This year’s interior defensive line class looks to be one of the best we have seen in recent years. Whether it is having a true blue chip star at the top or having depth well into the middle rounds, this really has it all. Here are my top ten interior defensive linemen in the 2023 NFL Draft.
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1. Jalen Carter, Georgia (6-3, 314, Junior)
Pros: Carter has all of the physical traits you want. He has ideal size for an NFL defensive tackle and looked comfortable playing from a variety of alignments. He is also an outstanding athlete, with legitimate short area quickness to test opponents laterally and get into the backfield. Carter also offers some outstanding power at the point of attack, with heavy hands to bulldoze opponents. He produced consistently as a pass rusher in college and showed the ability to be a difference maker against the run.
Cons: Carter’s pad level is inconsistent and can sometimes limit his ability to create movement. On occasion it will see him get knocked back and lose ground. Whilst he does show a range of moves, he is also more reliant on winning with traits rather than technique. There are also some off-field concerns and question marks surrounding his maturity. Carter was charged for reckless driving and racing in relation to a car crash that resulted in the death of a teammate and a Georgia staffer.
Projection: 1st round
2. Bryan Bresee, Clemson (6-6, 298, Junior)
Pros: It is easy to see why Bresee was the former No. 1 overall recruit. He showcases impressive athletic ability, with the first step quickness to challenge linemen out of their stance. His ability to quickly shoot gaps and get into the backfield is hugely impressive. Bresee possesses some real power too, allowing him to collapse the pocket with his bull rush. He is an effective run defender with the core strength to anchor against drive blocks. He also has the versatility to line up anywhere from 5-tech to nose tackle.
Cons: Bresee comes with some legitimate durability concerns. Injuries really limited his ability to be a consistent difference maker for Clemson and he played less than 500 snaps over his last two seasons. Bresee also lacks any real semblance of a plan as a pass rusher and needs to think more strategically to have success at the NFL level. At 6’6″ Bresee is tall for an interior defender and unsurprisingly that leads to issues with his pad level.
Projection: 1st round
3. Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh (6-0, 281, rs-Junior)
Pros: Kancey is a seriously impressive athlete with an incredible first step. He displays good lateral quickness that makes him an asset as a pass rusher and as a looper on stunts. He is already a technically refined pass rusher, with a wide variety of moves to choose from in his arsenal. Kancey also shows the ability to counter quickly when his initial rush plan fails. He plays with great natural leverage to get up and under the pads of his opponents and his motor runs red hot.
Cons: There is no getting away from the fact that Kancey is seriously undersized for an interior defender. He is nowhere near being big enough or strong enough to be a consistent down-to-down starter at this point. He will routinely get blown off the ball in the running game by virtue of his lacklustre anchor ability, an issue that will only become more pronounced at the next level. Kancey also lacks length, ranking in the first percentile at the position.
Projection: 2nd round
4. Mazi Smith, Michigan (6-3, 323, rs-Junior)
Pros: Smith is a very good athlete for a player of his size, as evidenced by the fact he is the former No. 1 player on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List. He is surprisingly nimble and light on his feet for a bigger defender, with the quickness to redirect and make plays. He pairs this with some truly impressive play strength that allows him to dominate opponents at the point of attack. Smith will wreak havoc if left in one-on-one blocks and also shows the anchor strength to hold his ground against drive blocks.
Cons: Smith has had a limited impact as a pass rusher throughout his college career. At this point he is more of a pocket pusher than a pass rusher and needs to show real improvement with his technique in order to be a true three-down difference maker. A big part of this is his hand usage as he is often slow to react and adjust if his initial plan of attack fails. Smith is also noticeably inconsistent when it comes to his snap timing and pad level.
Projection: 2nd round
5. Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin (6-6, 313, Senior)
Pros: Benton is a powerful presence along the interior, with the violent hands and play strength to wreak havoc. He creates plenty of shock on contact and will routinely overwhelm opposing linemen and collapse the pocket. He is especially impactful as a run defender, where he holds the point of attack and sheds with ease. His wrestling background is evident in his leverage and quick hands and he shows the ability to beat opponents with a range of moves. Benton also offers alignment versatility.
Cons: Despite his impressive play strength and good hand usage, Benton has never really been much of an impact player on passing downs. Whilst he is a good athlete, he isn’t anything special in this department and that may be more of a concern once he reaches the NFL. Benton lacks ideal twitch to beat opposing linemen consistently with finesse. He can also get a little lazy with his pad level and when he does he is easily driven off the ball.
