Top Defensive Tackles In 2019 Draft

1. Alabama DT Quinnen Williams – Junior – 6-3, 303 – 4.83
William is the best defensive tackle in this year’s draft and maybe one of the better prospects in the entire draft this year. Williams, a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski and Bednarik Awards and the Outland Trophy, was an Associated Press first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC selection in 2018, and helped the Crimson Tide reach the national championship game with his impressive final year at Alabama where he 71 stops, with 18.5 tackles for loss to go with his eight sacks. Williams has the potential to become a perennial Pro Bowl player at the next level and some scouts feel he hasn’t even reached his full ceiling yet at age 21. Some football players just have a natural instinct for making plays and seem to always be in the right place on nearly every down. That is what Williams does best with his elite hands and footwork, and why he can become a great player at the next level. The Bucs had Williams in for a Top 30 visit.

2. Houston DT Ed Oliver – Junior – 6-2, 287 – 4.75
Oliver’s athleticism and explosiveness are things that can’t be taught and are just natural born physical traits. As quick as anyone off the ball in all of college football, Oliver creates havoc for offensive lines who are rarely equipped to deal with his blend of speed and football IQ. The drawback according to scouts is his size and length, which aren’t ideal, with some afraid he may get swallowed up at the line of scrimmage. Oliver’s frame is already maxed out and won’t allow him to get any bigger. But like the saying goes, “you can’t block what you can’t touch.” Catching Oliver was something that was hard for opponents to do during his time at Houston and his numbers reflect how good he was, notching 192 career tackles, 53 for loss, 13.5 sacks and five forced fumbles. Like Williams, Tampa Bay had Oliver in for a Top 30 visit.

3. Clemson DT Christian Wilkins – Senior – 6-3, 315 – 5.04
Wilkins is the type of player every coach wants in his locker room. Charismatic, a natural leader and extremely hard worker, Wilkins loves the game of football and his production shows that. Athletically, Wilkins possesses some real rare traits for a man his size. Scouts rave about his ability to slither and contour his body to get penetration and watching film of Wilkins play for the Tigers they saw a player who even at 315 pounds, could drop into coverage in zone blitz packages and also player who can find the ball even if he isn’t getting pressure on the quarterback as evidenced by his 15 pass breakups during his career. During his time at Clemson, Wilkins totaled 192 tackles (40.5 for loss) with 16 sacks and four forced fumbles.

4. Michigan DT Rashan Gary – Junior – 6-4, 277 – 4.58
Gary is versatile athlete and could play both tackle and end in the NFL. The Bucs had Gary in for a Top 30 visit and he would play three-technique defensive tackle in Tampa Bay. With a great blend of speed and size, the former Wolverine is one of the players who still has plenty of room left to grow and development in his game, but has traits that just aren’t coachable. He has pass rush ability, but really excels in chasing down running backs and setting the edge. His backside pursuit is also something many scouts love when turning on the film. During his time in Ann Arbor, Garry recorded 119 tackles (23 for loss) but just 9.5 sacks. Good coaching could really boost those sack numbers at the next level most feel. Gary needs to prove he’s a great football player and not just a freak athlete.

Mississippi State DT Jeffery Simmons – Photo by: Getty Images

5. Mississippi State DT Jeffrey Simmons – Junior – 6-4, 301 – N/A
Simmons suffered a torn ACL doing a routine drill during a workout in February and the injury is the only thing keeping him from being a Top 5 pick in this year’s draft. Simmons may not even play in 2019, but whichever team rolls the dice will be getting a player with a chance to be dominant for years to come if he can stay healthy. A rare combination of size, speed, strength and power, Simmons is as impressive of a physical specimen as you will find in this year’s defensive class. Simmons finished his time at Mississippi State with 163 tackles (33 for loss) to go along with seven sacks, seven pass breakups and five forced fumbles. The Bucs had Simmons in for a Top 30 pre-draft visit, and he could be an option in the second round.

6. Clemson DT Dexter Lawrence – Junior – 6-3, 342 – 5.05
Lawrence, a big part of the success at Clemson that led to two national titles, has the athleticism to play a numbest of positions in either a 3-4 or 4-3 defensive system in the NFL. While his college numbers were very good – 131 tackles, 18 for loss and 10 sacks, Lawrence never had the breakout dominating season many predicted when he arrived in Clemson. But at 342 pounds, and as string as any defensive player in this draft, scouts can’t help but get excited thinking about the possibilities at the next level. The Bucs had Lawrence in for a Top 30 visit in April.

7. Notre Dame DT Jerry Tillery – Senior – 6-6, 295 – 4.93
NFL front office personnel love former offensive linemen turned defensive players. Having the added knowledge of what the offense is trying to do from a blocking perspective is an advantage. Add in the fact a player is 6-6 and almost 300 pounds and scouts really fall in love with that player. That is exactly what Tillery is, and while his consistency is still in need of improving, the potential to become a harassing and disruptive three-down lineman in the NFL has teams excited when scouting the former Notre Dame standout. In four seasons for the Irish Tillery notched 133 tackles, with 23 for loss and 12.5 sacks.

