2021 NFL Draft Defensive Tackle Rankings Top Five
5. Jaylen Twyman, Pitt
Size: 6-2, 301
The Good: He’ll be okay for your run defense, but that’s not why you called.
You want what might be the best interior pass rusher in the draft at the low, low price of a third rounder – or later? Boom.
While he’s short and a bit stumpy-sized, he’s a powerful blast off the ball with amazing energy and burst when it’s his time to take over a play.
He’s not all that that athletic, and he might not be quite the prototype many are looking for, but he couldn’t be stopped two years ago with 10.5 sacks, 41 tackles, and 12 tackles for loss as a playmaker for the Pitt interior.
The Not-So-Good: No one should be faulted for opting out of last year – or ever, if you’re someone with NFL dreams and don’t want to risk your future playing in college – but he would’ve benefitted in a huge way from another season as good as his 2019 campaign.
He doesn’t have the big body to be an NFL anchor against the run, and he’s not next-level quick or smooth enough to have the tools to assume he can recreate that one year of production right away.
NFL Draft College Perspective Thought: In a draft loaded with meh at tackle, here’s your moon shot that you’re finding something special at a bargain basement value. He’s not going to be the sure-thing every down starter you might want for your interior, but throw him in there on third downs and watch how he somehow screws up the offense.
Projected Round: Third