2023 NFL Draft Prospects: Defensive Tackle

4/24/23: In 2022, Carter totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles and three passes batted. He missed a chunk of time due to a sprained MCL from a dirty hit versus Missouri. Despite Georgia’s crowded defensive line filled with future early-round picks, Carter flashed as a sophomore in 2021 with 37 tackles and three sacks. Multiple team sources said Carter is a better player and prospect than Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt were. Carter has quality size to go along with shocking speed and athleticism.

However, multiple team sources noted that Carter is not a hard worker and has a reputation for not loving football to go along with his other off-the-field character concerns. I know of three teams with top-10 picks that could definitely use Carter, but have dropped hum from their boards.

Evaylators are not thrilled with Carter’s lack of production despite him being faster, stronger, and more athletic than the players he went against. Despite those advantages, he only had three sacks in each of the past two seasons. Carter did not produce sacks in college like other top defensive tackle prospects like Quinnen Williams, Aaron Donald or Ndamukong Suh. That being said, Carter has a tremendous skill set and a ton of upside.

7/5/22: Despite Georgia’s crowded defensive line filled with future early-round picks in 2021, Carter flashed as a sophomore with 37 tackles and three sacks. The 6-foot-3, 310-pounder showed the ability to get after the quarterback and has real upside as an interior pass rusher. He also has natural strength to get off blocks and pursue to the ball in the ground game. According to team sources, Carter had the second-highest grade on NFL teams’ preseason watch list, behind only Alabama edge defender Will Anderson. Carter could be in store for a monster 2022 season and looks like a future high first-rounder.

4/24/23: In 2022, Bresee totaled 13 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He is a solid run defender who needs to improve his pass rush for the NFL. Bresee should have gone back to Clemson to improve rather than enter the 2023 NFL Draft. He dealt with a lot in 2022, tragically losing his younger sister to cancer. Bresee was also not in the best of shape and had some injury issues.

Bresee has upside, but his best season came as a freshman, and sources have not given him high grades for the 2023 NFL Draft. Still, this year’s draft is weak at defensive tackle, so some team sources feel Bresee might sneak into Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft despite his underwhelming 2022 tape and production.

7/5/22: Bresee (6-5, 300) was impressive in 2020, recording 33 tackles, four sacks, 6.5 tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and two passes defended. He totaled 13 tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception in 2021 before tearing his ACL versus N.C. State. Bresee has good size to go along with some quickness and athleticism. He should only get better as he gains experience and develops physically. Bresee has the upside to be a riser.

4/24/23: Smith recorded 48 tackles and .5 sacks in 2022. He is a quality run defender, but he probably will get pulled out of NFL games in passing situations. Hence, Smith might be more of a rotational nose tackle. Still, he is a big-bodied defender who is tough and physical at the point of attack with some ability to cause disruption. Smith had a good combine workout to help himself.

7/5/22: While Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo got all the attention for the Michigan defense in 2021, Smith was a good defender in his own right. He helped plug up interior rushing lanes and was tough to move at the point of attack. In 2021, Smith had 37 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and four passes batted.

4/24/23: Kancey is an extremely fast interior defender who can fire upfield to penetrate into the pocket. Off the snap, he is extremely explosive, possessing phenomenal first-step quickness. With rare ability to rush the quarterback from the inside, Kancey is a special prospect. If he were 20 pounds heavier and a couple inches taller, he would be a slam dunk top-10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Kancey, however, is very undersized and does not project as a three-down starter capable of holding up in the ground game. Hence, he is a bit of a luxury pick for a team late in the first or early in the second round that is selling out for a pure inside pass rusher.

For 2022, Kancey was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, recording seven sacks and 31 tackles. He recorded 33 tackles, seven sacks and a forced fumble in 2021.

4/24/23: Dexter totaled 50 tackles, two sacks, one pass batted and an interception during 2022. He put together impressive games against Utah and LSU. Dexter also played really well versus Kentucky. He is a beast as a run defender and showed more pass-rush ability in 2022. However, he was inconsistent. Dexter has teams giving him consideration in the second round.

7/5/22: Even though the Florida defense struggled in 2021, Dexter flashed and played well for the Gators. He totaled 50 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one pass defended on the year. Dexter has good size, length, quickness and strength. He could be poised for big things as an upperclassman.

4/24/23: Benton recorded 36 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 2022. He had a good week at the Senior Bowl, showing strength, quickness and physicality. Benton is viewed as a potential nice interior rusher who could stand to improve his run defense. Per sources, he could be a second-day pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

7/5/22: Benton did not do much in 2019 and 2020, totaling 20 tackles over those seasons, but he played well in 2021, recording 2.5 sacks, 24 tackles and a pass batted. Benton has a quality skill set and upsidem so he could rise as a senior after his year of starting experience.

4/24/23: Ika recorded 23 tackles and two passes batted in 2022. He is a heavy nose tackle who is very tough to move at the point of attack. While Ika is a beast against the run, he probably will leave the game in the sub package as he is not an interior pass rusher. Ika could slide because of character and medical concerns.

7/5/22: Ika is a massive interior defender who has surprising quickness and athleticism to go along with his mass and strength. For a big tackle, Ika showed some ability to pressure the quarterback in 2021, racking up four sacks. He also had 24 tackles. If Ika’s production rises as an upperclassman, he could be a riser for the 2023 NFL Draft.

4/24/23: Pickens collected 42 tackles, 2.5 sacks and three passes batted in 2022. He was a solid run defender, but not a factor in the pass rush.

