, Sr, Ohio State, 6’ 4 7/8”, 283 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.2)

Stats – Tackles: 23, TFLs: 3, Sacks: 2, PD: 3, 40: 4.82, Short Shuttle: 4.59, 3-cone: 7.62

See: Lewis, Tyquan

14)  Rasheem Green, Jr, USC, 6’ 4 1/4”, 275 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.2)

Stats – Tackles: 31, TFLs: 12.5, Sacks: 10, PD: 4, 40: 4.73, Short Shuttle: 4.39, 3-cone: 7.24

15)  Kylie Fitts, Sr, Utah, 6’ 3 3/4”, 263 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.2)

Stats – Tackles: 18.5, TFLs: 3, Sacks: 3, PD: 1, 40: 4.69, Short Shuttle: 4.19, 3-cone: 6.88

The last two players in this d-line preview are Pac-12 players with wholey different body types, production figures, and athletic profiles. Green was pigeon-holed as a 3-4 DE at USC but still managed to put up fairly impressive disruption stats. His athletic testing isn’t shabby either with an above average shuttle time and perfectly acceptable 3-cone. Fitts doesn’t have much production to speak of from his final season in Salt Lake City that however is not why he’s intriguing. Fitts produced elite level testing especially in the agility drills. At 4.19 and 6.88 Fitts is on par with Landry who stands an inch taller and 10 pounds heavier. With this profile I will almost certainly be wrong about Mr. Fitts but I must admit his lack of disruption figures frightens me just a little too much.

I’m higher than most on this edge group. Chubb/Landry is a nice start up top add in the Ohio State trio, and physical standouts like Turay and Fitts and you have a class with more than enough chances for impact. It’s not as rosey on the interior. There are more than ample prospects with upside at nose, but most of this interior crop are high ceiling low floor players.