NFL Draft 2017 - Defensive Linemen
To begin today's coverage, we're going to look at defensive linemen. This list is not intended to be exhaustive, so please share analysis, commentary and gifs of your favorite prospects in the comments section.
Note: This does not include edge defenders, which we covered yesterday
Jets Needs: Defensive Linemen
Despite the fact that Muhammad Wilkerson struggled coming off a broken leg, the defensive line is still seen as a strength for the Jets. Whether there is any room for a short-term addition will depend on whether or not the team trades Sheldon Richardson.
Pro bowler Leonard Williams leads the group and there are already some promising youngsters with a year or two in the system, led by Lawrence Thomas.
One position without a clear starter is the nose tackle position. Veteran Steve McLendon has part of his salary guaranteed, so is likely to remain on the team, but he'll be pushed by Deon Simon and Mike Pennel.
First round prospects
This year's class is headed up by two likely first round picks in Jonathan Allen from Alabama and Stanford's Solomon Thomas. Both had huge seasons in 2016.
Allen, who was regarded as a possible number one pick throughout much of the pre-draft process was perhaps the most dominant defensive player in the nation last year, but there is reportedly some concern over his shoulder. He impresses with his strength and quickness.
Thomas posted tremendous athletic numbers at the combine and has the capability to play anywhere across the line. He could thrive in a role similar to that of Seattle's Michael Bennett. Thomas is an explosive and was consistently dominant and productive last year: Michigan State's Malik McDowell is the other main candidate to be a first round pick. He has excellent length and ran a 4.85 at 295 pounds at the combine. One concern with him is how regularly he seemed to go down injured. While the fact he kept returning to games while banged-up perhaps speaks to his toughness, it's sure to raise concerns over his durability.Non-first rounders
Charlotte's Larry Ogunjobi is one of the better run defenders in this year's defensive lineman class. He also posted some good explosiveness numbers at the combine.
Montravius Adams from Auburn is another player who is a powerful force inside. He showed improved strength in 2016, with a renewed ability to hold up at the point of attack, even against double teams. He also has some good athleticism as he ran a 4.87 40-yard dash at 304 pounds.
While he was somewhat overshadowed by his teammate Allen and had to split reps with several other quality linemen, Alabama's Dalvin Tomlinson did a solid job inside against the run. He's also renowned for his intelligence as he has two degrees and could have gone to Harvard.
Villanova's Tanoh Kpassagnon is a particularly interesting prospect. He has tantalizing length and, like Tomlinson, is considered extremely smart, although that can sometimes be viewed as a negative because it can make teams question your passion for football. Since he only played for a small school, there's a lot of projection involved, and there is some rawness to his game but he looked sharp against better competition in the Senior Bowl:
Three guys who could contribute as interior pass rushers are Jaleel Johnson from Iowa, Carlos Watkins from Clemson and Eddie Vanderdoes from UCLA.
Johnson has power and strength and will regularly push his man back on a bull rush. He also showcased his explosiveness on this big play in Iowa's upset win over Michigan in one of the games of the season last year:
Watkins has superb length and recorded 10.5 sacks on the interior last year on the national championship winning Tigers.
Vanderdoes has been consistently productive both rushing the passer and against the run, but he's been banged up a lot over the past couple of years. Here he battles against two blockers to bring down Sam Darnold for a sack:
North Carolina's Nazair Jones could be another option in the middle rounds. He surprisingly showed up weighing over 300 pounds at the scouting combine, although his workout numbers were not very good.
Finally, USC's Stevie Tu'ikolovatu has seen his stock rise after a phenomenal bowl game performance against Penn State. He could be the first space-stuffing nose tackle off the boards in the middle rounds. Stevie T, as he is perhaps better known, is already 25 which might put some teams off, but he's a tough to move nose tackle who can two-gap and has the lateral quickness required to stay in front of the ball:
Oh, and he's Sione Po'uha's nephew.
Late round sleepers
Caleb Brantley from Florida was a possible day two pick, but he will have dropped right down the draft after a reported incident where he was alleged to have knocked a woman unconscious.
319-pounder DJ Jones from Mississippi could be a good late option. He has some solid athleticism for his size and can collapse the pocket.
Louisiana-Lafayette's Karmichael Dunbar will be an interesting project. He's the son of former Jets defensive line coach Karl Dunbar and has developed into a solid run-stuffer. He's over 300 pounds now and although he doesn't have great athletic numbers, he can win with technique, which you know is going to be first rate due to this father's input.
Finally, some more late round options in terms of space-stuffers that can play the nose tackle position include UConn's Mikal Myers, ODU's Rashaad Coward, Albany's Grover Stewart and Colorado's Josh Tupou.
Myers bulked up to 327 for his pro day, but Stewart (347) and Tupou (353) are even bigger. Coward is an athletic 6'5" so he might also be able to contribute in a more conventional defensive tackle or 3-4 end role.
Let's have your views in the comments! Who is overrated, who is underrated and who did we not mention that interests you?