2023 NFL Draft Defensive Tackle Rankings

1. Jalen Carter, Georgia

HT: 6025
WT: 310
5 star (0.9912) Super Sophomore from Apopka (Apopka, FL)
Jalen Carter is a ridiculous athlete who was used in so many different roles across the Georgia defense. He’s played up, down, 1-tech, 3-tech, 5-tech, and stunted all over the defensive line very effectively.

Pros:

Ridiculously athletic. Very quick, very fast, rangy athlete.
Has a lot of brute to his game due to the power he’s able to build up and generate with his athleticism.
Flashed the ability to win double teams.
Uses his hands well and gets good initial placement. Can swim through traffic to dodge blockers.
Solid tackler. Very rangy, and will routinely pursue plays to the boundary. Relentless motor.

Cons:

Good, not great, first step.
Needed to be doubled a lot in college – but played on such a deep and talented defensive line in 2021 that he got a ton of 1v1 opportunities.

2. Bryan Bresee, Clemson

HT: 6045
WT: 300
5 star (0.9995) Super Sophomore from Damascus (Damascus, MD)
The number one overall player in the recruiting class of 2020. Interesting play style – really just tries to get under the blocker and dictate wherever he moves. Very long body type. Bresee has reportedly benched 435 lbs, power cleaned 330, and deadlifted 585. He’s reportedly vertical jumped 30 inches and clocked in the high 4.7s in the forty-yard dash.

Pros:

Very smooth athlete. Will be among the best in the NFL when he enters. Reportedly ran a high 4.7. Looks like he should run in the 4.87-4.95 range.
Good upper body strength. Can move off of blocks relatively well.
Has a good first step.
Very strong tackler. Does a great job working off of blocks to impact run lanes.
Fairly good pass rusher. Has the athleticism to get after the quarterback from the interior.

Cons:

Just didn’t play well enough to demand double teams while on the field.
Doesn’t really show any hand usage or desire to hand fight.
Injured his wrist in week 1 against Georgia in 2021. Missed the majority of the 2021 season with a torn ACL in week 4.

3. Colby Wooden, Auburn

HT: 6035
WT: 284
4 star (0.8937) Super Redshirt Sophomore from Archer (Lawrenceville, GA)
Corey Wooden was often used as the 1-tech in the Auburn defensive line, but has the capability to play both the 1 and 3-tech. He’s a very strong, athletic interior defender who can play multiple schemes and fronts. Was utilized as one of the strongest parts of the Auburn defense.

Pros:

Excellent athleticism for his position and size. Just moves extremely well.
Very quick laterally. Works into his stunts extremely well.
Has a solid first step. Good explosion.
Solid wrap up tackler. Sheds blocks to impact the ball carrier well. Times his jump to get off and lounge very well.
Very solid pass rusher. Compresses the pocket extremely well.

Cons:

Doesn’t demand the double team.
Places his hands well but doesn’t seem to have much knowledge of hand-fighting techniques. Flashes the ability to win with them in 1v1 situations.
Has some pursuit ability, very good for the position group, but won’t contain faster players in a footrace to the sideline.

4. Nesta Jade Silvera, Arizona State

HT: 6010
WT: 306
4 star (0.9730) Super Senior from American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
A transfer from Miami (FL), Nesta Jade Silvera is an emotional leader, an athletic freak, and a punishing tackler. Jade Silvera fits into a defensive line where he will be the unquestioned starter and leader, bringing a ton of collegiate experience helping a depleted roster.

Pros:

Excellent athlete, especially for his size. Has some solid speed and quickness.
Very solid lateral quickness. Can absolutely move around.
Very strong arms and upper body. Powerful. Very strong lower body, and generates some bull power.
Has a TON of brute power. Can just drive players back into the backfield.
Does often draw double teams assignments to slow him down.
Good hand placement and flashes good hand usage. Still could get better but doing a solid job. A little bit of upside here.
Very solid tackler. Once he gets hands on you, you will not be moving. Vicious punisher.
Passionate leader.

Cons:

Recognition ability can still get better.
Has generated 41 pressures between 2020 and 2021, only registering 2 sacks. He can hurry after the quarterback but typically his lack of recognition can remove him from the play.
Lacks the ideal size to fit any scheme. Will be limited in team fits.

5. PJ Mustipher, Penn State

HT: 6025
WT: 326
4 star (0.9613) Super Senior from McDonogh School (Owings Mills, MD)
PJ Mustipher missed most of the 2021 season after suffering a season-ending injury early in week 6. Before going down and over his time at Penn State, he’s shown the ability to be a stellar run defender and an impact defensive lineman based on his ability to create opportunities for himself.

Pros:

Flashes excellent lateral quickness, especially when moving to finish a play.
Good strength working into the block. Has upper body strength and arm length to help push off his block effectively. Gets a very solid drive with his lower body.
Has some real brute strength. Can bully his way using the tools he has.
Demands double teams as a run defender, but very hard to scheme them to him due to the Penn State front.
Pursuit angles are typically good in the hole. Understands his limitations accurately.

