By nature of the physicality required to play the position, the defensive tackle position is rife with late bloomers in the draft process. Players like Derrick Harmon and Alfred Collins weren’t considered top prospects at this time a year ago before both ended up top-50 selections.
That’s my way of saying don’t be too cynical when I tell you it’s not an impressive defensive tackle class as it stands right now. There’s only one player who’s even sniffing the first round, and the number of Day 2 grades I saw on film this summer dwindles quickly. Let’s hope that turns around this fall!
Here are my top 10 defensive tackle prospects (ordered from No. 1 to No. 10) ahead of the college football season.
Positional rankings: EDGE • DT • LB • CB • S • IOL • OT • TE • RB • WR • QB
- Player type: Do-it-all DT
- Room for improvement: Hand usage
- Early grade: Top-5
Every year or so a player comes along who you know is destined for NFL greatness the first day you see them on a collegiate field. Myles Garrett, Derek Stingley Jr., and Penei Sewell all fit that bill in their day. Peter Woods belongs in that category. His freshman year in 2023 looked like a grown man already. He was already outplaying teammate and second-round pick Ruke Orhorhoro.
Woods is such an impressive physical specimen at 315 pounds that Clemson had him playing off the edge. And not just for a few third-down gimmicks either, but for nearly 31% of his snaps last season!
Woods should end up right in the realm of prospects like Jalen Carter and Quinnen Williams in that it’s not a matter of “if” he’ll be good in the league, but how high will his ceiling push? With definite room for growth on tape, an even more refined Woods is a scary thought.
- Player type: Run-first 3-4 defensive end
- Room for improvement: Pass-rushing moves
- Early grade: Day 2
There is a steep drop-off in the defensive tackle class after Peter Woods. While Christen Miller is next in line, I wouldn’t even put him close to the first-round conversation yet. He’s got an ideal frame to be a two-gap run defender at the next level with long limbs and great short-area quicks for his size that make it easy for him to finish plays.
He had a mini breakout last season as a redshirt sophomore during which he racked up 16 run stops and 19 pressures on 385 snaps. With Nazir Stackhouse and Warren Brinson both off to the NFL, expect a much larger role from Miller this fall.
- Player type: Two-down nose tackle
- Room for improvement: Flowing with wide runs
- Early grade: Day 2
Keeanan earns this spot almost by default. In a lackluster defensive tackle class full of unknowns, Keenan has a very known trait: he’s going to stuff the run. If you want someone to sit down in the A-gap 15 times a game, he’s the best in the draft class. Doing so consistently against the best competition in college football the past two seasons makes you feel very confident in that projection.
While the run game is going to be his bread and butter, it’s worth noting he’s not a zero as a pass-rusher. In fact, his effort when attacking quarterbacks is one of my favorite parts of his game. He’s going to be limited in the impact he can make as a pass-rusher at the next level because of his movement skills, but he’s far from a placeholder.
- Player type: Fire-hydrant nose tackle
- Room for improvement: Conditioning
- Early grade: Late Day 2
If you really want to see what “The Godfather” is capable of, I wouldn’t recommend Dontay Corleone’s 2024 tape. Diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs last offseason, Corleone was only cleared to resume football activities after Week 1 of 2024 and was thrust into action that weekend. The squatty nose tackle quite clearly never got the proper ramp-up period into game shape and was a shell of his 2022-2023 self on film.
It’s that previous form, though, that earns him a spot on this list. There’s not a defensive tackle who can reset the line of scrimmage from a 0/1-tech alignment as easily and consistently as Corleone could back then. The redshirt senior is also a multiple-time Freaks List honoree with elite quicks for his size. When he’s on his game, no one in college was overleveraging him at the point of attack one-on-one. Hopefully we get to see that guy again in 2025.
- Player type: Nimble nose tackle
- Room for improvement: Sustained performance
- Early grade: Late Day 2
I know you’re probably sick of all the nose tackles at this point, but they truly are all different flavors. Domonique Orange has prototypical nose tackle traits from a size and movement skills perspective. He can rock back a center on one play and then track down a running back in space on the next.
While he has the potential to be a three-down player, it’s a little worrisome that Iowa State didn’t really trust him to be one until late last season. His 367 snaps played (28 per game) were the fewest on this list. If he makes the leap to an every-down player, he could easily be DT2 when it’s all said and done.
