In today’s NFL, the value of the two-gapping, run-plugging, block-soaking big defensive tackle has become relatively microscopic, while the fortunes for quicker, more sudden big men who can blast through offensive lines with lightning speed have become ever more positive.
One of the primary reasons for this, besides the fact that the NFL is more of a passing league these days, is the advent of quick game as an offensive construct to defeat pressure. Last season, per Sports Info Solutions, NFL quarterbacks took 4,968 passing snaps in which their dropbacks were zero or one step, up from 4,222 in 2018, which is as far back as SIS’s database goes for tracking such things.
Simple geometry tells you that the shortest distance from Point A to Point B is a straight line, and when it comes to pressuring quarterbacks, you’d best have at least one guy who can do damage to the pocket from inside the tackles and guards. If all you have are edge defenders who take longer to get to the quarterback, that’s a lot of responsibility to give your defensive backs in today’s game.
NFL payrolls confirm the trend. The top contracts for interior defensive linemen are on point with the top deals for edge-rushers, and as long as there’s a need for instant disruption, that will remain so.
As we turn our focus to the 2023 NFL draft, here are the eight best defensive prospects whose ability to work inside will define their professional futures.
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus, Sports Info Solutions, and Football Outsiders unless otherwise indicated).
(All prospect measurement percentiles courtesy of MockDraftable.com).
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