Tag: Defensive tackles

Wisconsin class of 2025 defensive tackle commit named Ohio D-4 Defensive Player of the Year

Wisconsin class of 2025 defensive tackle commit named Defensive Player of the Year

Wisconsin class of 2025 defensive tackle commit Drayden Pavey was named Ohio D4 Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday.

Pavey, who pledged his commitment to UW on Oct. 22, earned the nod after a dominant senior season with Taft High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. The class of 2025 prospect registered 87 total tackles, 52 solo tackles 11.5 sacks, 24 tackles for loss and one fumble recovery in 11 games during his final high school season.

The 6-foot-3, 305-pound recruit flipped to the Badgers roughly three months after initially committing to Purdue. He became Wisconsin’s 24th commitment of its 2025 cohort, a bunch that On3 currently considers the eighth-best in the Big Ten.

247Sports currently ranks the three-star defensive tackle as the No. 737 overall player in the class of 2024, the No. 85 player at his position and the No. 29 recruit from his home state of Ohio. Pavey is the fourth defensive linemen in Wisconsin’s class of 2025 alongside three-stars Torin Pettaway, Wilnerson Telemaque and Xavier Ukponu.

Pavey’s spectacular output at Taft should certainly encourage Badger fans. Given the program’s struggle to secure defensive line commitments early in the 2025 recruiting window, Pavey looks like he’s the real deal.

Titans’ T’Vondre Sweat already hard at work trying to ‘prove the people wrong’

Titans second-round pick T’Vondre Sweat wasted no time getting to work with the goal of proving doubters wrong.

The Tennesse Titans took massive defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft. The pick was met with both praise and skepticism, with some questioning if Sweat was drafted too early.

There are concerns about Sweat’s weight as well as a highly publicized arrest that occurred weeks before the draft. However, all signs point to Sweat learning from his mistakes, and general manager Ran Carthon is unconcerned.

Regardless, some people doubt whether Sweat will work out in the NFL. The defensive tackle is aware of the noise and has wasted no time putting in the work to try and prove people wrong.

Kevin Washington, the director of player development for Texas, recently posted a video on Instagram of Sweat working out at the Texas facility. In the video, Washington asks Sweat why he’s working since he’s already been drafted.

“I’m out here working because I’ve got to prove the people wrong, man,” he said. “But you know what, I’m going to continue to do my work in silence.”

In 2023, Sweat racked up 45 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and two sacks. Sweat showed an ability to not only stuff the run at an elite level but also to get after the quarterback.

Sweat should have ample opportunity to silence the doubters in his rookie season. The huge defender is in line for a starting role next to Jeffery Simmons on the Titans’ defensive front.

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Defensive tackle options abound for Texas in the transfer portal

There’s no shortage of talent at defensive end in the transfer portal.

The transfer portal is open and several teams are set to battle for the top players at multiple positions. Texas, along with several others, finds itself in need of a defensive tackle addition. They have options.

We noted that Texas could be in the running for Arizona transfer defensive tackle Bill Norton. That becomes increasingly likely the more we learn from the recruitment. He’s set to visit the Texas spring game. There are a couple of other impact players in the portal as well.

TCU’s Damonic Williams is in the transfer portal after a dominant two seasons in Fort Worth. Some speculate that Texas is one of the top two contenders for the top defensive lineman, but with Williams set to visit Oklahoma’s spring game I wouldn’t hold my breath about the Longhorns chances.

A couple of smaller school tackles have entered the portal as well. Stephen F. Austin’s Brandon Lane and Kent State’s CJ West are a couple of the defensive lineman looking for a change of scenery.

Defensive tackle is the Longhorns’ one apparent weakness, but they have plenty of options to address that positional need. The likelihood is that they sign Norton, but we’ll keep an eye on how Texas recruits the position.

What Condition the Position is in: Assessing Raiders level of need at DT ahead of free agency

What Condition Raiders Position is in: Defensive tackle

With free agency under a month away, it’s time to check in on the Raiders’ defensive tackle position to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.

Starters: Jerry Tillery, ?
Backups: Byron Young, Nesta Jade Silvera, Marquan McCall
Free Agents: Bilal Nichols, Adam Butler, John Jenkins

The past two drafts the Raiders have used four draft picks on the defensive tackle position and have little to show for it. They got no starters out of it and one of the four (Young) was on the active roster all of last season. Veterans Bilal Nichols and John Jenkins started every game last season with Jerry Tillery appearing in all 17 games, starting six.

Condition: Critical

Three of the four interior defensive lineman who were regular parts in the rotation last season are set to be free agents. Only Tillery remains and he wasn’t even a regular starter due to his deficiencies against the run. Adam Butler played well enough to earn a return. If they bring him back, they would still need to add one more talented interior lineman. If they don’t, they would need a couple.

