Defensive Tackles
The were 23 DTs selected in the 2021 draft, as follows:
Round 1 - 2
Round 2 - 2
Round 3 - 3
Round 4 - 3
Round 5 - 7
Round 6 - 5
Round 7 - 1
The 2022 DT draft class rebounded after an underwhelming 2021 offering, but it wasn't stellar. There was some very good talent at the top, thanks to Georgia, and the selections up to and including Perrion Winfrey (taken 108th overall) were very promising. Aside from the 5th-Round selections of D.J. Davidson (147th) and Matthew Butler (175th), the back half of the draft was very middling.
The 2023 DT draft class should be better than that of its predecessor. Even though the body count of twenty-three DT selections in 2022 looks great on paper, half of that was marginal talent. 2023 is full of some very good players. There's talent at the top, easily running through Round 5.
1) Jalen Carter | 6'3 | 305 | DT | Georgia
9/3 - Oregon - Oregon opted to go with quick plays, disabling Carter from making a splash on the stat sheet. That said, his presence was noticeably up front.
10/1 - Missouri - Carter was knocked out of then game early, having little opportunity to make a splash.
10/29 - Florida - Banged up and used primarily on 3rd downs, Carter was a handful, got the best of Torrence a few times, one of the nation's best OGs.
2) Bryan Bresee | 6'4 | 290 | DT | Clemson
9/24 - Wake Forest - Bresee had a decent game, but was generally outplayed by those around him. While he did show strength at the LOS against the scrum rushing attack, he often struggled to disengage from blocks. Against the pass, he performed somewhat better, but again looked marginal more times than not.
10/1 - NC State - DNP
10/8 - Boston College - DNP
3) Tyler Davis | 6'2 | 300 | DT | Clemson
9/24 - Wake Forest - Davis had a very good game. He was credited with 6 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks. He showed off very good functional strength against the run, and was even more impressive creating pressure against the pass. He flashed at various points throughout the game.
10/1 - NC State - Davis had a strong game. He was a consistent force up front vs. the run and pass. He played with good strength and hand usage, kept his legs driving. He had 3 tackles, 1.5 TFLs.
10/8 - Boston College - Davis had a very good game, was a consummate force throughout this game. He had 4 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, showed strength and quickness.
4) Siaki Ika | 6'3 | 340 | DT | Baylor
9/10 - BYU - Ika had a bit of an up and down game. There were some snaps where he showed off good strength and was able to create some movement at the LOS, freeing up others. However, there were other plays where when his initial push was stopped, he was stuck in mud and his drive stopped there.
10/29 - Texas Tech - Ika was a rotational player, looked very good when in. He stacked well at his zero technique, and was able to use his hands well to get free when his role was to pursue the passer.
5) Tuli Tuipulotu | 6'3 | 290 | DT/DE | USC
9/10 - Stanford - Tuipulotu had a very good night. He posted 6 tackles, 4 TFLs. He was a menace up front, playing with very good strength and resolve. It was hard for Stanford to hem him up.
9/17 - Oregon - Tuipulotu had another good night. He posted 4 tackles, 2 sacks. He was a menace throughout the night, showing that he could beat blocks from the edge position or along the interior. His speed and explosion off the ball was noted.
10/1 - Arizona State - Tuipulotu had a good game, posting 3 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 1 sack. While ASU game planned early and ran away from him, this DT was able to get in the mix as the game progressed.
10/8 - Washington State - Tuipulotu was great today, a consummate force. He had 5 tackles, 4 TFLs, 3 sacks. WSU simply couldn't hem him up with any consistency.
10/15 - Utah - Tuipulotu was great again, showing off a great blend of strength and quickness. he was stout vs. the run, and proved to be a challenging block in the passing game. His stat line belies his play.
6) Byron Young | 6'3 | 285 | DT | Alabama
9/10 - Texas - Young had a very good game. Credited with 3 tackles, 1 TFL, he was one of the main reason Texas struggled to get yards on the ground. While anchoring well vs. the run, he also flashed pass-rush abilities, using his hands well to disengage from blocks.
10/1 - Arkansas - Young had a great game. He was very disruptive, often drew a double-team block. He held his ground against the run, was also a force as a pass-rusher.
