DL Pre-Draft Notes (2022 NFL Draft)

Below is a quick blurb about each Defensive Lineman I have scouted for the 2022 NFL Draft. DL and DT all included! The order/rankings may change before draft day, but it will be updated. Come back here when your team drafts or signs a DL who you don’t know! Feel free to send me feedback @ShanePHallam and let me know who your favorite DL is.

 

Jordan Davis is my DL1. Elite run stuffer who can two-gap and fill what is needed. Great range and reach. Top notch athlete who can be a pass rusher, but wasn’t asked to. Played limited snaps, may not fit all schemes. Some unknowns.

 

Travis Jones is my DL2. Shedded double teams often. Great explosion off the snap and plays low. Pass rush ability at a big size. Variety of pass rush moves. Long arms allow for run stuffing. Hand usage is minimal. Had long cold stretches due to double teams.    

 

Devonte Wyatt is my DL3. Stacks and sheds for a pass rush. Can set the edge against the run. Athletic and explosive. Tough to stop for long periods. Good penetration even when he doesn’t make the play. Rarely saw double teams. Bit of a NT/DT tweener.

 

Perrion Winfrey is my DL4. Great penetrator who gets leverage. Good leg drive and strength. Can get skinny through the hole. Good closing speed when rushing the passer. Arm tackles too often against RBs up the middle. A bit light in his anchor.

 

DeMarvin Leal is my DL5. Good lateral mobility to move down the line and fill gaps. When motor runs hot, he is a terror.  Can play high cut. Functional strength is average at best. Scheme specific fit as a 5-tech or penetrating 3-tech.      

 

Phidarian Mathis is my DL6. Great arm range with big mitts to play the run. Good leverage to stack and shed. Can fill his gaps and handle double teams. Brute strength. Not an explosive pass rusher and may lack major upside. Stretches of disappearing.

 

Christopher Hinton is my DL7. Good explosion off the snap. Plays low and gets leverage to penetrate. Gives 100% every play. Often contributes to pass rush even without sacks. Not a rare athlete. Scheme had him play back often. Has upside.

 

Zachary Carter is my DL8. Very athletic with good mobility. Shuffles laterally and reads the RB well. Wins with explosion and leverage. A bit light and lacks great upper body strength. Can get pushed around at times. Inconsistent.

 

Alex Wright is my DL9. Could play EDGE in some schemes. Tall with long arms with ability to move OL. Good pass rush moves. Struggles with change of direction often. Takes long angles. Has some real upside.

 

Matthew Butler is my DL10. Stout build with nice explosion off the snap. Huge athletic upside, but hasn’t quite honed his tools. Footwork allows him to bend around OL. Loses when getting into strength matches. Won’t 2-gap. Raw.

 

Otito Ogbonnia is my DL11. Nose tackle with good size. Has decent mobility to slide into gaps and stop runners. Doesn’t add much from a pass rush perspective, but has flashes of using his strength to rush. One trick pony who is an intriguing 0 tech.

 

Neil Farrell Jr. is my DL12. Massive NT who is a handful to block. Gets good leverage and knows how to get his hands under pads. Is tough to stop cleanly. Eats up multiple gaps. Won’t add to pass rush. May not have NFL athleticism.         

 

Michael Clemons is my DL13. Can play EDGE in some schemes. Good athlete with explosive get off. Plays smart against the run and anticipates holes. Long arms. Not overly productive. Tweener without a true position.  

 

Haskell Garrett is my DL14. Smart player who has a variety of moves to beat OL. Tenacious worker who forces maximum effort. Not very athletic. Has trouble running down QBs and RBs. More rotational than NFL starter.

 

John Ridgeway is my DL15. Good leverage and knows how to disengage blockers. Plays the run as a NT. Uses rip to get penetration. Plays low. Won’t add much pass rush and is a pure run stuffer. One trick pony who is good at what he does.   

 

Jayden Peevy is my DL16. Nice hustle and long arms allow for shedding. Good lower body strength and can drive OL backward. Not much of a penetrator and lateral mobility is suspect. Could develop into a starter with low ceiling.   

 

Thomas Booker is my DL17. Played all over the DL. Agile for his size and has good pass rush ability. Nice swim move. Good at moving OL off their spot. Strong. Inconsistent production. Tweener who is a bit small for interior. Athletic upside needs tapped.

 

Ali Fayad is my DL18. Can play LB or DE. Smart player who reads RBs well to stuff the run. Natural bend and takes good angles. Good upper-body strength. Not a superior athlete, but wastes little movement. May not fit most schemes. Big athletic downside for small size.

 

LaBryan Ray is my DL19. Strong lower body with solid agility. Explosive off the snap. Feasts on poor technique. Good tackle technique. Small with short arms. Plays run stuffer role without the size. Gets pushed around a lot. 

 

DJ Davidson is my DL20. Big Nose Tackle type. Good run stuffing ability. Crashes line well. Got better as season went on. Pad level is too high. Savvy OL can dominate him. Some great games, some poor ones. Needs developed. 

 

Marquan McCall is my DL21. