The front 7, and
defensive line more specifically, is becoming more and more important in the NFL
and football as a whole. This class isn’t overly strong there, with interior
linemen being kind of deep but pretty meh overall, and Edge rushers dropping
off fast after a fairly strong top of the class. The strength in this year’s
draft are Edge/LB hybrids who played in space and rushed the passer as well as off-ball
linebackers (OBLBs).
Interior Linemen
This is a relatively
weak interior defensive line group, especially with compared to the top of last
year’s class. That said there are a number of usable players who will need the
right landing spot to utilize their talents.
Name | Team | Height,
Weight | Tackles for Loss | Sacks | Production Score | Role (Grade)
Derrick Brown
| Auburn | 6’4 5/8”, 326 lbs. | 12.5 | 4 | 401.59 | S (7.2)
Javon Kinlaw |
South Carolina | 6’5 1/8”, 324 lbs. | 6 | 6 | 175.06 | S (7.1)
These two are the
best the interior class has to offer and they’re good but flawed. Brown didn’t
test well but he produced plenty of production at Auburn to not be just a two-gap
nose tackle but his size and testing are still legitimate concerns. Kinlaw would
be the top tackle in this class but injury concerns (knee & hip) have
derailed him.
Marlon Davidson
| Auburn | 6’3 3/8”, 303 lbs. | 12.5 | 7.5 | 320.50 | ES (6.9)
Davidson was more
explosive than his Auburn counterpart but he was less consistently productive
on tape but he can definitely take advantage of positive situations and create
on his own, just not as consistently as Brown did in the same scheme.
Raekwon Davis
| Alabama | 6’6 1/8”, 311 lbs. | 3 | .5 | 95.22 | ES (6.5)
Davon Hamilton
| Ohio State | 6’3 3/4”, 320 lbs. | 10.5 | 6 |248.03 | ES (6.5)
Ross Blacklock
| TCU | 6’3 1/8”, 290 lbs. | 9 | 3.5 | 230.22 | ES (6.5)
Davis, Hamilton, and
Blacklock are all players from P5 schools with great defensive traditions. They
all show flashes of top-level play, but they are all relatively inconsistent with
the application of those abilities. The right landing spot is all the more
important for these players.
Leki Fotu | Utah
| 6’5 3/8”, 330 lbs. | 9 | 1.5 | 271.03 | ES (6.3)
Neville Gallimore
| Oklahoma | 6’2”, 304 lbs. | 7.5 | 4 | 203.41 | ES (6.2)
Jordan Elliott
| Missouri | 6’3 7/8”, 302 lbs. | 8.5 | 2.5 | 284.59 | PS (6.0)
McTelvin Agim
| Arkansas | 6’2 5/8”, 309 lbs. | 8.5 | 5 | 207.50 | PS (6.0)
Fotu is a stouter option
better used as a 1 technique playing the A-gap, whereas the other three players
are more athletic, penetrating types better suited to the 3-technique (outside
shoulder of the guard). But unlike the tops of the last couple of drafts these
guys don’t disrupt as consistently but should be usable options at the next
level.
The Next Five
Justin Madubuike
| Texas A&M | 6’2 5/8”, 293 lbs. | 11.5 | 5.5 | 345.50 | PS (5.9)
Larrell Murchison
| NC State | 6’2 1/2”, 297 lbs. | 12 | 7 | 328.38 | PS (5.9)
James Lynch | Baylor
| 6’3 5/8”, 289 lbs. | 19.5 | 13.5 | 538.09 | PS (5.8)
Rashard Lawrence
| LSU | 6’2”, 308 lbs. | 13.5 | 2.5 | 209.59 | PS (5.6)
Khalil Davis |
Nebraska | 6’1”, 308 lbs. | 11 | 8 | 278.66 | PS (5.5)
Edge Rushers
Young is the best
player in this class, by far. There are a handful of intriguing options after
that and players who will need to fix mistakes or land in the right situation
to provide high end production.
Name | Team | Height,
Weight | Tackles for Loss | Sacks | Production Score | Role (Grade)
Chase Young | Ohio
State | 6’4 7/8”, 264 lbs. | 21 | 16.5 | 405.56 | S (7.4)
Chase is the real
deal, he gets pushed wide a little too often for me, but he’s bendy, quick, and
powerful and will be a very good player for Washington at pick 2.
Yetur Gross-Matos
| Penn State | 6’5”, 266 lbs. | 15 | 9.5 | 181.63 | ES (7.0)
K’Lavon Chaisson
| LSU | 6’3”, 254 lbs. | 13.5 | 6.5 | 198.22 | ES (6.9)
Terrell Lewis
| Alabama | 6’5 1/4”, 262 lbs. | 11.5 | 6 | 150.34 | ES (6.8)
I was surprised by
how much I like Gross-Matos, he’s built like truck, he can turn the corner and
although he can get beat in the run game he’s clearly willing and can anchor when
he needs to. Chaisson and Lewis are similar archetypes to me. They’re twitchy, who
can win with speed and occasionally with power. Both were played in space and
against slot receivers and are clearly wonderful athletes. I just wish I had
seen a little more consistency from each, but the talent is there and clear.