Ranking the AFC West defenses

We ranked AFC West defenses from top to bottom. The results may (not) surprise you.

We have gone through and ranked each team at each position group on the defense. So, now we put them all together to come up with a complete ranking of the overall defenses in the AFC West.

Raiders falling behind rest of NFL in valuing defensive tackles

NFL teams have figured out that defensive tackle is a valuable position. Then there’s the Raiders…

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Today Quinnen Williams became that latest pocket crashing defensive tackle to cash in with a big time extension.

This offseason alone has seen massive paydays for some dominant interior defensive linemen. Williams is merely the most recent. Here’s the full list:

Quinnen Williams: four-year, $96 million
Jeffery Simmons: four-year, $94 million
Daron Payne: four-year, $90 million
Dexter Lawrence: four-year $90 million
Javon Hargrave: four-year, $84 million
Ed Oliver: four-year, $68 million

Others expected to get the bag this offseason include Chris Jones, Christian Wilkins, and DJ Reader.

That would be nine defensive tackles getting major money. And it shows how much the NFL values dominant defensive tackles.

Then there’s the Raiders…

When’s the last time you saw the Raiders place much of any real value on the defensive tackle spot? The closest you will see these days is picking through the free agent scrap heap. Something they didn’t even do this offseason, sticking with the latest underachievers in Bilal Nichols and Jerry Tillery.

Five of the defensive tackles who either have received a big new deals or who are about to get one were selected in the first round of the 2019 draft — Williams, Simmons, Lawrence, Oliver, and Wilkins.

All but Williams were on the board when the Raiders wasted their fourth overall pick on Clelin Ferrell.

On that note, does anyone remember the last time the Raiders spent a first round pick on a defensive tackle? That would be 1997 when they selected Darrell Russell at number two overall. That’s 26 years, folks.

Since then the highest Raiders drafted DT’s to play for the team have been second rounders PJ Hall (57 overall) in 2018 and Lamarr Houston (44 overall) in 2010.

That means the last time the Raiders made a big investment of any kind in a defensive tackle was 2009 when they acquired Richard Seymour in trade with the Patriots. They got 3.5 years out of him before he hung up his cleats in 2012.

That’s more than a decade I’ve been screaming from the rooftops that the Raiders needed to make the interior defensive line a priority and they simply have not.

The best defensive tackles they had the past ten years was the group they fielded in 2021, when they took fliers on a bunch of castoffs and got lucky with a couple of them. And wouldn’t you know it, they had their best overall defense (14th in yards allowed) in a decade and made the playoffs. Then they let all of them leave the following offseason. And back to the 28th ranked defense.

It’s as if dominant defensive tackles make a big difference in the play of a defense. Crazy, right?

Not sure what needs to be said to convince the Raiders of what the rest of the league seems to have already figured out.

Report: Saints expected to sign Jets DT Nathan Shepherd

ESPN’s Dianna Russini reports that the New Orleans Saints are expected to sign New York Jets free agent defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd:

The New Orleans Saints are expected to sign former New York Jets defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd, as first reported by ESPN’s Dianna Russini. The fifth-year pro impressed Saints scouts at the Senior Bowl back in 2018 but ended up being picked by the Jets in the third round of the NFL draft; he played on the veteran minimum salary last season and shouldn’t factor into the compensatory picks formula for 2024 unless the Saints are giving him a big raise.

Shepherd, 29, is listed at 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds and posted an impressive Relative Athletic Score coming out of Fort Hays State, so he fits what the Saints have been looking for along the interior line. He also served a six-game suspension for violating the league PED policy in 2019.

He’s coming off his best year in run defense and racked up 17 pressures (with a couple of sacks) as a pass rusher per Pro Football Focus. He’s a good replacement for Shy Tuttle as a veteran presence inside, but the Saints need to keep investing resources at defensive tackle. Right now Shepherd and practice squad holdover Prince Emili are their only players at the position.

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A DT prospect for the Saints in every round of the 2023 NFL draft

A defensive tackle prospect for the Saints in every round of the 2023 NFL draft, from Siaka Ika to Zacch Pickens and Dante Stills:

What is the biggest priority for the New Orleans Saints this offseason — after quarterback, of course? Maybe it’s running back. Maybe it’s defensive tackle. Every player in that position group who got on the field for the Saints last year is headed for free agency, and odds are they won’t able to hold onto everyone. Whether it’s David Onyemata, Shy Tuttle, Kentavius Street, or Malcolm Roach moving on, the Saints should be looking to pick a defensive tackle at some point in this year’s draft.

And the 2023 draft class runs deep. There are players who have something to offer in all seven rounds of the event. Let’s survey some of those options:

2020 NFL Draft: 6 DTs for Bills to consider in second round

Here are six DTs for the Buffalo Bills to consider with their second-round draft pick.

