2025 Draft: Defensive Tackles
Our position preview series kicks off with the strongest position in this draft class and the biggest hole on our roster: defensive tackle. Per usual, any number before a player dictates their “consensus big board” ranking. Asterisks (*) by names mark some of my favorite prospect/scheme fits.
Football isn’t always won in the trenches, but when you can dominate both lines of scrimmage you make things a helluva lot easier for yourself. And while our needs along the offensive line could be considered, due to long-term neglect, more annoying, the situation along our defensive line is more dire.
After a long run of strong defensive play, last year’s defense fell to 13th in DVOA and 22nd in EPA/play. Against the run, we were 22nd in DVOA and 26th in EPA/rush. And while that unit was beset with injuries, some of those injured players aren’t coming back (Huf, Dre, Hargrave), while other more available members of last year’s defense have signed elsewhere (Floyd, Collins, Ward).
THE SKILLSET
The Wide 9 makes things more and less complicated when scouting defensive linemen. We know we want guys who can explode off the ball and shoot into the backfield, so fast first steps and 10-yard splits are important. But to prevent getting gashed on the ground, we also need guys who can come in under control and hold their own at the point of attack. A lot of players are one or the other–not both. So the trick here is finding guys with the right blend of both skill sets and then—when those guys run out—mixing and matching the more one-dimensional prospects.
This isn’t a scheme where we need a traditional space-eating nose tackle, but we’ve been at our best when we can pair one of our gap shooters with an interior player who is elite against the run. For years, DJ Jones held down the middle as a true NT before handing off that duty to Arik Armstead–who wasn’t a nose tackle but had the strength and stoutness of one at the point of attack.
THE NEED
At least two guys who can play right away. At least one who can start earlier than later. The best-case scenario is a three-tech type with high-end pass rusher ability AND a nose tackle type who can stuff the run but still has pass rush potential down the road.
1ST ROUND
Just a reminder, if you’re looking for descriptions of players we may pick at 11 (like the first three names on this list), you wanna check out the 1st round preview.
4. Mason Graham, Michigan
22. Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
27. Derrick Harmon, Oregon
30. Kenneth Grant, Michigan
6-4, 331 lbs.
Grant is the first–and most intriguing–of a string of monstrous nose tackles with serious athletic upside. A regular on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List, Grant is certified gigantic, but he moves better than some defensive ends. And when he gets a runway to a quarterback, it’s like a horror movie in how quickly he closes distance.
Grant didn’t test as well as his pro day as many expected, but—nonetheless—the potential here is pretty outrageous. Guys that big and that explosive typically get drafted high, and Grant will be no exception. But his pass rush ability is a work in progress. You know he can stop the run. He’s shown that. At worst, he’ll be a two-down run-stuffer who can make plays up and down the line. And he put up a respectable 27 pressures last season, so there’s at least some production to match the pass rush potential. But without a tremendous first step or the natural agility to routinely win early over linemen, he has to work for any pass rush he creates. Which means he must get better at keeping his pads low and stringing together moves. The flashes are there, but consistency and polish are needed. Grant is a nose tackle through and through, and while he could shape into someone in the Vita Vea/Haloti Ngata mold, there’s also a world where he never moves the needle vs the pass.
Shades of: DJ Jones on HGH
2ND ROUND
Separating day 2 prospects into round 2 and round 3 is a largely futile exercise, but I’ve done exactly that in hopes that it can help better visualize the clumping of talent in different position groups. However, the separation between rounds is based solely on the consensus big board ranking and shouldn’t be taken as gospel.
*46. Tyleik Williams - Ohio State
6-3, 334 lbs.
A run-stuffing bowling ball with quick flashes of pass-rush prowess
If Kenneth Grant was a run-stopping specialist who needed to improve his pass rush, Williams is an even greater exaggeration of the same mold. Both huge, both athletic, both excellent against the run. But while Grant averaged 25 pressures and 4 sacks over the past two years, Williams averaged 21 pressures and 2.5 sacks. And while Grant’s PWR of 9.4% was a weak spot in his game, Williams had a lowly PWR of 6.6% and a pass rush PFF rating of 59.5(!). He’s shown flashes of greater potential in that area, so his upside is still high. But–like Grant–don’t be surprised if he winds up more of a one-way player.
49. Darius Alexander, Toledo
6-4, 305 lbs.
Small school post-season riser whose potential is only capped by his advanced age
Alexander was one of the big winners of the Senior Bowl, looking athletic and more than capable against larger school opponents before keeping his momentum going with a 9.20 RAS score (out of 10.00) at the combine. He’s a two-way three-technique with great strength who is more advanced as a run stuffer but whose 37 pressures last season point to solid pass rushing upside. Some believe his age (24) caps his ceiling. Whether that’s true or not, he seems like a player whose best ball is ahead of him.
*52. TJ Sanders - South Carolina
6-4, 297 lbs.