Projection: 2nd round
6. Adetomiwa Adebawore, Northwestern (6-2, 282, Senior)
Pros: Adebawore possesses a truly rare blend of size and speed. At 282 lbs he ran a 4.49 40-yard dash whilst registering a 37.5″ vertical and a 10’5″ broad jump. He is the only 280+ lbs player to ever run a sub-4.5 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. His combination of size and quickness allows him to play up and down the defensive line. He possesses good natural leverage and showcases the strong hands to control blocks as a run defender, with some nice moves as a pass rusher too.
Cons: Despite possessing an exceptional blend of size and speed, Adebawore’s production in college was never anything special and he didn’t dominate in the way you might expect. There will also be concerns that he is something of a tweener when projecting to the next level. He played primarily as an edge in college but lacks the bend to stay there. He is undersized for the interior though and could struggle with the play strength required to stay between the tackles.
Projection: 2nd round
7. Gervon Dexter, Florida (6-5, 310, Junior)
Pros: Dexter has the size that teams covet at the position, something he pairs with legitimate athletic traits. He flashes some outstanding explosiveness and he is a very smooth mover for a player of his size. His hands are heavy and you will routinely see him knock opponents back into the pocket on first contact. He is a competent run defender who knows how to control the point of attack and shed to get to the ball carrier. When Dexter was able to put it all together he was virtually unblockable.
Cons: Dexter’s snap timing is abysmal and he is routinely the last player to react to the snap. This massively limits his ability to be a consistent difference maker and needs to improve substantially in order for him to reach his potential. Perhaps unsurprisingly for such a tall player he has issues maintaining good pad level throughout the rep. When this happens he is easily uprooted. Dexter also has no real sense of a plan as a pass rusher and his success has been reliant on overwhelming opponents with his traits.
Projection: 3rd round
8. Siaki Ika, Baylor (6-3, 335, rs-Junior)
Pros: Ika is a big and physical nose tackle and offers the kind of power and play strength that you would expect. He is excellent at controlling the point of attack in the run game and will routinely overwhelm his opponent if left in a one-on-one. He also has an incredibly stout anchor and you rarely see opponents shift him off his spot. Ika is also noticeably light on his feet for a bigger defensive lineman and has pass rushing chops that you might not expect from a nose tackle.
Cons: Whilst Ika is a good mover for a bigger defender, he is still below average by positional standards. He also had issues maintaining good pad level, which would often limit his ability to maximise disruption. He has a good variety of moves in his arsenal, but Ika is clearly slow to get to counters if his initial approach fails. There are also some concerns about his ability to maintain a consistent weight. Ika is somewhat scheme specific as a nose tackle only at the NFL level.
Projection: 3rd round
9. Jaquelin Roy, LSU (6-3, 305, Junior)
Pros: Roy possesses some good first step quickness to get into the pads of his opponent. When he makes first contact he shows strong hands to create movement and knock back opposing linemen. He also shows a good understanding of how to control his blocks, using his length to steer his opponent before shedding. Roy offers the ability to play up and down the defensive line, whilst also showcasing iron man durability, averaging 52 snaps per game in 2022.
Cons: Roy still has some way to go in terms of his technique. His hand usage is still pretty raw and there is seemingly no sense of forward thinking when it comes to his pass rushing plan. He doesn’t have the traits to overcome this at the NFL level either. Roy struggled to anchor consistently against drive blocks in the running game and needs to add more anchor strength to his game. He is also a little stiffer in the hips than you would like and his play recognition speed was a tick slow.
Projection: 3rd round
10. Kobie Turner, Wake Forest (6-3, 290, rs-Senior)
Pros: Turner is a good athlete who showcases impressive first step quickness. He is blessed with excellent natural leverage that he uses to his advantage as both a pass rusher and run defender. He pairs this with heavy hands that create pop on contact. If he can get inside the frame of an opponent early he is able to blow up the pocket. Turner also ticks the box when it comes to his motor and he showcases the play recognition speed you want at the position.
Cons: Turner is undersized for a traditional defensive tackle. That, coupled with short arms that lead to issues with stacking and shedding, is not at all ideal. He doesn’t possess the anchor strength to consistently hold his ground in the running game and will be blown off the ball by stronger linemen. Turner is also an older player, turning 24 years old as a rookie. Despite being a sixth-year senior, he still needs to improve his hand placement.
Projection: 4th round
