Top Interior Defensive Linemen In 2020 NFL Draft

1. Auburn DT Derrick Brown – Senior – 6-5, 326 – 5.16

At 326 pounds, Brown is an incredible athlete. He can work in a two-gap scheme to stop the run with solid leverage and power, he has speed off of the snap to create interior pressure and he can align anywhere along the defensive line with success, from nose tackle to defensive end. A former 5-star recruit out of high school, Brown earned second-team All-SEC honors as a junior, before returning for his senior year where he was named a first-team Associated Press All-American and all-conference player for the second consecutive year, won the Lott IMPACT Award and was named a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award and Outland Trophy. In 2019, Brown totaled 55 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles. His versatility, size, functional athleticism and range of tools to both rush the passer and stop the run will likely see Brown selected within the first 10 picks of the NFL draft.

2. South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw – Senior – 6-5, 324 – N/A

South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw – Photo courtesy of South Carolina

Moving from Washington D.C. to South Carolina to Jones College and ultimately to the Gamecocks as he grew up, Kinlaw enters the draft with a lot of selling points. He has great size, strength, length, a lightning-quick jump off of the snap and improved physically all through his time in college. Despite all of the tools, Kinlaw’s technique kept his production from remaining consistent and resulted in a less-than-stellar stat line at the college level, although he regularly dominated his competition and was a consistent source of pressure throughout his senior season. After nine tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and four sacks as a junior, sharing the team’s Defensive MVP award, Kinlaw returned as a senior and earned AP All-American and All-SEC honors behind 35 total tackles, two fumble recoveries, six tackles for loss and six sacks. Kinlaw may need some refining with his plan of attack and overall technique at the next level to unleash his full potential, but all of his physical traits will make him a first-round pick with the ability to likely make an instant impact in the NFL.

3. TCU DT Ross Blacklock – Junior – 6-3, 290 – 4.9

A smaller prospect in stature, Blacklock made an immediate impact for TCU, notching 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks as a freshman, en route to Freshman All-American honors, before missing his sophomore campaign to an Achilles injury. Once past it, Blacklock made an impressive rebound as a junior, earning first-team All-Big 12 recognition with 40 total tackles, nine tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. With excellent lateral agility and flexibility, Blacklock was able to shoot gaps and force his way into the backfield with ease when left one-on-one and put together a run-stop grade good for seventh in the nation in 2019, per PFF. But in a defense with a lot of stunts drawn up for the defensive line, Blacklock created pressure’s on less than 10 percent of his snaps when the defense didn’t execute a stunt. Blacklock won via athleticism in college but will need to make technical improvements, specifically with his hand usage, once in the NFL.

4. Texas A&M DT Justin Madubuike – Junior – 6-3, 293 – 4.83

Madubuike wins with strength, explosiveness and speed, despite also possessing a bit of a smaller frame for the position. A Texas native, Madubuike made an immediate impact for the Aggies, playing in all 13 games as a freshman before being named the team’s defensive MVP as a sophomore with 10.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. As a junior, Madubuike continued to dominate his competition with 11.5 tackles for loss and another 5.5 sacks, giving him back-to-back seasons with 10+ tackles for loss and 5+ sacks. In 2019 he added his first career interception at the goal line against Arkansas and had a blocked kick as well. Madubuike primarily lined up in the B gap at A&M and will likely best serve as a single-gap perpetrator in the NFL.

5. Oklahoma DT Neville Gallimore – Senior – 6-2, 304 – 4.79

A strong nosetackle from Ontario, known as the Canadian Bulldozer, Gallimore actually graded out better as a pass rusher in college than a run defender. While he can struggle when put in read-and-react situations in run defense, Gallimore thrives when attacking a single gap off of the snap. He’s got heavy and effective hands, a quick get-off and consistently plays with high effort, but his high pad level, inconsistent play and struggles when tasked with being a two-gap defender may limit his ability to be a three-down defensive tackle early in his career. Gallimore improved steadily over his four seasons playing at Oklahoma, totaling just 19 pressures as a freshman and sophomore before racking up 22 in 2019 alone, and finished his senior season with 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

6. Ohio State DT Davon Hamilton – Senior – 6-4, 320 – 5.14

Ohio State DT Davon Hamilton – Photo by: Getty Images

Hamilton is a massive, run-stopping defensive tackle. He’s athletic but lacks the technique or ability to rush the passer consistently, despite six sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss as a senior. Hamilton will be at his best when played as a 1 technique defensive tackle or a true nosetackle, capable of using his strength, pad level and size to stack up double teams, rip away blockers and collapse the interior when able to use his powerful bullrush in one-on-one situations. Without significant snaps until the 2018 season, then playing just 357 and 354 snaps as a junior and senior, his sample size is small, but with his natural ability and tackles for loss on over 30 percent of his total tackles in college, Hamilton has the potential to be an early-impact player in the NFL with high upside if he can continue to develop as a pass-rusher.