Ascending two-way talent whose hand usage and power give him a nice ceiling and floor
10 sacks and 25 QB hits over two years is a solid stat line for a defensive tackle in college, especially one who just started playing football as a junior in high school. Sanders isn’t as athletic as some other guys on this list. His first step is only average and he lacks some lateral movement and fluidity to his game. But he’s powerful at the point of attack, has great hand usage to disengage, and is both an accomplished pass rusher and an excellent run defender. As a late starter, he’s also gotten consistently better every season he’s played football, making for a player with a high two-way floor who still has some room to grow.
58. Joshua Farmer, Florida State
6-3, 305 lbs.
Long-levered scrapper with a bowling ball approach
For better or worse, there’s not much nuance to Farmer’s game. He’s big, explosive, and uses his long ass arms to keep linemen off his body as he bull rushes into the backfield. His size and strength give him some positional versatility, but he’s more of a chaos agent than a polished product, which leads to some lost plays and blown assignments against the run. There’s plenty of potential here, but you gotta find a way to keep him reined in and pointed in the right direction.
62. Alfred Collins - Texas
6-6, 332 lbs.
Monstrous power-first player who is better against the run than the pass
The last of the trio of “high potential two-gappers,” Collins has ideal size and length and improved dramatically this season after stepping into the shoes of Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat. His long arms help him bat down passes and show off his strength, which manifests most prominently in the run game. But–at the moment–batting down passes is probably his most effective move against the pass. He’s not a lost cause in the department, but he isn’t the athlete Grant and Williams are, so his pass-rush projection is much more bearish.
*65. Shemar Turner - Texas A&M
6-3, 290 lbs.
Violent, high-effort one-gapper who tows the line between “to” and “after” the whistle
Turner is a bit of a tweener, but that’s not necessarily an issue for our scheme, and he plays with the kind of violence and aggression that can offset some of his size limitations. He was potentially destined for the first round before playing the 2024 season on a stress fracture, which showcased his toughness but led to a major dropoff in play from his junior year. He’s full go all the time, which is a coach’s dream… except for when that translates into a slew of 15-yard penalties… which Turner has had a bunch of throughout college. If this is a Dre Greenlaw situation–where the player isn’t dirty but he gets caught on the wrong side of the line more often than most–then who cares. But we’d wanna make sure that’s all it is in pre-draft interviews before pulling the trigger.
3RD ROUND
*77. Omarr Norman-Lott, Tennessee
6-2, 291 lbs.
The half-empty/half-full debate in a small sample size pass rushing wonder
I’m gonna give you two stats to explain why Norman-Lott is such a polarizing prospect: 18.9% PWR, the best in the country along the interior DL, but he only played 17.4 defensive snaps per game. Norman-Lott is an excellent athlete with good size, a great first step, and impressive fluidity. He can struggle to anchor and needs a better pass rush plan when he doesn’t win early, but if you just watch his highlight reel, you’d think he was a top 10 player. So why did a guy who tallied as many pressures as Kenneth Grant in nearly 200 fewer pass rush snaps play so few snaps to begin with? And why does a fifth-year player have so much technique work to still hammer out? Is he a late bloomer or someone who has hit a wall skill-wise? Is he a disruptive diamond in the rough or destined for a subpackage interior rusher role in the NFL? These are the many questions dictating Norman-Lott’s draft stock, and I can’t answer them. But if we do like him, the fit and potential are both outstanding.
*98. CJ West, Indiana
6-1, 316 lbs.
Active interior man whose lack of length and height could be mitigated by our one-gapping scheme
A stout, plugger of a player whose stock has risen after his combine testing (9.15 RAS) matched his strong first step on tape, West has short arms and no real go-to pass rush moves, but his strength and athleticism make him potent against the run and viable in stunts, slants, and other types of line games. Not sure how high the ceiling is, but the fit as a rotational tackle with some projectable pass rush juice is intriguing, and it’s not hard to squint and see some traits in West that have worked in the past with other shorter, quicker guys in our scheme.
DAY 3
For round four and later, I’ve tried to separate players into broad archetypes.
DJ JONES(ISH) NOSE TACKLES: Run-first guys with enough size to play the nose and enough quickness to elicit some pass rush upside–even if they may top out as two-down run stuffers.
Jordan Phillips (Maryland) doesn’t turn 21 until after the draft, which explains some of his lack of development and production (zero sacks across 23 college starts). But with good size (6-2, 312 lbs.) and great power and explosiveness, he’s a toolsy developmental play. Just don’t expect immediate returns. (3rd-4th)
Ty Hamilton (Ohio State) is a bulked-up former end who was a bit miscast as a nose tackle in an attempt for the Buckeyes to get their most disruptive four linemen on the field. But the foray into nose gives him a nice pairing of one-gap explosiveness and two-gap scrappiness. He could wind up too small for the nose (6-3, 299 lbs.) but has intrigue either there or as a three-tech. (3rd-4th)
Deone Walker (Kentucky) pairs a 6-7, 331-pound frame with oddly light feet and flashes of dominance (53 pressures, 8 sacks in 2023), but there’s a whole lot of sloppiness to iron out in his game, and he took a big step back this season. His interview will be important. (3rd-4th)
*Jamaree Caldwell (Oregon) will probably not become a fixture in backfields anytime soon, but he’s a big body (6-2, 332 lbs.) with the quickness and activity level of a smaller player and experience playing both nose and three-tech. His size and traits should translate against the run, and his 25 pressures last season point to a glimpse of pass rush potential. (4th)
Payton Page (Clemson) entered college at 395 pounds before committing to his diet and losing 100 pounds so he could see the field. The result is a still-big-bodied player with some surprising quickness for a long-term developmental prospect. (UDFA)
A converted linebacker, Junior Tafuna (Utah) has plus athleticism and—when his pads are right—surprising power at the point of attack. There’s not a lot of surprise or craft to his game, but the movement skills are intriguing and he can sneak up on people with his strength. (UDFA)
COLLEGE OVERACHIEVERS: Productive college players whose lack of measurables has led them to slip down draft boards. Typically (but not always) lower ceiling players with the technical ability to give them a decent rotational floor.
