2025 NFL Draft Prospects: Defensive Tackle

6/24/24: Nolen was a highly recruited player who was considered to have star potential. In 2023, he showed why, recording four sacks and 37 tackles while causing a lot of disruption for Texas A&M. The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder has a good skill set with a lot of upside. He entered the transfer portal after the 2023 regular season and landed with Ole Miss.

6/24/24: A former star recruit, Graham flashed as a freshman in 2022, collecting 28 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble and a pass batted. He recorded 35 tackles, three sacks, one pass batted, and one forced fumble in 2023. Graham has good size and upside.

6/24/24: Williams flashed interior rush ability in 2021 when he put up five sacks and 16 tackles. In 2023, he played solid football while recording 54 tackles, three sacks and five passes defended. Williams had a number of impressive plays against Notre Dame, getting the better of left tackle Joe Alt. Williams decided to return to Ohio State for the 2024 season, and he could take on a bigger role with Michael Hall Jr. moving on to the NFL.

6/24/24: Walker is a mammoth defensive tackle with surprising pass-rush ability for a heavy interior tackle. In 2023 he had 7.5 sacks with 55 tackles, 12.5 tackles for a loss, two passes batted, and eight hurries. It was a big jump from his 2022 season when he had 40 tackles with one sack, and twp passes batted.

6/24/24: It took time for Kris Jenkins to work his way onto the field behind Mazi Smith, and that is the same situation for Grant, who was playing behind Jenkins in 2023. However, Grant really flashed as a sophomore. Over 2023, Grant recorded 29 tackles, four passes batted, 3.5 sacks, and an interception in backup duty. The 6-foot-3, 339-pounder has a good skill set with big-time upside.

6/24/24: Sanders broke out in 2023 with 43 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and four passes batted. Sanders has excellent size with upside to develop. Team sources said Sanders jumped out to them as a player to watch for the 2024 season.

6/24/24: Turner has a strong 2023 season for the Aggies, recording 33 tackles with six sacks and two forced fumbles. It was a big jump from his 2022 and 2021 seasons when he had .5 and 1.5 sacks, respectively. If Turner stays consistent with his 2023 play, he could rise into being a prospect for the opening night of the draft.

6/24/24: Team sources said they liked how Hamilton played during 2023. On the year, he totaled 38 tackles and two sacks. Hamilton was solid in run defense and stout at the point of attack. He possesses sufficient size to hold up in the ground game and flashes some quickness and athleticism on the inside of the line.

6/24/24: In 2023, Stackhouse had 24 tackles, two sacks, an interception and a pass batted. Some team sources think Stackhouse could have been a second-day pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, while others have him projected to the early rounds of Day 3. Stackhouse decided to return to Georgia for the 2024 season, and he could rise if he shows more pass-rush ability as a senior. In 2022, Stackhouse was a solid gap plugger and run defender for the Bulldogs, recording 33 tackles but zero sacks. He needs to show more pass-rush ability in 2024 in order to rise for the 2025 NFL Draft.

6/24/24: Alexander totaled 47 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two passes batted for USC in 2023. In 2022, he played with Georgia as a backup and recorded nine tackles, two sacks, and two passes batted. Alexander has talent with the upside to produce more.

6/24/24: In 2023, Burch notched 34 tackles, three sacks and a pass batted. He is a physical run defender at the point of attack. After a few quiet years at South Carolina, Burch had a breakout year in 2022, recording 60 tackles with 3.5 sacks. He then transferred to Oregon for 2023. If Burch builds on last season’s performance, he could be a riser for the 2025 NFL Draft.

6/24/24: Toia was a solid defender at the point of attack for the Bruins in 2023. He totaled 28 tackles with one sack and one pass defended. The previous season he had 30 tackles. Toia is a heavy nose tackle prospect. Toia started out his collegiate career at USC before transferring to UCLA.

6/24/24: Mesidor was a consistent interior pass rusher for the Hurricanes in 2020-2022. In 2022, he had 38 tackles with seven sacks, one forced fumble, and four passes defended. The previous season he had 4.5 sacks after totaling five sacks in 2020. In 2023, Mesidor only played two games before going out for the season with an injury.

6/24/24: Smith collected 30 tackles and two sacks in 2023. Smith has the talent upside to rise in his final season if he can produce more for the Crimson Tide. In 2022, he notched 20 tackles and a sack.

6/24/24: Black was a solid player for Iowa in 2023, totaling 51 tackles with five tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and five passes defended. If Black can improve his pass rush in 2024, he could be a riser for the 2025 NFL Draft.

6/24/24: In 2023, Brinson had 21 tackles and two sacks.

8/19/23: Brinson was a rotational backup for the Bulldogs in 2022, recording 12 tackles and a sack. If Brinson produces more pass rush as a senior, he has the potential to rise as the 2024 NFL Draft nears.

6/24/24: Jackson collected 32 tackles and two passes defended in 2023. Jackson played at Memphis in 2022 with quality production for a massive nose tackle. He recorded 41 tackles and 2.5 tackles for a loss. It would help Jackson to show the ability to create some push in the pass rush to be more than a run-stuffing nose tackle.

6/24/24: Thomas has played well enough during his collegiate career to get placed on NFL team’s preseason watch list. In 2023 he had 38 tackles with one sack. The previous season he had 35 tackles with three sacks. It would help Thomas to impress at an all-star game after the 2024 season.

6/24/24: Gybter was a good run defender for the Knights in 2023 as he produced 69 tackles with three sacks. Hunter is a big nose tackle that needs to produce more in the pass rush to rise.

6/24/24: Gregory is a big-nose tackle at the point of attack. In 2023 he had 16 tackles and one sack. Gregory needs to be more productive as a senior.

6/24/24: In 2023, Mills recorded 47 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Mills flashed the previous two seasons with three sacks in 2021 and 3.5 in 2022. He improved his tackle total from 16 to 24, but he needs to produce more pass rush in his final season to rise.

6/24/24: Broughton had 17 tackles with one sack and one pass batted in 2023. With Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat ahead of him, Broughton was a rotational backup. He has the upside to rise as a starter in 2024.

6/24/24: Hemingway was a solid nose tackle for the Gamecocks in 2023, recording 32 tackles with 1.5 sacks and seven passes batted. The previous season he had 33 stops with four sacks. Hemingway could stand to add some weight for the NFL.

6/24/24: Barber had some steady sack production in 2020-2022 when he tallied four, three, and three sacks, respectively, over those three seasons. In 2023 he missed significant time with injuries.

6/24/24: Williams was a solid nose tackle for Missouri in 2023, totaling 25 tackles with two forced fumbles and two passes defended. He had 28 tackles with two sacks in 2022. Williams needs to improve his pass rush production as a senior.

6/24/24: Robinson recorded 29 tackles, one sack and three passes batted in 2023. He was a solid defender for the Cornhuskers in the previous two seasons, including 24 tackles and two sacks in 2022 and 27 tackles and two in 2021. Robinson is a late-round pick with good height and length that might stick as a backup.

6/24/24: Oatis was a rotational player as a sophomore and freshman, so he could rise in 2024 if he breaks out while taking on a bigger role. In 2022, he had 29 tackles with one sack and recorded 26 tackles and .5 sacks in 2023.