Cons:

Doesn’t have great speed, but is more than adequate. Very athletic for the position group.
His hands are still a little raw, but Mustipher does an excellent job using the length in his arms to create separation to shed the block. Has the strength to grab the ball carrier and impact his run with his pure hand strength.
Violent tackler, but raw in his wrap-up.
Don’t see a lot of instinct from him.

6. Cory Durden, North Carolina State

HT: 6036
WT: 310
3 star (0.8864) Super Redshirt Senior from Newberry (Newberry, FL)
A transfer from Florida State, Cory is a father of two. His son, Jaxxon, is 2 while his daughter, Olivianna, was born last December. He’s more of a space eater, honestly, and could fit in both three and four-man fronts.

Pros:

Decent upper body strength. The real power in Durden is generated from his legs. Solid lower body strength.
Stays with the play, outstanding motor, even when he doesn’t get there right away. Generated 45 quarterback pressures in 2019 with Florida State, 28 in 2021 with North Carolina State.
Good, not great, tackler. Shows good wrap up ability and cleans up well.

Cons:

Not particularly athletic. Can move around between the tackles but has a very limited impact outside of that range.
First step is average.
Struggles to win with his hands.

7. Byron Young, Alabama

HT: 6021
WT: 292
4 star (0.9647) Super Junior from West Jones (Laurel, MS)
Byron Young has bounced around the defensive front and been a heavy situation-based player at Alabama – generating an inconsistent pattern in starts and snaps. Regardless, he’s arguably the best rotational defender and offers versatility and upside because of his usage at Alabama.

Pros:

Has good lateral quickness. Can be used bouncing around on stunts.
Solid upper body strength. Really like the power Young can generate from his lower body. Sticks out immediately on tape.
Good first step. Fairly explosive defender.
Has a nasty stiff arm and then the leg drive to push the blocker back.

Cons:

Decent athlete, not great.
Decent, not great tackler. Struggles to wrap up effectively.
Slow to react.

8. Tyler Davis, Clemson

HT: 6016
WT: 300
4 star (0.9401) Super Junior from Wekiva (Apopka, FL)
Tyler Davis started all but one game as a true freshman in 2019 with the Clemson Tigers and has been a crucial part of their defensive front ever since. While he’s dealt with injuries over the last couple of seasons (missing ten games over 2020 and 2021), he’s still shown that ability to play as a stunt man and get back to the quarterback.

Pros:

Good athlete for the position.
Moves laterally well and was a big part of Clemson’s stunt packages.
Fairly explosive athlete.
Didn’t draw double teams often due to the nature of the Clemson scheme, but was a handful 1v1.
Good tackler.
Fairly consistent pass rusher, but I think a lot of that is attributed to his 1v1 opportunities that Brent Venables was able to generate consistently while at Clemson. Will require a creative defensive coordinator.

Cons:

I just don’t see the upper body strength I want to from Davis.
Struggles with double teams.
Active hands but needs some coaching on how to better use them.
Has missed time in both 2020 and 2021 with injuries.

9. Jaxson Player, Baylor

HT: 6000
WT: 294
3 star (0.8427) Super Senior from Midway (Waco, TX)
A transfer from Tulsa, Jaxon Player is moving up in the competition in college to prove that he has the talent to play in the NFL. Comes to Baylor with 8 career sacks, including 5 in 2021.

Pros:

Solid upper body strength. Can help compress the pocket with his bull rush
Slightly better than average first step. Typically can get some penetration off of the snap.
Explosive for his size. Will be above average in the positional group.

Cons:

Relatively agile and athletic, especially for his size. Balance might be an issue for him as he really struggled to keep his feet against Ohio State in 2021.
Has put some size on between 2020 and 2021. Hasn’t really helped his overall power.

10. Zacch Pickens, South Carolina

HT: 6025
WT: 305
5 star (0.9946) Super Junior from TL Hanna (Anderson, SC)
Zacch Pickens is a power tackle who can be a very strong run defender at the next level. As much of the position shifts to interior pressure players across the league, someone can get a discount for Pickens, potentially, in the draft as a stout rotational player who heavily impacts the run.

Pros:

Offers some lateral quickness, and flashes the ability to use it to get into the backfield.
Good upper body strength. Stout lower body. Generates a lot of power from his legs.
Great first step. Flashes the ability to get into the backfield quickly and without warning.
Draws double teams often. Wins a good number of his double teams. Does a good job splitting them and causing problems with contain.

Cons:

Not particularly quick or fast. Very average athlete overall.
Don’t see a lot of good hand placement or usage of his hands at all. Very stagnant.
Not great in pursuit. Won’t do much outside of his run gap.
Lacks the athleticism to be a consistent pass rusher.