Jalen Carter (4-3 DT)
Georgia
Grade: Top-5
Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Regardless of your thoughts on Jalen Carter's misdemeanor reckless driving charge he pleaded guilty to, make no mistake that he is expected to be one of the best defenders to enter the 2023 NFL Draft. Carter, who was a five-star recruit in high school, has met the lofty expectations set by his high school success, becoming a dominant force on the field, while helping Georgia win back-to-back National Championships in 2021 and 2022. His impact on the football field goes beyond his impressive stats, with few defensive tackles being able to drive a team's success the way Carter does.
Carter's physical traits are his biggest strength, with the elite first-step quickness to invade gaps just as plays materialize, eroding blocking schemes. Beyond his burst, Carter has elite lateral agility, which he uses to create displacement and manipulate angles off the snap. His build-up speed generates overwhelming amounts of force at contact, and he is a master at exploiting his natural leverage, which he uses as an accelerant for his physical tools. Carter's upper-body torque allows him to ruthlessly toss blockers aside and surge into space, and his hands carry extraordinary amounts of momentum and knock-back power.
As a pass rusher, Carter shows immense promise, using violent extensions to punch inside the torso with force, and he complements his lateral athleticism with brisk, forceful hand moves. He actively employs swims, rips, and power combos, and he has enough ankle flexion to pinch tight angles and sustain acceleration when stunting around the apex. Carter is a high-effort player who draws double-teams as a result of his dominant presence on the field. His potential to elevate a defense at the professional level with his traits makes him one of the most exciting prospects in recent years.
Simply put, Jalen Carter is going to be the next JJ Watt or Aaron Donald of his generation. He has the ability to win multiple Defensive Player of the Year Awards. He embodies "generational talent" to its truest meaning. Few players come out of college as highly regarded, and while there may be some minor off the field issues, make no mistake that Jalen Carter will not wait long to hear his name called.
Brian Breese (4-3 DT)
Clemson
Grade: 1st Rd
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Bryan Bresee was the No. 1 overall recruit in the nation in 2019 and met expectations throughout his Clemson career. He had a whopping 26 sacks and 66.5 tackles for loss in two years in high school which cemented his place as the most highly coveted high school recruit. Injuries have somewhat held him back but he is an absolute force in the middle of a defense when healthy. Through adversity, which included losing his sister to cancer this past year, and suffering a torn ACL the year prior, Breese is set to be drafted highly in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.
Bresee has a natural ability to penetrate and crash through gaps in the offensive line with consistency, creating chaos in the backfield. His versatility has been demonstrated through his ability to play up and down the line at Clemson, which would translate well into a penetration-based scheme at the NFL level. He can line up at different techniques and you'll have confidence in his ability to take on those responsibilities. However, he needs to improve his consistency with pad level and execution to become a universal prospect for all 32 teams.
He is at his best as a penetration 3-technique and has shown the needed versatility to play in the B-gap at the NFL level. Although he needs to work on negotiating multiple sets of hands and generating forward motion through contact, he commands a lot of attention as a pass rusher. Bresee's physical potential and natural athleticism are quickly evident, but he has also had durability concerns with several significant injuries over three seasons. He has taken fewer than 500 snaps over the last two seasons.
Despite these concerns, Bresee is expected to take significant snaps early in his career and recapture his elite form in time. Bresee's natural ability and versatility make him a strong prospect for the NFL draft. While he has faced adversity in his college career, he has shown the ability to overcome it and perform at a high level on the field. With improvements in his technique and health, he has the potential to become a dominant player in the NFL
Mazi Smith (3-4 NT)
Michigan
Grade: 1st-2nd Rd
AP Photo/Paul Sancya
Mazi Smith is a former Michigan football player who was a four-star recruit out of high school. He attended East Kentwood High School where he earned multiple all-state and Under Armour all-America honors as a defensive tackle. In addition to football, Smith also qualified for the state championships in shot put and discus. He enrolled early in college after committing to the Wolverines in June 2018 over scholarship offers from Ohio State and Penn State.