7. Missouri DT Jordan Elliott – Junior – 6-4, 302 – 5.02

While he doesn’t possess elite tools like a Javon Kinlaw or Derrick Brown, Elliott uses good technique with his hands and a combination of power and speed to be a versatile and consistent defensive tackle who can be utilized up and down the defensive line. After spending a year at Texas, playing in just six games with the Longhorns, Elliott transferred to Missouri. In his junior season Elliott had eight tackles for loss and three sacks and followed it up with a senior season where he posted 44 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss and another three sacks, earning him a second-team All-American nod. Per PFF, Elliott’s 18.7 pass-rush win rate led all interior defenders in 2019 and his his 92.7 defensive grade was the highest of any SEC defender.

8. Baylor DE James Lynch – Junior – 6-4, 289 – 5.01

Lynch doesn’t have a lot of stand-out traits that set him apart from other prospects on the defensive line, but his high-effort play and power allowed him to become Baylor’s all-time leader in sacks while his 20 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks as a junior in 2019 ranked him seventh and sixth in the nation, respectively. A second-team All-Big 12 player as a sophomore and first-team AP All-American as a junior, Lynch lined up everywhere from the B gap to outside of the tackle with consistency, while he falls roughly in the middle of prototypical size for both.

9. Utah DT Leki Fotu – Senior – 6-5, 330 – 5.15

A former rugby player, the massive defensive tackle out of Utah earned first-team all-conference honors in both his junior and senior seasons, with a third-team AP All-American nod in 2019. Fotu had a career-high in sacks as a junior with three, following it up with 1.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss as a senior. Fotu’s best attribute is his size, anchoring strong as a run defender with heavy, powerful hands and has a quick first step. He has the prototypical size and skill set for a run-stopping nosetackle at the next level, with a lot of technical improvements needed as a pass rusher.

10. LSU DT Rashard Lawrence – Senior – 6-2, 308 – 5.07

LSU DT Rashard Lawrence – Photo by: Getty Images

Lawrence is a big, tough B gap defender who will likely project to a rotational run-stopper at the NFL level. The five-star prospect out of Louisiana was a team captain by his sophomore year while his best season came as a junior where he posted career-highs with 10 tackles for loss and four sacks. Lawrence underwent knee surgery before 2019 and his sophomore and senior seasons were shortened due to ankle injuries, but he was a leader by example at LSU and showed consistent production stopping the run, posting a run-stop grade of at least 75 in each of his seasons with the Tigers, per PFF.

Best Of The Rest

11. Arkansas DT McTelvin Agim – Senior – 6-3, 309 – 4.98

While beginning his college career as an edge defender and moving inside to defensive tackle as a senior, Agim remains an unfinished product on the defensive interior. He played some of his best football in 2019, with 8.5 tackles for loss and a career-high five sacks. With the experience to play all over the defensive line he could provide versatility for NFL defensive coordinators, but will have to improve his physicality to work in tandem with a wide array of pass-rush moves if he wants to reach his full potential.

12. Nebraska DT Khalil Davis – Senior – 6-1, 308 – 4.75

Davis steadily improved both his playing time and his production at Nebraska, breaking out as a senior with 11 tackles for loss and eight sacks in his first year as a full-time starter. Davis is versatile, with the ability to play at different positions along the defensive line but relies almost exclusively on burst, high effort and a quick get-off for production, with his technique and length lacking. Per PFF, Davis recorded a pass-rush win rate, at 12.6 percent, and pressure rate, at 11.8 percent, above 10 percent in only his senior season. Better at stopping the run than rushing the passer, Davis will be an athletic project at the NFL level with rotational potential, turning 24 during his rookie season.

13. Nebraska DT Carlos Davis – Senior – 6-2, 313 – 4.82

The twin brother of Khalil, Carlos also committed to Nebraska where the duo played alongside each other for four seasons. Carlos was the less productive and less polished brother, although the two had similar playstyles. With a career-high five tackles for loss as a redshirt freshman, Davis finished his senior season with 4.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. Generally more effective at rushing the passer than stopping the run, Davis’ game has similar shortcomings to his brother in that his production was largely reliant on initial burst and a high motor.

14. Michigan State DT Raequan Williams – Senior – 6-4, 308 – 4.98

Williams is a big, strong run defender who earned third-team all-conference honors in both 2018 and 2019. A three-year starter at Michigan State, while Williams struggled for most of his time with the Spartans when tasked with rushing the passer, he posted one of the highest run-stop grades in the nation in 2018, per PFF, with a grade of 90.5. Williams’ build leaves him with a tendency to play too upright and he lacks some awareness at the line of scrimmage, however his ability to get after the quarterback improved as a senior, notching a career-high with five sacks and one forced fumble. Strong hands, good size and positional flexibility puts him in position to land a backup job in the NFL, but his upside is limited by a lack of exceptional burst or flexibility.

15. NC State DT Larrell Murchison – Senior – 6-2, 297 – 5.05

A junior college product, Murchison transferred to N.C. State following two years at Louisburg College in North Carolina, where he would redshirt for a year before playing his junior and senior seasons with the Wolfpack. Murchison has good length and bend for the position and posted a solid run-stop grade over two years with N.C. State, per PFF, with flashes of promise when rushing the passer. In his senior season, Murchison produced 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks on his way to a second-team All-ACC nod. He’s got good hands, plays with a low pad level and has a high motor that helped him overcome a lack of great athleticism.

Click Page 3 For The Bucs’ Best Bets At DT