The Buffalo Bills first scheduled draft selection won’t occur until Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft, as the team picks No. 54 overall.

Luckily, the Bills do not have a glaring need on their roster, making this year’s draft quite intriguing. Buffalo’s front office, led by general manager Brandon Beane, can go in a multitude of directions with the pick, leaving quite a bit of interest and uncertainty with whom the Bills could select.

This installment of our position-by-position series looks at the defensive tackle prospects and which players could still be on the board when the Bills make their first selection at the upcoming draft:

Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Current roster

The Bills have invested a great deal of resources into the interior of their defensive line in recent seasons. They added Vernon Butler and Quinton Jefferson (who can also play defensive end) to the roster via free agency over the last few weeks.. The Bills drafted Ed Oliver ninth-overall at the 2019 NFL Draft, and Harrison Phillips returns from an ACL injury that cost him last season. Star Lotulelei, the team’s 2018 major free agent signing, will also command snaps once again in 2020. 

Defensive tackle isn’t necessarily a high priority for the team. However, with the way that Sean McDermott rotates players on the defensive line, a player can provide depth, particularly at a specific role (pass rusher or run stuffer), which could be appealing in the second round. 

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Falcons 2020 roster breakdown: Defensive line

The Atlanta Falcons don’t have enough pass rush or even defensive linemen under contract at this point. They need to make it a focus in 2020

Led by Grady Jarrett and Takkarist McKinley, there isn’t much else on the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive line worth mentioning that’s under contract for 2020. A total and complete rebuild is needed and with the Falcons in the cap situation they are in, some restructuring of the defensive line will have to take place through the draft.

2019 Depth Chart and Results

DT Grady Jarrett

69 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 16 QB hits, 12 tackles-for-loss, 2 forced fumbles

DE Takkarist McKinley

29 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 13 QB hits, 7 tackles-for-loss

DT Tyeler Davison

55 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 4 tackles-for-loss, 1 fumble recovery

DE Vic Beasley

42 tackles, 8 sacks, 12 QB hits, 8 tackles-for-loss, 2 forced fumbles, 2 pass deflections

DE Adrian Clayborn

18 tackles, 4 sacks, 7 QB hits, 4 tackles-for-loss, 2 forced fumbles

DL Allen Bailey

26 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 4 tackles-for-loss

DT Jack Crawford

24 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 5 QB hits, 1 tackle-for-loss

DL John Cominsky

11 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 2 QB hits, 2 pass deflections

DL Jacob Tuioti-Mariner

14 tackles, 1 QB hit, 1 tackle-for-loss, 1 forced fumble

DT Deadrin Senat

1 QB hit

DE Austin Larkin

1 special teams tackle

DT Michael Bennett

On injured reserve the entire season

DE Steven Means

On injured reserve the entire season

DT Ra’Shede Hageman

On injured reserve the entire season

Current 2020 Contracts

DT Grady Jarrett

3 years left at $19.02 million average

DE Takkarist McKinley

1 year left at $3.25 million with a fifth-year option

DL Allen Bailey

1 year left at $5.984 million

DT Deadrin Senat

2 years left at $955,990 average

DL John Cominsky

3 years left at $797,098 average

DL Jacob Tuioti-Mariner

1 year left at $585,000

DE Austin Larkin

1 year left at $585,000

Pending Free Agents: What Happens?

DT Jack Crawford

Jack Crawford is a prime candidate to come back for depth on a veteran minimum deal. He played through his three years with the Falcons playing in 36 of the 48 games he was under contract for due to an injury in the 2017 season. In 2018, Crawford had six sacks, but he never really showed that he was a true starter after that. In 2019, he played minimal snaps and will be fighting for reserve role.

DT Tyeler Davison

When Saints players come to Atlanta, they tend to take a nosedive. Tyeler Davison did not follow that path, though. He’s not traditionally known as a pass rusher, but he had arguably his best year as a run stuffer for the Falcons with four tackles-for-loss to match his career high and 55 total tackles —most of which came against the run. Davison has shown he’s a good piece for the Falcons to have and should be back on a cheap deal.

DE Vic Beasley

The Atlanta Falcons are already admitting that they’ll let the pass rusher who ranks No. 5 all-time in sacks for the franchise to leave in free agency. Beasley’s play was a big part of the team’s 2016 success, but since he hasn’t been able to duplicate it, the Falcons are making the smart move letting him walk.

DE Adrian Clayborn

The Falcons continually bring back Adrian Clayborn because he seems to love playing under Dan Quinn, and his pass rush stats back it up. He’s averaging around 5.6 sacks per season with the Falcons. Clayborn does a great job of penetrating through the line in nickel sets and bending the edge in base sets. If Atlanta can get away with bringing him back for the veteran minimum again, the team would be wise to do so.

