- Will Anderson Jr. takes home “best hands:” Anderson's hand technique helps set him apart from the rest of the edge defender class in this year's draft.
- Calijah Kancey wins “best get-off:” Given his stature, it probably isn't surprising that Kancey has the quickest get-off among the interior defenders in this class.
- Tyree Wilson is the “most versatile” edge defender: Wilson's ability to align anywhere outside the guard enables him to fit any scheme.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
If the NFL is truly a copy-cat league, I’d expect defensive linemen to come off the board early and often in this year’s class. It’s hard to see the Nos. 1 and 2 defenses in sacks this past season make the Super Bowl and come to any other conclusion. The defensive line is where the top-end talent is usually easy to identify, making it a favorite in the first round.
Here’s who tops the class in each aspect of the positions:
Best hands
Edge: Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
Anderson may be on the smaller side for the position, but he still packs a punch on contact. He’s able to swat away hands or drive through offensive tackles' pads with relative ease for a lighter edge rusher. The scary thing is that he can even stand to improve his pass-rush toolbox at the next level, which is why you consistently see him as the top non-quarterback in mock drafts.
Will Anderson with a club/swim from the 4i for the sack pic.twitter.com/XLmYUKY4Co
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) November 9, 2022
Interior: Jalen Carter, Georgia
The uniting factor between the two best defensive linemen in this draft class is their ability to manipulate offensive linemen with their upper bodies. Carter has some of the more powerful hands you’ll ever see from a defensive line prospect, especially one that’s not a hulking nose tackle. The power he showed on tape for only a true junior was special.
UGA DT Jalen Carter sequencing pass rush moves together.
Powerful bull rush to knock the right guard backwards before transitioning to a swim move. Great finish to the rep, knocking the ball out of Hendon Hooker's hand. pic.twitter.com/AbK04dK80U
— Derrick (@Steelers_DB) November 18, 2022
Best pass-rush moves
Edge: B.J. Ojulari, LSU
Ojulari has easily the deepest bag of moves in the edge class. While he doesn’t necessarily have one dominant go-to move, his varied pass-rush toolbox means he almost never goes home empty-handed, which is why he averaged 4.3 pressures per game the past two seasons. Making that all the more impressive is the fact that Ojulari won’t turn 21 years old until early April.
UGA DT Jalen Carter sequencing pass rush moves together.
Powerful bull rush to knock the right guard backwards before transitioning to a swim move. Great finish to the rep, knocking the ball out of Hendon Hooker's hand. pic.twitter.com/AbK04dK80U
— Derrick (@Steelers_DB) November 18, 2022
Interior: Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh
A big part of the reason Kancey ranks so highly on the PFF draft board despite his less-than-ideal physical stature is that he knows wholesale how to rush the passer. He has a more well-rounded set of pass-rush moves than most starters at the position currently in the NFL. And when you watch him on tape, he never quits. He racked up 47 pressures on only 275 pass-rushing snaps this past season because he never gives up on a rush.
— Film Collins (@filmcollins01) February 12, 2023
Best get-off
Edge: Nolan Smith, Georgia
It may not be terribly surprising that the edge who runs a 4.39-second 40 with a 41.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-8 broad jump has an elite get-off. Flip on the tape, and it matched those testing numbers from Indy. He is the best pure speed-rushing prospect in this class and can be an impact run defender as well with his get-off despite being undersized (238 pounds).
Nolan Smith – DE, Georgia, No.4
– polished run defender, sets the edge well
– freak-level athlete, former number one recruit
– speed and explosion off the line of scrimmage
– bend around the corner pic.twitter.com/2rtHxFU38D— Zack Eisen (@zackeisen21) March 15, 2023
Interior: Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh
Kancey has one of the best get-offs you’ll ever see from an interior player. He’ll get into guards' chests prior to them even getting out of their stances. He may not be an every-down player, but Kancey is a problem as a pass-rusher.
The player I'm most looking forward to see test this week at the Combine is Pittsburgh's 6-0, 280 pound alien DT Calijah Kancey
Outlier in every sense of the word, but a top-20 player on the @PFF board nonetheless pic.twitter.com/2spMK7T8E8
— Mike Renner (@PFF_Mike) February 28, 2023
Best two-gapper/edge-setter
Edge: Lukas Van Ness, Iowa
Van Ness’ long arms (34 inches) combined with his uncanny ability to sink low into contact make him damn near impossible to move off his spot. Add in the fact that he’s 272 pounds, and Van Ness has all the makings of an elite run defender in the NFL. Now the question becomes where at? He split his time evenly between the edge and on the interior last season for the Hawkeyes and could do something similar in the league.
Iowa DL Lukas Van Ness is only listed at 265 pounds, but registered all but 20 of his snaps from the B-gap and in!
And he holds his own as he plays with great leverage and is incredibly difficult to dig out of his spot. pic.twitter.com/6YnpXzLgCp
— Cory (@realcorykinnan) August 7, 2022
Interior: Mazi Smith, Michigan
Smith is arguably the strongest defensive tackle in the draft class. His ability to be an immovable block in the middle of a defense will be in demand come late April. After a slow start to the season, Smith finished with 18 run stops over his final nine games in 2022.
Impressive push-pull from Mazi Smith (Michigan IDL 58). pic.twitter.com/oTfOBezNLr
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) January 11, 2023
Most Versatile
Edge: Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech
Wilson is a behemoth at 6-foot-6, 271 pounds. He possesses the juice to play off the edge as well as the play strength to hold up on the interior. He can handle any alignment from the outside of a guard’s shoulder outward, which is why so many are connected to his services in the top 10 — he fits every scheme.
HELLO TYREE WILSON pic.twitter.com/NkpoxAIrLo
— Cory (@realcorykinnan) December 15, 2022
Interior: Jalen Carter, Georgia
Part of the beauty of Carter’s game is his ability to win in so many different ways. He has the lower-body strength to get plopped down at nose tackle, the length (33 ½-inch arms) to go toe-to-toe with offensive tackles, and the quickness to get past guards, which is why he was the top non-quarterback on the PFF draft board prior to his off-field issues this spring.
Jalen Carter just bulldozes the RT out of the way. Sheesh pic.twitter.com/ohta9ChZYd
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) September 3, 2022
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