10/8 - Texas A&M - Young had a strong game. The Aggies had problems moving the ball at times, and Young was a contributing factor. He was in one 6 tackles, wasn't easy to move off his spot.
7) Gervon Dexter | 6'6 | 308 | DT | Florida
9/3 - Utah - Dexter played well tonight. He posted 5 tackles, made his presence known against the run. He stacked very well at the LOS, drew a lot of attention and freed up his LBs. He also showed some pass rush ability when called upon to do so.
9/10 - Kentucky - Dexter had a very good game. He was a menace up front, caused issues for the opposing offense multiple times. He posted 7 tackles, .5 sacks.
9/24 - Tennessee - Dexter had a down game, to the point of disappointment. Whether it was against the run or pass, he got hemmed up and made little impact at the LOS.
10/8 - Missouri - Dexter had a real nice game. he played with very good functional strength, gummed up the works at the LOS often. He had 4 tackles, 1 sack, was a formidable force.
8) Jaquelin Roy | 6'2 | 335 | DT | LSU
9/4 - Florida State - Roy had a solid to good game. He was used at both DT and DE. While he didn't show too much as a pass rusher from the DE spot, he was a force when operating along the interior. He used his size well, stacked things up at the LOS. He also was able to create some backfield pressure vs. the pass.
9/17 - Mississippi State - Roy had a good game. While MSU ran the ball well a few times, it wasn't due to Roy's lack of gap integrity. He was strong up front, showed that he can stack and help collapse the pocket.
10/1 - Auburn - Roy had an impressive game. He paced his team with 6 tackles, 5 of which were solo stops. He played with very good strength and hand usage. While big, he flashed quickness for his size.
10/8 - Tennessee - Roy had a very average game, as he met his match against a very stout interior O-line. He was in on 3 tackles, however.
9) Calijah Kancey | 6'0 | 280 | DT | Pittsburgh
9/1 - West Virginia - Kancey finished the game with 5 tackles, 1 TFL. On the plus side, he fired off the ball with very good quickness, showing of his ability to get skinny through gaps and exposed interior players who were slow to react and play through their hips. He was at his best creating pressure against the pass. On a bit of a down side, his lack of size hurt him at times, as he would get knocked off his based and/or have his momentum used against him. While he fought hard against the run, he was moved out of run lanes more than you'd like to see from a player of his caliber.
9/10 - Tennessee - Kancey had a solid to good game. He showed off great quickness, able to slip blocks and win with quickness. He had 2 TFLs, 1 sack.
10) Colby Wooden | 6'5 | 285 | DT/DE | Auburn
9/17 - Penn State - Wooden had a solid to good game. He displayed some good functional strength against the run, not easily moved off the LOS. He also was able to press the pocket a few times, showing some pass-rush capabilities. He posted 5 tackles on the night.
9/24 - Missouri - Wooden had a good game. He was strong at the LOS, gummed up the works several times. He had 4 tackles, 1.5 TFLS, 1 sack. His blend of strength and athleticism was on display.
10/1 - LSU - Wooden had an impressive game. He had 5 solo tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack. He displayed a very good blend of strength and quickness, using each well to beat blocks. He disengaged quite well, was tough to hem up.
11) Ruke Orhorhoro | 6'4 | 295 | DT | Clemson
9/24 - Wake Forest - Orhorhoro was used in a rotational capacity, and in performed adequately. He held up well against the run, and was able to collapse the pocket on a few passing situations.
10/1 - NC State - Orhorhoro was solid today. With Bresee out, he asserted himself well. He held up well against the run, was able to create pressure as well.
10/8 - Boston College - Orhorhoro was solid. He showed some good anchor strength and held the point well. He wasn't flashy, but played his assignments well.
12) Mazi Smith | 6'3 | 326 | DT | Michigan
9/1 - Colorado State - Smith had a very good game, really played up to his advance billing. He came away with 4 tackles, 1.5 TFLs. He played with commanding strength up front, often drawing one than one blocker. While stout as a clog in the middle vs. the run, he showed some good surge capabilities coupled with hand usage as a pass-rusher.
9/24 - Maryland - Smith had a good game. He played with good run strength, while mixing in a good pass rush. he finished with 8 tackles, was very active force.