Smith's strengths include his exceptional power, physicality, and well-distributed body mass at 6'3", 320 pounds. He is known for his heavy hands that allow him to toss interior blockers, and he plays with outstanding contact balance. His movements are well-paired with backfield vision, and he displays impressive athletic traits. Smith was soft-spoken but focused and thoughtful, and he was voted a team captain prior to the 2022 season. He started every game in the past two seasons and finished his career with zero penalties in 35 games.
Despite his strengths, Smith has some weaknesses, including his undeveloped pass rush skills and ordinary range to chase down plays. He is still learning how to get skinny and play through gaps. He was a better pass rusher than his career sacks would indicate, and the ability to push the pocket as a true nose tackle will be enticing to teams looking for interior pressure. Of note, Smith has also been arrested on a gun charge in October 2022, although it was later reduced to a misdemeanor. Although his character isn't considered a red flag by NFL scouts, this incident could raise concerns for some teams.
Overall, Smith is considered a fringe first-round pick in the NFL draft. As a two-year starter at Michigan, he was the linchpin of the defensive line at nose tackle and had the ability to play multiple techniques. While his backfield production was underwhelming, he finished second on the team with 25 pressures in 2022. He will likely be an above-average NFL run defender and has the potential to flash pass rush skills with his natural leverage, body quickness, and remarkable power. Smith was ranked No. 1 on Bruce Feldman's Freaks List, and his physicality and athleticism make him a promising prospect for NFL teams.
Calijah Kancey (3-4 DE)
Pitt
Grade: 2nd Rd
AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File
Calijah Kancey, a Miami native, left his hometown as a three-star recruit having won consecutive state titles to pursue his football career in Pittsburgh. As an undersized defensive tackle, he defied odds to became one of the most dynamic defensive linemen in college football. Kancey's hard work and dedication earned him several accolades, including a first-team All-ACC selection in 2021 and consensus All-American honors in 2022. He was also named ACC Defensive Player of the Year for his exceptional performance as a penetrating interior disrupter.
Kancey is a dominant force on the defensive line, playing with incredible urgency and physicality. He is quick and agile, making it easy for him to penetrate gaps and make plays behind the line of scrimmage. Despite his relatively small stature, Kancey uses his quickness and built-in leverage to win with first contact and work around the edges of blocks. He is a pass-rush demon with go-go-gadget tool set that allows him to get to the quarterback in multiple ways. It's really special to see him beat opponents off the snap so incredibly fast, drawing comparisons to Aaron Donald.
However, Kancey's undersized frame raises concerns about his ability to perform consistently at the next level. He lacks the mass and length required to compete with larger linemen and must work hard to avoid any technical lapses. While his unique play style may lend itself well to an up-the-field defense, it remains to be seen how his skills will translate to the NFL. Kancey's turns his under-sized drawback into a strength with a low center of gravity and great body control to gain leverage and fill his gap responsibility in a hurry. He wins on tenacity and effort, which makes him a valuable asset to any team in need of a skilled defensive lineman.
Kancey's lack of size and lack of length may limit his ability to perform consistently at the next level. He will be the target of double teams, and the lack of weight will wash him out of plays at the next level. Despite this, Kancey's versatility and ability to penetrate gaps make him enticing. Running a 4.67 at 281 pounds is a head turner, and will play a major factor in Kancey overcoming size disadvantages to potentially become a first-round pick. Still, size concerns can also make him fall out of the first round all together.
Siaki Ika (NT)
Baylor
Grade: 2nd Rd
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Siaki Ika is a former four-star defensive tackle from East High School in Salt Lake City, who spent two years with the LSU Tigers during their 2019 College Football Mational Championship run before joining the Baylor Bears in 2020. His mobility is impressive for his size, making him a versatile defender who can penetrate gaps and eat up space in the heart of the defense. Ika's performance in his debut season with the Bears was outstanding, earning him the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year award. At 6'3, 335 pounds, Ika projects as an A-gap penetrator whose primary role will be anchoring down against double teams.
Ika's athleticism for his size is rare and offers him a significant advantage in the NFL. He has raw strength, making him capable of holding the point of attack, while his prototypical size allows him to occupy space and keep linebackers clean. He has an apparent lack of functional length, which poses challenges for block deconstruction, and his positional value may yield a limited snap role. Even so, Ika is a man made for gap control, and his rare size and strength with great athleticism at 330 pounds provides obvious value in the trenches for a team needing to upgrade their run defense.