- Player type: Long nose tackle
- Room for improvement: Finding the football
- Early grade: Late Day 2
Caleb Banks is a giant of a man even by defensive tackle standards. At 6-foot-6 and 329 pounds, he makes offensive tackles trying to block him look small. A lot of guys on tape didn’t even know where to begin with even trying to block him. At that size, he can really get off the ball and then brings immense pop into contact. Most of his wins come from one outstretched arm simply tossing an opposing linemen to the side or backwards as he continues on his way.
There’s a rawness to his game at this point that’s heavily concerning, however. He’ll be 24 years old by draft night and 25 by the end of his rookie season, yet still has few moves at his disposal. He’s also struggled mightily to produce as a run defender with only 11 run stops over the past two seasons. Even in his best game last season, which came against LSU, Banks got taken 8 yards off the ball one-on-one by a down block from 2025 top-5 pick Will Campbell. His ceiling is enticing, but his floor is also worrisome.
- Player type: Penetrating jumbo defensive tackle
- Room for improvement: Getting taken out of plays
- Early grade: Early Day 3
Lee Hunter’s tape the past two seasons at UCF is a roller coaster. He will alternate ugly reps with quick wins as he approaches every play with the mindset that he’s going to be the one to take down the ball-carrier. And it’s paid off. No defensive tackle in college football has more stops against the run over the past two seasons than Hunter’s 58.
What really sets Hunter apart is his flexibility. He can really sink into contact and bend to the edge for a 6-foot-4 defensive tackle. Add to that a strong motor, and he’s a handful all game long. After transferring to a now-loaded Texas Tech defensive line, Hunter needs to show he can make the same impact in the pass game that he does vs. the run to move up boards.
- Player type: Gap-shooter
- Room for improvement: Take-on skills
- Early grade: Early Day 3
David Oke spent the past three seasons at Abilene Christian before transferring to Arkansas this offseason. You don’t have to watch much more than his lone FBS competition from last fall (Texas Tech) to know the Razorbacks got a good one. He’s got extremely quick feet that can get upfield, lateral or change directions in a hurry. Just watch him track down a quarterback outside the pocket:
Abilene Christian took advantage of this with a ton of slants and stunts in their defense, but that also made his eval a little more difficult because often times he’s running right around opposing linemen.
Oke was an ironman for Abilene Christian, playing 823 snaps in 2024 — the most of any defensive tackle in the FBS or FCS. And it was rare to see him gassed, which is a green flag for 300-plus pounder. If he proves he can consistently stack and shed SEC offensive linemen this fall, he’ll be a top-50 pick.
- Player type: 3-tech/edge
- Room for improvement: Muscle mass
- Early grade: Day 3
No, that weight is not a typo. Bernard Gooden is a svelte defensive tackle even by college standards. That doesn’t mean the man can’t play in the big leagues still. I can’t help but be reminded of former Chiefs and current Panthers defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton — who was listed at 255 pounds his final year of college – when I watch Gooden. Even at that size, there’s still no finesse to Gooden’s game. He brings the fight to opposing offensive linemen. He’s exceedingly quick and processes blocks at a high level.
If it weren’t for his tape last fall against Alabama, Gooden would not only not be on this list, but he’d also likely not be at LSU right now. In that game, though, while Gooden was still at USF, he showed he can hang with NFL-caliber play strength. While he may still only be a role player who’s right for certain schemes, Gooden’s talent is worth monitoring in the SEC this fall.
- Player type: Versatile defensive tackle
- Room for improvement: More playing time
- Early grade: Day 3
Stephiylan Green is only the second third-year player to make this list with the other being his Clemson teammate, Peter Woods. Unlike his classmate, Green only started seeing the field in earnest this past fall and impressed enough on 309 snaps to crack this top 10. There’s obviously more projection involved with younger defensive tackles, but Green showed he deserves to be in this conversation very early on last season. On just his third snap of the year and 14th career snap overall, Green bull-rushed Georgia guard and third-round pick Dylan Fairchild right back into quarterback Carson Beck’s lap.
That kind of lower body strength was very impressive for not only a 19-year old, but one who’s still on the trimmer side at 290 pounds. He holds that weight very well across his frame and has room to grow still. Green is no sure thing to declare, but will likely be touted highly whenever he does.
Add Comment