Urgent, active, and explosive, *Aeneas Peebles (Virginia Tech) had the 6th-most pressures amongst FBS DTs this season. His serious lack of length and size (6-0.5, 282 lbs.) limit him to certain schemes (like ours) and could ultimately relegate him to a subpackage rusher role, but he brings a ton of pass rush juice as a quick-winning gap-shooter. (3rd-4th)
With the build and size that more closely resembles a gigantic defensive end (6-5, 288 lbs.) and without the plus athletic traits to make up for it, Ty Robinson (Nebraska) likely will never become a premier pass rusher. But his power, bull rush, and ability to muck up the works should land him somewhere in an NFL rotation. (4th)
GAP SHOOTERS: While many of these guys lack the two-way ability or size to project as full-time starters, some could get there with time, while others could be valuable bench rushers.
A six-year player who is still quite raw, *Jared Harrison-Hunte (SMU) is a high-motor pass rusher with great feet (basketball background) and flashes of punching power and athleticism (4.86 forty)–even if they’re hindered a bit by inconsistency and technical weaknesses. His ability to develop as a base down player is TBD, but his pass rush talent (his 44 pressures were second-best in FBS among DTs) is likely to translate. (5th-6th)
There’s small and then there’s Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (Georgia) small, whose 6-5, 276-pound frame really sticks out (in a bad way) on the interior. But his long arms, high-end athleticism (4.86 forty, 36” vert), and active flashes scream developmental flier with inside-out potential. So much so that teams are split on whether he projects best as a tackle or on the edge. (5th)
While his lack of size (6-1, 285 lbs.) may limit him to a subrusher role, *Howard Cross III (Notre Dame) has great quickness, feet, and hand usage to cause chaos early in snaps. It’s later in snaps–particularly against the run–where he runs into problems. But the athleticism and work ethic seem like a worthy bet this late. (7th)
A former state champion wrestler, Kyonte Hamilton (Rutgers) has good strength, quickness, and leverage. Lots of other stuff to be worked out, but feels like a potential practice squad developmental add. (UDFA)
FLEX DEPTH: Guys who are known for their versatility along the DL
JJ Pegues (Ole Miss) is a bit of an oddball in that he isn’t as powerful as his 6-3, 309-pound frame might indicate, but he’s also a better mover than you’d expect. Pegues can play up-and-down the line, and–as a recruited tight end–can moonlight on offense. In 2024, he played some fullback, rushing for seven touchdowns and converting for a score or first down on 18 of his 21 carries. Just saying… (4th-5th)
Is he a three-tech? Is he a 3-4 end who shouldn’t even be in this write-up? Rylie Mills (Notre Dame) plays a bit upright and linear, but he has good quickness and power and a strong punch. He blew out his knee late in the CFP so his rehab table will be important. (4th-5th)
Lining up everywhere between the tackles, Warren Brinson (Georgia) doesn’t have great production nor consistent impact, and there are some concerns about anchor strength. But he’s typically stout against the run, and his flashes of explosive burst to collapse gaps are at least intriguing. (6th)
BLIND GUESS
Given the depth of the class and the desperation of our need, I’d say we draft at least two defensive tackles and as many as four(!). Including UDFAs, we should walk away with at least 3 to 5 rookies with a genuine shot of making it through camp (even if some wind up practice squad stashes).
While there are plenty of intriguing players through that cuspy 3rd-4th round area, the glut of talent in the second round is difficult to ignore—especially when you consider the possibility that guys like Kenneth Grant, Walter Nolen, or Derrick Harmon could potentially slide out of the first. Given that, 43 is a nice place to be, as it puts us in a good position to snag someone who’s slipping or take our pick of that next tier of tackles. Depending on how many guys we like, this feels like another potential trade-down scenario, or—if one of those first-rounders does fall—an opportunity to trade up a few spots to snag a higher-graded player. But I’d be surprised if we don’t draft a DT who we plan to start immediately by the top of the third round at the very latest.
Expect us to leave with at least one guy we think can be a two-way starter (with two likely the goal), then some mixing and matching of subpackage pass rushers and run-stopping plugger types.
Go Niners 🏈👍