Ika has to work on technique when taking on double teams and needs to keep his eyes locked on the football more. He had a large dip in production from 2021 to 2022 as a pass rusher where he went from six sacks to zero, and 15 less total pressures. There is a role for having a gap plugging nose tackle on every team, especially one who has shown the ability to be effective as a pass rusher, though consistency matters. Ika is tranding to be taken in the second round of the NFL draft.
Tuli Tuipultu (3-4 DE)
USC
Grade - 2nd Rd
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Tuli Tuipulotu, is a standout EDGE player for USC who won Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year ,and was a finalist for the Bednarik Award in 2022. He made 44 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and 12.5 sacks during the regular season and conference championship games, with three pass deflections and two forced fumbles. Tuipulotu's profile is exciting and unique, making him a legitimate wild card in the 2023 NFL Draft defensive line class. He possesses a strong and versatile 6'3", 266-pound frame that is likely heavier when not cutting weight for the NFL Combine. He was listed at 290 pounds during the regular season.
Tuipulotu's twitched-up rush style and quick first step allow him to exploit slower blockers and generate energy around the apex. With exceptional raw power capacity, Tuipulotu torques through power exertions and wrenches blockers back, leveraging his hips and length into extensions to maximize power output. He has formidable hand strength to deconstruct anchors and stack and shed run blocks with violent swims. Tuipulotu strives for more consistent leverage and pad level, but he has shown proper leverage and hand usage to capitalize.
Tuipulotu doesn't have elite bend, but he has enough at his size with solid ankle flexion and hip flexibility to roll through the apex when he has space. He's able to feign a cross-chop to narrow blockers, dip around the edge with flexibility, and use both inside and outside rips. The fusing agent of his other traits is his bend, allowing him to manipulate linemen with initial moves and pinch tight angles while accelerating into the pocket.
The best fit for Tuipulotu will be as a 3-4 defensive end, especially since most of his big plays came while lined up from the interior. He is still listed as an edge, and will likely push to start his NFL career off the edge, but there should be no doubt that he will be at his best on the interior. Tuipulotu finished second in the NCAA in total sacks and should find himself just outside the first round of the NFL Draft.
Keion White (3-4 DE)
Georgia Tech
Grade: 2nd-3rd Rd
Georgia Tech University
Keion White is a Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets player who was previously at Old Dominion University for three years. He played tight end during the 2018 season before switching to defensive end in the spring of 2019. Despite an injury sidelining him for the first eight games of the 2021 season, he was voted as team captain in 2022. White's athleticism is hard to miss; he has the power to drive blockers backward, reduce inside, and pressure the quarterback from the interior. His high motor and flexibility make him a "hop off the bus" type of prospect, able to operate with his hand in the dirt or as a stand-up edge. However, his technique is somewhat raw, and he surrenders the outside versus the run. He still has ample room to grow in terms of deconstructing blocks, and his pass rush package is unrefined.
White has a unique combination of physical size and athleticism that make him a scheme-versatile player. However, his technical skill set is still developing. He tends to work inside of the blocks, surrendering the outside versus the run, and his pass rush package is still unrefined. White's size, measured at 6'5" and 285 pounds, is a plus, but his hand size and arm length are average for his position. Nevertheless, he is a developmental pass-rush prospect with a high ceiling.
White's potential is evident, but his newness to the position and unrefined pass rush package are concerns. Some teams may value him as a big edge rusher while other as a interior pass rusher. That versatility is a draw, though positionless players have their drawbacks, especially when they are not elite at any specific area. However, his positional versatility and three-down skill set make him a valuable addition to any team willing to develop his talent. His high motor and athleticism are impossible to miss, making him a standout player on the field. He is projected as a 2nd-3rd round project with teams higher on him having an identified role, while teams lower having questions on where he fits best.
Gervon Dexter - Florida
Keeanu Benton - Wisconsin
PJ Mustipher - Penn State
Jaquelin Roy -
Zacch Pickins -
Colby Wooden -
Jaxson Player -
Jalen Redmond - Oklahoma
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