10/1 - Northwestern - Smith had a very solid game. Northwestern struggled to move the ball, and some credit needs to go to this stout DT. He stacked well, wasn't easy to move off his spot.
10/8 - Indiana - Smith had a solid game, held down his zero-tech duties well. He was in on 5 tackles, made interior running tough.
13) Zacch Pickens | 6'3 | 305 | DT | South Carolina
9/10 - Arkansas - Pickens had a solid game. He paced his team with 12 tackles, also had .5 TFLs. He showed strength at the LOS, gummed up run plays on a few snaps in particular. He stayed around the ball often, came in on clean up today throughout the contest. He hled strong against a big O-line.
10/8 - Kentucky - Pickens had an uneven game. While he was in on 4 tackles, 1 sack, he was owned at the LOS several times, as Rodriguez gashed SC's interior.
11/19 - Tennessee - Pickens' play didn't stand out good nor bad. Tennessee didn't have regular success running the ball inside however, as Pickens did anchor adequately on a number of snaps.
14) Cory Durden | 6'5 | 312 | DT | NC State
10/1 - Clemson - Durden had a good game. He often drew double-teams, but still stood ground. He was in on 4 tackles, allowed his LBs to roam and play in space many times.
15) Tyler Lacy | 6'4 | 285 | DT/DE | Oklahoma State
9/1 - Central Michigan - Lacy had a very good game. He had 5 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, one of which was for a safety. He played with plus strength at the LOS, was a wall against the run. He split blocks well, garnered a lot of attention up front.
9/10 - Arizona State - Lacy had another dominant game. He played with very good strength and explosion off the snap. He was able to create pressure evenly throughout this contest. He posted 5 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 1 sack.
16) Taron Vincent | 6'2 | 300 | DT | Ohio State
9/3 - Notre Dame - Vincent had a very solid game. Whether playing head up as a zero technique, or in a more traditional DT alignment, he showed stout play and good functional strength. He anchored against the run, freed up his LBs.
9/24 - Wisconsin - Vincent wasn't credited for anything on the stat sheet, which belies how he played in this one. Wisconsin has some big boys up front, yet Vincent held his ground and was a credible challenge throughout this game. He made play reads easy for his LBs.
10/8 - Michigan State - Vincent played his role well, consumed space up front to free up others. He had just 1 tackle, a splash play for him.
17) PJ Mustipher | 6'3 | 320 | DT | Penn State
9/1 - Purdue - Mustipher had a relatively quiet game. While he showed stout play against the run at times, he did nothing to truly stand out. While his game is far less flash and more brawn, he didn't do much against the pass, nor create much interior pressure beyond the LOS.
9/17 - Auburn - Mustipher had a very solid game. His unit played noticeably better against the run when he was in. He was stout at the LOS, showed well as a run defender and against the pass.
10/1 - Northwestern - Mustipher had a very nice game. While it's always impressive when a DT paces his team in tackles, nothing was manufactured here. He played with very good strength, coupled with active hands to free himself of blocks. His motor ran hot as well.
18) Moro Ojomo | 6'3 | 280 | DT | Texas
9/10 - Alabama - Ojomo had a very good game, jumped off the screen a number of times. He had some great battles against Ekiyor, an NFL-caliber OG. Ojomo fired off the ball and did well at compromising run lanes. He drew constant attention, freed up his 2nd level teammates.
10/8 - Oklahoma - Ojomo played his rotational role well, chipped in with 5 tackles, was a formidable guy up front.
19) Keondre Coburn | 6'2 | 340 | DT | Texas
9/10 - Alabama - Coburn impressed today. He was very stout at the LOS, made interior runs very difficult for 'Bama.
10/8 - Oklahoma - Coburn had a good game. He was very stout against the run, wasn't easy to move off of his spot. He had 3 tackles, 2 TFLs.
20) Keeanu Benton | 6'4 | 316 | DT | Wisconsin
9/10 - Washington State - Benton had a very good game. While he wasn't great on loop stunts, he was fantastic when going head up as a zero technique. When not doubled, he showed the ability to use power and hand technique to get off of blocks.
