1. Jalen Carter – Georgia

6’3″ 314 lbs.
Jalen Carter is one of the best defensive lineman to come out of the draft in recent years. With a motor that always runs hot, Carter does not lack effort on any given play. His ability to generate pressure on passing downs, and disrupt the run makes him a star at the position. Despite not having the frame of a traditional nose tackle, Carter matches up well at the point of attack. When double teamed, Carters body control and strength give him the ability to disrupt rushing lanes an impact the ball carrier. He is a difficult man to move consistently during the run game as he has evened out his base and improved his ability to anchor. As a pass rusher, Carter has shown great versatility and flexibility to get underneath blockers to generate interior pressure. He has a great combination of finesse moves that helps him win reps from the inside. On the snap of the ball, Carter is quick to close the space between himself and the the blocker. Carter tends to give up leverage right away by standing up straight out of his stance. He also needs to work on his pass rush plan, as he relies too heavily on his athleticism to win reps. Overall Carter is a young prospect that could use some work to become more technically refined. Withholding rare athleticism for a player that big, Carter has the ability to impact every single play he’s on the field. As a top defensive player in the draft, Carter could go anywhere in the top 5 picks. 

2. Calijah Kancey – Pitt

6’1″ 281 lbs.
It’s easy to compare Calijah Kancey to Aaron Donald given they are both undersized defensive tackles, with twitchy speed who shined at Pitt. Kancey is always the fastest off the ball, and forest into the neutral zone to disrupt plays. He’s an extremely physical player who plays through contact well, and is able to take on offensive lineman that have more than 30 pounds on him. He does a good job of utilizing his build in leverage and quickness to win reps by shooting gaps. Given his size, Kancey had great contact balance and is very flexible. Kancey’s motor always runs hot, and he showcases his ability to string together a variety of moves to get into the backfield. He penetrates the offensive line well with amazing get off and good hands. Despite his burst, he does lack ideal size and length for the position. Many analysts aren’t sure on this prospect at the next level as it is hard to predict how he would translate in the NFL. Kancey will have his name called on day 1 of the NFL draft due to the lack of high end talent at this position.  

3. Bryan Bresee – Clemson

6’5 1/2″ 298 lbs.
Bryan Bresee, a former number 1 recruit coming out of high school sustained multiple injuries in 2021 including a torn acl. Bresee is a physically gifted athlete at the position who has good length and shows good playing strength. He is good at playing both the run and getting after the quarterback as he dominates the line of scrimmage, often times finding himself in the offensive backfield. Bresee has played along the line of scrimmage at Clemson, showing off his versatility that should translate well to the NFL. He does a great job of flowing down laterally, chasing down ball carriers and eating up space. Often times he finds himself in a double team, but with a high motor and elite movement skills, he is able to maintain leverage and move the pile. He does play with a high pad level, which is something you would like to see him improve on when playing in the NFL. He could also use some polishing in his fundamentals, add in his injury concerns, he will need to demonstrate that he is completely healthy. Given his unfortunate medical history, and the fact that he has logged less than 500 snaps within the last 2 years, Bresee could drop to the middle of round 2 in the NFL draft. 

4. Mazi Smith – Michigan

6’3″ 323 lbs.
Mazi Smith is a prospect that boasts a huge frame and shows tremendous upside in the run game. At Michigan, he demonstrated great playing strength and is extremely physical at the point of attack.  With concrete hands, Smith is able to generate some serious penetration and create havoc in the backfield while disrupting blocking concepts. For his size, he has exceptional lateral quickness and agility, making him a threat to chase down ball carriers. Smith doesn’t show a lot of finesse when rushing the quarterback, instead he plays with power, driving blockers backwards. On twists and stunts that free Smith up, he does a good job of utilizing his speed and strength to get depth in the backfield. For a big man, Smith has shown that he can move down the line of scrimmage eating up space. Smith lacks the ideal arm length that would make him truly elite. Instead of being able to use length to his advantage, Smith has to rely on close quarter combat to win reps. He doesn’t show great get off and is super inconsistent at the snap of the ball. Smith will need to develop as a pass rusher to stay on the field for the whole defensive series, otherwise he will be utilized as more of a run stuffer on early downs. Given his size and ability to play the run, Smith should be a middle day 2 pick.