7/5/22: Pickens was decent in 2020 with 35 tackles, but he was a breakout performer as a junior in 2021, racking up four sacks, 38 tackles and a pass defended for the Gamecocks. Pickens has good size to go along with quickness and athleticism. He could be riser if he continues to show interior pass-rush ability.

4/24/23: Young notched 47 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two passes batted during 2022. He was a solid defender for Alabama.

7/5/22: Young started seven games in 2021 and rotated into other ones, recording 39 tackles, nine tackles for a loss and two sacks. If Young had more size, he could be rated higher because he has some quickness and athleticism.

4/24/23: Silvera recorded 55 tackles, three passes batted and a forced fumble in 2022. He had a good week of practice at the Senior Bowl to help himself. Silvera showed nice quickness at the point of attack.

7/5/22: Silvera has been a quality interior defensive lineman for the Miami Hurricanes over the past couple of seasons. In 2021. he notched 38 tackles after recording 35 stops the previous season. As a senior, it would help Silvera to improve his pass-rush production. He had one sack in 2020 and one in 2019, but zero in 2021. After 2021, Silvera transferred to Arizona State for his senior year.

4/24/23: Lacy collected 27 tackles, one pass batted and three sacks in 2022. He helped himself with a good week of practice at the Senior Bowl.

7/5/22: In 2021, Lacy collected 34 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. It was his second season of decent production after 32 tackles and four sacks in 2020. It would help Lacy if he could add weight for the NFL.

4/24/23: In 2022, Robinson picked up 35 tackles and 3.5 sacks. He is a solid defender in possession of size and length.

7/5/22: Robinson flashed ability in 2021, recording 24 tackles and a pass broken up. His only collegiate sack came in 2020, but Robinson still managed to receive a favorable projection from NFL advance scouts.

4/24/23: Over the course of 2022, Stills collected 26 tackles, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass broken up.

7/5/22: Stills could be a riser because he has shown some pass-rush ability in multiple seasons for the Mountaineers. In 2021, he had seven sacks to go along with 36 tackles, one forced fumble and one interception. He notched two sacks and 35 tackles in 2020, but in 2019, he had seven sacks alongside 23 tackles. Stills may have been graded higher by the NFL advance scouts if his body type wasn’t that of a tackle/end tweener. For the pros, Stills could lose weight to be play end or add weight to be a full-time tackle.

4/24/23: In 2022, Ojomo totaled 33 tackles and three sacks.

7/5/22: Ojomo is a tackle/end tweener with the height of a tackle and the weight of an end. For the NFL, he probably needs to gain weight to line up on the inside. In 2021, he recorded 25 tackles, but no sacks. He had 21 tackles and two sacks in 2020.

4/24/23: Crumedy recorded just 15 tackles and two sacks in 2022, but he also didn’t see the field until November.

7/5/22: Crumedy recorded 23 tackles, one sack and a forced fumble in 2021. He produced more in 2020 with 32 stops and two sacks. Crumedy has functional size to be a tackle or five-technique.

4/24/23: Johnson started out his collegiate career at Tulane before finishing it at Oklahoma. In his 2022 season with the Sooners, Johnson recorded 23 tackles, but zero sacks. With the Green Wave in 2021, he recorded 2.5 sacks. He notched 3.5 (2020), 2.5 (2019) and .5 (2018) sacks during the rest of his time at Tulane.

4/24/23: Redmond totaled 23 tackles, four sacks and four passes defended in 2022. He then declared for the 2023 NFL Draft. Redmond would be rated higher if he weren’t so undersized.

7/5/22: Redmond has flashed some interior rush ability for the Sooners over the past few seasons. He had 3.5 sacks in 2021 after recording 6.5 sacks in 2019. However, Redmond is very undersized for the NFL and will have problems as a run defender. He might fit in that NFL as a designated pass rusher for sub or dime defense.

4/24/23: Vincent recorded 23 tackles during 2022.

7/5/22: Vincent had 23 tackles and .5 sacks in 2021. He needs to produce more as a senior too rise.

4/24/23: In 2022, Dale recorded 25 tackles and .5 sacks. He didn’t show interior pass-rush ability.

7/5/22: Dale has yet to break out at Alabama. The 2021 season was his best year, with 17 tackles and two sacks. He recorded 22 tackles in 2020. Dale has upside, but the time is now for Dale to produce more.

4/24/23: Brown is a sleeper prospect who could be a late-round find. In 2022, he totaled four sacks, one forced fumble and 32 tackles. Brown put together a phenomenal pro day that included recording impressive numbers in the 20-yard shuttle, the bench press and the vertical jump, as well as a tremendous field workout.

4/24/23: In 2022, Coburn totaled 27 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

7/5/22: Coburn is a heavy run-stuffing nose tackle. In 2021, he recorded 15 tackles and a sack after recording 24 and 25 tackles during the previous two seasons, respectively. Coburn should lose weight for the NFL.

4/24/23: Mullens recorded 11 tackles in 2022.

7/5/22: Mullens could fit best as a technique prospect for the NFL. He had 24 tackles with two sacks in 2021. Mullens could be better now that he has a year of experience.

4/24/23: Young totaled 38 tackles, one sack and a pass batted during 2022.

7/5/22: Young was a solid run stuffer for the Bulldogs in 2021, recording 53 tackles to go along with an interception and two passes batted. Young needs to improve as a pass rusher in his senior year to rise.

4/24/23: Slade recorded 20 tackles and .5 sacks over 2022.

7/5/22: Slade recorded 40 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two passes batted as a junior in 2021. If he builds off last year, his first as a starter, he could rise.