8. Texas A&M DT Daylon Mack – Senior – 6-1, 336 – 5.10
Mack’s size makes him attractive to teams running either a 3-4 or 4-3 scheme, but seems to fit more in the mold of a 3-4 runs stuffer. He’s strong, but with some inconsistent tape, Mack rebounded well as a senior and had his best year for the Aggies with 32 tackles, 10 for loss, and 5.5 sacks while also blocking a kick. Mack had a great week of practice at the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl, which really helped his draft stock.

9. UCF DT Trysten Hill – Junior – 6-3, 308 – 5.04
The question marks the NFL about Hill aren’t physical, but instead from the shoulders up. Hill stayed in the doghouse often while playing for the Knights and teams question is maturity. Hill only started one game in his final season, but played in 40 games over his three-year career and recording 71 tackles, 2o for loss to go along with seven sacks. Hill has above average quickness off the ball and does a nice job with his hand placement but will need to sell teams on the fact he is ready for the NFL and willing to accept NFL coaching.

10. Western Illinois DT Khalen Saunders – Senior – 6-0, 324 – 5.01
Saunders was one of the fun players to watch in Mobile at this year’s Senior Bowl. Scouts wondered if what they saw on tape against lesser competition would show up against the bigger name players, and they weren’t disappointed. Most likely a 3-4 nose tackle at the next level, some think Saunders could be versatile and athletic enough to be effective in a 4-3 defense as a nose or a three-technique defensive tackle as well. Saunders could take a little more time to develop to become an NFL starter, and needs better conditioning, but has come ceiling left and could benefit from even better coaching at the next level.

Best Of The Rest

11. Miami DT Gerald Willis III – Redshirt Senior – 6-2, 302 – N/A
Willis had a rough start to his college football career. He started out at the University of Florida and played in eight games in a backup role before being dismissed from the team for issues that included fighting with team’s coaches and starting quarterback. He then transferred to Miami for the 2016 season and played in nine games, again in a backup role, but took a leave of absence for the 2017 season to find himself. The time off did him well, though, as he recorded 59 tackles with four sacks and 18 tackles for loss in 12 games during his final year. Willis has an excellent burst off the snap of the ball with a relentless on-field attitude. He has high potential, but he gets away from his technique at times that makes Willis get off balance and lose positioning. His play was good enough to receive an invite to the Senior Bowl, but he declined due to a groin injury. Willis has Day 2 talent, but his checkered past will cause him to slide to Day 3.

12. Syracuse DT Chris Slayton – Senior – 6-4, 307 – 5.13
Starting five games and playing in 12 as freshman, Slayton became a the full-time starter at defensive tackle for Syracuse in his sophomore year and never looked back. He was versatile enough to play both defensive tackle and nose tackle, excelling at both. His production won’t exactly jump off the page, but he came up big in tackles for losses, where he was second on the team during his sophomore year with nine and and junior year with 8.5. Slayton then followed that up with a respectable senior year, recording eight tackles for a loss on 24 total tackles with 3.5 sacks in 10 games. He has a big body that helps him get straight into the backfield by bull-rushing his lineman. While he does well stopping the run, he could work on his pass rush. He did have an excellent showing during the practice week of the East-West Shrine game, dominating his one-on-one battles against the offensive line. Slayton was one of the more impressive defensive linemen coming out of the all-star game, and as player that didn’t start playing football until high school, his game still has room to develop. 

13. Washington DT Greg Gaines – Senior – 6-1, 312 – 5.16
Gaines really started to to breakout as during his junior year next to Vita Vea, and followed that up in his senior year where he earned first team All-Pac 12 honors. In his senior year, Gaines recorded 4.5 sacks on 56 tackles and even had an interception. He has good strength at the line and works hard to get across the line of scrimmage, but he lacks length in his arms that allows his opponents to lock in and keep better hand placement. Gaines had a good performance at the Senior Bowl, which has helped his stock. 

14. Texas A&M Kingsley Keke – Senior – 6-3, 288 – 4.95
Another Senior Bowl invite, Keke had a respectable showing during the week of practice, but was outshined by his Aggies teammate at the same position, Daylon Mack. As a three-star recruit for Texas A&M, Keke notched 12.5 sacks during his time at school with 150 tackles in 43 games. He is as athletic as they get, and uses his skill to get his body to bend on the edge and get past the blocker. His athletic ability also allowed him to be moved around the line, playing at tackle and at end. Where Keke struggles is he lacks strength, which won’t let him power past anyone upfront with him. He plays too up high in his stance at times that gets him knocked off balance. Still, he could be a nice find on Day 3.

15. Arizona DT P.J. Johnson – Junior – 6-4, 323 – 5.09
Johnson started out at junior college before transferring to Arizona in 2018. In his one year there as a junior, Johnson played in nine games and had 31 tackles with 8.5 of them for a loss while notching three sacks. He decided to enter the draft a year early after only one season playing against Division I competition to provide for his family, as he has two small children. Johnson has a big body frame and is surprisingly quick moving along side with it. He needs to make sure stays committed to keeping his technique, and continue to work on his pass rush. The Bucs were at Johnson’s Arizona pro day and he could be a Day 3 option for Tampa Bay given his size, athleticism and upside.

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