DT Michael Bennett

No, he’s not that Michael Bennett. But in limited action, Bennett has shown he’s a competent defensive tackle against the run with some decent pass-rush ability. He’s another one of those players that should see a veteran minimum deal that allows the Falcons some cap flexibility.

DE Steven Means

Injuries have sidelined Steven Means for the 2019 season, but the Falcons should definitely try and bring him back for in 2020. His 2018 season was solid and because of his injury and contract already being small, Atlanta should be able to get away with paying him the veteran minimum level deal. Means should then parlay that into a chance at playing in the base packages for the Falcons’ defense in 2020.

DT Ra’Shede Hageman

Ra’Shede Hageman was given a final shot to make an impact and rarely played. It’s at the point in Hageman’s career where giving up on him feels like the absolute right move. Let him walk in the offseason and see if he can stick elsewhere. Atlanta just isn’t the place for him anymore.

Possible Cuts

DL Allen Bailey

If the Falcons cut Allen Bailey, they could save nearly $4.5 million for the 2020 season. While Bailey was a good run stuffer, cutting him and taking the cap savings to use towards either retaining Austin Hooper or adding more defensive line talent would be the right move.

Free Agents to Consider

DL Arik Armstead

One of the best free agents in the 2020 class is Arik Armstead. He’s a monster run defender who finally put together his pass rush in 2019. The question behind Armstead is whether it was just a contract year fluke or if he really has the chops to continue his success long-term. If he can continue his success year in and year out, the Falcons would be wise to try and use him as a base strong-side end and slide him inside next to Jarrett in the nickel.

DT Dontari Poe

Big and nasty is one way to describe Dontari Poe. While the former Falcon has potential to be cut in 2020 due to a high cap number, he might be willing to come back to Atlanta and reprise the role he had in 2017 where he was dominant in the middle as a nose tackle. The team could easily use the help. Poe’s abilities against both the run and the pass make him valuable, and a deal around $6-7 million per season would be around where he should sign.

DE Robert Quinn

Robert Quinn went from a terror as a pass rusher to a mediocre talent after the 2014 season. It was tough to figure out why. But with the Cowboys in 2019, he saw a bit of a career resurgence playing across from Tank Lawrence. Quinn could be worth a flyer one-year deal worth around $6 million if he’s willing to come in and teach Takk McKinley to tools of the trade.

DE Donte Fowler

There have been few careers as frustrating as Donte Fowler’s. After busting in Jacksonville in the 2015 and 2016 seasons due mainly to injuries and recovering from them, he had a solid year in 2017 with eight sacks. The problem is he couldn’t duplicate it the next season. Unless he’s willing to take something like a three-year, $12 million deal, the risk on a contract year breakout player just isn’t worth the reward.

Best Fits in the 2020 NFL Draft

NT Leki Fotu, Utah

The Falcons have missed having a massive penetrating defensive tackle since Dontari Poe left the squad in the 2018 offseason. They can remedy that by bringing back Poe or drafting someone who’s extremely similar to him in Leki Fotu. The massive 6-foot-5, 340-pound Fotu would be a great space eating presence next to Grady Jarrett on run downs. His pass rushing needs some refinement, but he’s a monster who has the power and speed to do it.

DT Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M

One of the best defensive tackles in the draft is Justin Madubuike. He’s a natural 3-technique pass rusher who can play the 1-technique in base sets and nickel sets alike as well. He’s a longer player and built closer to a guy like Corey Peters than anyone else. His talent is on a higher level though. He plays with insane leverage and regularly had SEC offensive linemen on their backs.

DE A.J. Epenesa, Iowa

Iowa’s resident Patrick Kerney clone in A.J. Epenesa would be a perfect fit in the Falcons’ defense. While he’s not the same kind of player that Michael Bennett was, he could be used in a similar fashion and his rotation with John Cominsky in that role would help against the run. The pass rush would also improve in nickel sets as Epenesa is a natural there who’s only real issue is his lack of lateral mobility.

DE K’Lavon Chaisson, Louisiana State

A linebacker/defensive end hybrid player like K’Lavon Chaisson will bring some fans thoughts of Vic Beasley back into the fold. However, Chaisson is like if Beasley had better hand usage and stronger pass-rushing moves coming out of college. Oh, and he’s a solid overall run defender.

Out-of-Box Move to Consider

Trading up in the draft for DE Chase Young

A shocking move that the Falcons could make would be to trade their first round pick in 2020, their second round pick from the Patriots in 2020 and their first and second round picks in 2021 to move to No. 2 overall. They would then take Chase Young, who is the best pass rusher to come out in around a decade. That’s how good he is.

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