Tag: top defensive tackles

The NFL’s top 11 interior defensive linemen

Modern interior defensive linemen are asked to do more than ever. Who are the NFL’s best interior disruptors today?

As is the case with most other defensive positions in the modern NFL, interior defensive linemen are generally asked to play more positions more adeptly than at any time in the history of pro football. It’s not often that you’ll see a defensive tackle playing just defensive tackle throughout a full season — the old-school difference between run-stopping behemoths and quicker 3-tech quarterback killers just doesn’t exist anymore. Whether you’re tipping the scales at 350 pounds like Tampa Bay’s Vita Vea, or terrorizing enemy signal-callers with an unholy combination of strength and quickness like the 6-foot-1, 280-pound Aaron Donald is able to do, you’d better be able to do it from just about everywhere along the line if you want to make it anywhere near any list of the league’s best Big Guys Who Disrupt.

We’ve called this list “The NFL’s top 11 interior defensive linemen,” but in truth, interior defensive linemen also play the edge, and they also stunt pressure from just about every gap.

When these guys do play inside, their ability to disrupt from the inside is more important than it’s been in previous generations. With the NFL moving to more of a quick (zero- to three-step drop passing game), edge guys don’t always have time to get home before the quarterback gets rid of the ball. So, the inside guys, who don’t have edges to bend, had better get there more often. Oh, and you still have to be a dominant run-stopper. Just a few things to keep together!

With that in mind, here are the top 11 interior (and often outside) defensive linemen in the NFL today.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions. PFF counts half-sacks as full sacks, and that is often reflected in our pressure totals).

2020 Draft: What the experts say about the top DL available

The Cowboys could look to the draft to fill the gaping holes along their defensive interior. Check out the pre-combine reports on DTs.

It’s safe to say the Dallas Cowboys will have to make defensive tackle a priority in both free agency and the draft.

With Maliek Collins, Christian Covington, Michael Bennett and Kerry Hyder all slated to test free agency there will be a need to acquire talent at the position. The Cowboys have three picks in the top 100 of the NFL Draft, No.s 17, 51, and 82, giving them the capital needed to add a premier player at the position. Here we take a look at the top 5 defensive tackles (with apologies to Raeqwan Williams and Leki Fotu) in the draft and what the experts think about them.

Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn

Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

At 6-foot-4, 318 pounds, this potential first-round pick shocked people when he decided to return to Auburn for his senior year. His decision has paid off as he is widely considered the best defensive tackle prospect and a sure fire top-10 pick. He finished 2019 with 55 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.

What the experts say:

Draft Network: Derrick Brown is one of the most complete interior defensive line prospects to pass through the draft process in recent memory. Odd fronts, even fronts, as a two-gap defender or a penetration player — Brown is a dynamic force who wins in any way you could possibly need him to. His explosive power wins first contact or gaps with consistency and his upper body power, motor and instincts are all plus qualities. Plug and play starter with All-Pro potential at the NFL level.

Draft Wire: A physical defender with size, strength and speed, Brown fits the prototype of a three-down interior defensive lineman. He’s still a bit of a work in progress, but his hand usage and his physical attributes should see him get drafted pretty early when the draft rolls around.

Drafttek: When I look at the way he can single-handedly take over a game, I am reminded of Marcell Dareus and how he could dominate with his power. I don’t think Brown has the same length as Dareus, but the power is certainly there. However, when I look at Danny Shelton and the kind of player he has been in the NFL, I think that is what Brown can be. His ability to shut down the inside of the field, while also having a quick first step that allows him to shoot gaps is a very similar combination for skills to what Brown offers coming out of Auburn. They’ve got Brown listed at six feet, five inches, and while I am not sure that is accurate, both these guys are taller interior players like Brown. Both of those players were also top-10 talents in their draft classes on my board, and I believe Brown fits that bill as well.

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