Jabari Zuniga
| Florida | 6’3 1/2", 264 lbs. | 9 | 3 | 89.44 | ES (6.7)
A.J. Espenesa
| Iowa | 6’5 1/8”, 275 lbs. | 14.5 | 11.5 | 290.94 | ES (6.6)
Alex Highsmith
| Charlotte | 6’3 1/8”, 248 lbs. | 21.5 | 14 | 310.78 | ES (6.5)
Jon Greenard |
Florida | 6’3 3/8”, 263 lbs. | 15.5 | 9.5 | 292.19 | ES (6.3)
Josh Uche | Michigan
| 6’1 1/4”, 245 lbs. | 11.5 | 8.5 | 200.97 | ES (6.1)
Zuniga was injured
this season, but he posted 11 TFLs and 6 sacks last season and was on for a
much improved year with 9 & 3 in the first 6 games (5 of which were
starts). Espenesa is the player with ok not great testing and tape that looks
really good. He’s probably best as the strong side DE in a 4-3 where he can set
the edge and rush now and again, but he should be a solid player on the edge
that starts for a long time. I was pleasantly surprised by Highsmith, when a Charlotte
player pops up I’m skeptical, but Highsmith bent the edge well, played stout
against the run, and was all over the place for the ‘49ers this year. He tested
about on par with Espenesa and that worries me especially because the production
was against lesser competition. Uche is 80% of Chiasson and Lewis. Same type of
player, same questions on tape for me, and similar upside.
The Next Five
Julian Okwara
| Notre Dame | 6’4 1/4”, 240 lbs. | 6 | 4 | 112.56 | PS (5.9)
Alton Robinson
| Syracuse | 6’2 3/4”, 264 lbs. | 9.5 | 4.5 | 158.13 | PS (5.8)
Curtis Weaver
| Boise State | 6’2 3/8”, 265 lbs. | 18.5 | 13.5 | 288.59 | PS (5.7)
Bradlee Anae |
Utah | 6’3v3/8”, 257 lbs. | 14 | 13 | 216.41 | PS (5.6)
Casey Toohill
| Stanford | 6’4 3/8”, 250 lbs. | 11.5 | 8 | 160.78 | PS (5.5)
Off Ball
Linebackers (OBLBs)
It’s a really strong
year for OBLBs but it’s an increasingly devalued position. That said having an athlete
with good instincts can fill schematic gaps for defenses that increasingly need
more DBs on the field.
Name | Team | Height,
Weight | Tackles | Passes Defensed | Production Score | Role (Grade)
Isaiah Simmons
| Clemson | 6’3 5/8”, 238 lbs. | 94 | 13| 210.98 | S (7.8)
Simmons is the second-best
defensive players in this draft and I’m putting him in the OBLB group. I think
Simmons’ best role will be at WLB where he can play in space, rush the passer
on occasion and be used against both RBs and slot receivers. He can also be
used in a Safety capacity because he as enough athleticism to player from sideline
to sideline.
Kenneth Murray
| Oklahoma | 6’2 1/2”, 241 lbs. | 85.5 | 4 | 148.41 | S (7.3)
Patrick Queen
| LSU | 6’0 1/4”, 229 lbs. | 61 | 3 | 106.14 | S (7.2)
Zack Baun | Wisconsin
| 6’2 3/8”, 238 lbs. | 64.5 | 3 | 181.68 | S (7.1)
All three of these players
are very good prospects but they all have a different skill set. Murray is the
best pure linebacker of this trio, Queen is speedy and raw, with natural burst
to get where he needs, and Baun was used in space and as a rush linebacker at
Wisconsin and I think he’ll have a similar role in a 3-4 at the next level.
Akeem Davis-Gaither
| Appalachian State | 6’1 1/2”, 224 lbs. | 76.5 | 9 | 158.91 | ES (6.8)
Troy Dye | Oregon
| 6’3 1/8”, 231 lbs. | 68 | 6 | 241.31 | ES (6.7)
Willie Gay Jr.
| Mississippi State | 6’1 1/8”, 243 lbs. | 23 | 2 | 51.16 | ES (6.5)
Davis-Gaither might
have been my favorite linebacker to watch. He was all over the field for App
State and he gets to the right place quick more often than not. Dye was physical
with quick decision-making, but I’d like to see a little more consistency in wrapping
up to lessen the number of missed tackles in the NFL. Willie Gay punched his QB,
missed games for academic issues, and played his ass off when he was on the
field he’s going to need to be a bit better in space, but he lays the wood and was
easily identifiable when on the field for the Bulldogs.
Jordyn Brooks
| Texas Tech | 6’0”, 240 lbs. | 87 | 0 | 155.51 | ES (6.2)
Malik Harrison
| Ohio State | 6’2 5/8”, 246 lbs. | 62 | 4 | 59.49 | ES (6.1)
Evan Weaver | California
| 6’2 1/8”, 237 lbs. | 142.5 | 3 | 169.02 | PS (6.0)
Justin Strnad
| Wake Forest | 6’3 3/8”, 238 lbs. | 53.5 | 5 | 79.08 | PS (6.0)
Brooks is athletic
and productive but will need to do a better job disengaging in the run game. Malik
Harrison was active in the backfield and started all 14 games for Ohio State. He
just made a few too many mistakes in diagnosis for my liking. Weaver is a
tackle machine and always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
Maybe his upside is Blake Martinez-esque, but that’s a useful player and Weaver
is an alright athlete. Strnad tested poorly but on tape he’s routinely in the right
place.
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