Defensive Tackles/3-4 DE’s
1. Leonard Williams*, USC (6045, 302#)
Extremely good athlete that is fundamentally very sound at the position. Exceptional play awareness that keeps his head up and eyes on the QB/ball. Gets his hands on a lot of quick throws (watch INT against Fresno St. for a WOW play). Engages and uses hands very well to protect lower body and create separation to make plays. Very good endurance and can play 60-70 snaps without drop off in effort. Would like to see a bit more “BAM” off the snap at times. Top-10
2. Danny Shelton, Washington (6020, 339#)
His feet are very impressive for this type of size. A DT in a NT body. Quick enough to do a lot of stunts and misdirections. A bit like Star Latulelei in the fact using him as a double-team generating NT/plugger might be wasting his talents. Best as the 1-technique in a base 4-3 or even a move lineman in a one-gap 3-4. Round 1
3. Malcolm Brown*, Texas (6023, #319)
A very good DT prospect. Plays with good effort and can “hip throw” linemen than get off balance against him. Very active and aggressive hand use and makes his move with urgency and quickness. Solid prospect that should easily find a roll in a 4-3 defense very early in career and generate wins along the line. Round 1
4. Eddie Goldman*, Florida State (6040, 336#)
Very solid NT prospect. Is strong and low and can just walk people back into the pocket if the O-lineman makes any mistake. Uses power to set up nice swim moves and gap penetration and can surprise with quickness/footwork. Is not quite as immovable as you’d like at times and might need a bit more functional strength. NFL strength program should help. If he embraces being a professional and really works at being the best, he’s got a lot of potential. If he skates through on what he is now he’ll be a slightly above average rotational interior guy for a 3-4/4-3 team. Round 1-2
5. Jordan Phillips*, Oklahoma (6052, 329#)
Planet theory prospect. Not many 6’-5” guys this big can move like him with his balance. Still very raw in his football intelligence and doesn’t have the nuances of setting up moves or finding the guys weakness across from him. Looks like he makes up his mind what he’s going to do before the snap. Lots of talent to coach up however and his ceiling is very high. Round 1-2
6. Marcus Hardison, Arizona State (6031, 307#)
Proday 4.91 40-time caught some attention. Long limbed body that played more DE than DT. Impressive highlight reel that shows unique ability to dip under LT’s even at 300 lbs. Could be wonderful DE type that moves into DT on pass downs. Round 2
7. Arik Armstead*, Oregon (6071, 292#)
There’s a lot to like but a very tough prospect to grade. A tweener that I thought played out of position at Oregon. Engaged at point of attack almost like a DE: lots of swim moves, twists, hand action but lacks that “burst” once free to close from the end position to the QB. When playing inside lacks a bit of junk in the trunk to really hold up and can be walled off by better O-lineman. Size seems to indicate a 3-4 DE but would be better in a 1-gap scheme rather than forced to man-up over one guy. Talent, size and effort indicate a 1st round talent, but he will need to find a spot that works at the next level. Could struggle. Round 2
8. Carl Davis, Iowa (6045, 320#)
There’s a drop off probably here, but he is still a very good DT prospect. Much better than the 2nd tier guys from last season (Jones, Ferguson, Johnson, Quarles). NFL size and effort. Likes to attack gaps and has nice lateral movement for his size. Good reach. Round 2
9. Xavier Cooper*, Washington St. (6027, 293#)
Base on size and combine I would have liked to see a bit more explosion as a 3-technique but rarely played that position. Lined up at a variety of spots in a predominantly nickel-type defense. Went wide too much for my liking. He’s still a very good and quick athlete that can do a lot for a defense and cause a lot of disruption. Round 2-3
10. Michael Bennett, Ohio State (6020, 293#)
Active and a hard worker. Only a gap penetrator at this point that can easily get washed out when an O-lineman gets properly squared up on him. A tampa-2 player that is best when told just to attack the QB and stop the runner on the way there. Lots of push/pull attempts but lacks the reach/strength to do much at the next level. Lovie Smith will like him. Round 2-3
11. Mario Edwards Jr.*, Florida State (6025, 279#)
Completely lacks a position to me. I just can’t see where he fits. Often stood up outside the tackle for FSU but lacks the quicks and explosion and never dipped around edge. Often just extended arms and reacted to play rather than dictating or beating anyone. Slow off snap and NFL lineman are going to really abuse his delay. Has the strength numbers to possibly move to full time DT but again seems tentative to engage or penetrate gap. Very intriguing athlete that tests well but is very, very raw. Father played in the NFL. Round 3-4
12. Henry Anderson, Stanford (6062, 294#)
You want to like him as the token, tall white kid that looks perfect on paper to play 3-4 DE, but his film vs. Utah was mediocre. Noticeably lacks good lateral movement skills and gets on the ground too much. Gets most action on smarts and reading the plays correctly. Tackles very well and makes the most of opportunities. Need more strength and pop to game. Round 3-4 but could be drafted higher because of lack of true 3-4 DE prospects.
13. Grady Jarrett, Clemson (6006, 304#)
A bit undersized and looks maxed out but plays very well a plugger/hydrant type tackle. Good initial jolt at snap and exceptional pad level. Can run better than you think and maintains energy/effort thoughout a game. Round 4
14. Gabe Wright, Auburn (6026, 300#)
15. Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Southern Miss (6022, 307#)
Remind me a bit of Ferguson/Johnson kids from LSU last year. Great southern athletes that are a bit “tweener” DT prospect at around 300 lbs. and are prospects because consistent effort and natural ability, not necessarily any special “plus” attribute on film. Project to solid NFL rotational lineman at the next level that every teams needs to keep drafting to feed the system looking for keepers. Round 4
16. Laterius Walton, Central Michigan (6047, 319#)
Intriguing small-school project that has all the size/length you want in the NFL. GM’s and coaches will be very tempted to get him into a NFL strength program. Might be one of the best 3-4 DE project in this draft because he exhibits the strength, length and bubble to really hold up one-on-one with tackles and create a mismatch. Built a lot like Muhammad Wilkinson. Round 4-5
17. Derrick Lott, UT-Chattanooga (6040, #314)
Georgia transfer that flashes SEC talent on occasion. Versatile DT/3-4 DE prospect that has legit NFL size/bubble. Can be physical at snap and hold up but needs a bit of touch up work on consistent pad level. 30 reps shows weight room effort. Almost 9’ broad jump. Very close to Walton as a strong 3-4 DE prospect in rounds 4-5.
18. Christian Covington*, Rice (6023, 289#)
A tier-2 project 3-tech prospect that still needs a lot of seasoning to his game. Impressive pro day results after coming off minor knee injury during the season. Was a highly sought after high school recruit and teams are aware of this player for a while. Likely should have stayed in school but as a 3-year starter probably didn’t have much more to show on tape. Round 5
19. Corey Crawford, Clemson (6052, 299#)
Nice athleticism for size that benefitted from good guys around him on defense (Beasley/Jarett) and looks the part of a 3-4 DE but didn’t play that role at Clemson. Hard to project his ability to hold up and lacks functional strength to hold point. A tweener at this point that might be a project. Might end up bouncing around like a Geathers or Kruger (both on Steelers). Teams will give this type of athlete multiple shots at making it if he keeps his nose clean. Round 5-6