9/24 - Ohio State - Benton had a decent to average game. He was in on 5 tackles and did hold strong at the LOS on a number of snaps. However, a very good opposing O-line got the best of him, created some big run lanes for all of their RBs.
21) Jerrod Clark | 6'4 | 335 | DT | Coastal Carolina
22) Jaxon Player | 6'0 | 294 | DT | Baylor
9/10 - BYU - Player was decent, not great. While he did show good play strength and explosion at times, he was hemmed up often, not able to make an impact.
10/29 - Texas Tech - Player was a rotational reserve, didn't do much to really assert himself against a weaker O-line.
23) Alfred Collins | 6'5 | 292 | DT | Texas
10/8 - Oklahoma - Collins was steady in a rotational role, but didn't stand out.
24) Ifeanyi Maijeh | 6'2 | 290 | DT | Rutgers
10/8 - Nebraska - Maijeh had a decent game, showed some good explosion and power off the ball. He was in on 3 tackles, made the opposing O-line work.
25) Fabien Lovett | 6'6 | 306 | DT | Florida State
9/4 - LSU - Lovett had a very solid game. Not only was a stout run defender, he showed some pass rush ability, using his strength and good hand usage to swipe away blocks.
9/16 - Louisville - DNP
26) Robert Cooper | 6'2 | 335 | DT | Florida State
9/4 - LSU - Cooper had a solid outing. While he created some pressure at times, he was most dominant against the run. It was a challenge for LSU to move him off the LOS in a head up, 1:1 capacity.
9/16 - Louisville - Cooper had a bit of a down game. Even without the services of their starting RB Evans, Louisville was able to gash FSU in the run game. Cooper got hemmed up a number of times, was walled off the ball.
9/24 - Boston College - Cooper dug his heels in and made things tough up front on a number of snaps, amid not drawing much of a challenge talent-wise.
27) Jalen Redmond | 6'3 | 284 | DT | Oklahoma
9/17 - Nebraska - Redmond was used sparingly, but made the most of his snaps, getting a sack. He showed a decent blend of quickness and strength up front.
9/24 - Kansas State - Redmond had a solid game, flashed a few times. He was quick off the snap, challenged KSU against the run and pass. He finished with 4 tackles, .5 TFLs.
10/8 - Alabama - Redmond was a rotational role-player, was in on 3 tackles, but didn't stand out.
28) DJ Dale | 6'3 | 307 | DT | Alabama
9/10 - Texas - Dale wasn't flashy, be he held his own along the LOS, wasn't easily moved off the ball in run defense.
10/1 - Arkansas - Dale had a solid night. He was strong against the run, made the interior rushing attack hard to come by for Arkansas. He chipped in on 3 tackles.
29) Myles Murphy | 6'3 | 290 | DT | North Carolina
30) Nathan Pickering | 6'4 | 300 | DT | Mississippi State
9/3 - Memphis - Pickering had a very solid night. While he posted just 2 tackles, 1 TFL, he drew multiple double-team blocks and was still tough at the LOS.
9/10 - Arizona - Pickering had a quiet night, didn't do much of anything to stand out. He had no success vs. LT Jordan Morgan.
9/17 - LSU - Pickering was solid tonight, bettering the LSU O-line a few times with power and good hand usage. He posted 5 tackles, 1 sack.
31) Nesta Jade Silvera | 6'2 | 306 | DT | Arizona State
9/10 - Oklahoma State - Silvera had a good night. He came off the ball well and was a challenge to block, especially when he got some steam behind him. He was in on 6 tackles.
10/1 - USC - Silvera had a bit of an up and down game. At times, he washed out of plays, gave up run lanes. On others, he stood ground and redirected traffic up front. Overall, he showed ability, lacked consistency.
32) Caleb Sanders | 6'1 | 270 | DT | South Dakota State
9/3 - Iowa - Sanders had a great game. He finished with 5 tackles, 1 TFL. He played with great strength and leverage at the LOS, often giving the Iowa O-line fits. Despite being on the small side, his functional strength and hand usage allowed him to dominate.
33) Deslin Alexandre | 6'4 | 280 | DT | Pittsburgh
9/1 - West Virginia - Alexandre was knocked out of the game early with an apparent arm injury. While he looked solid through a limited number of snaps, there wasn't a large body of work here to evaluate.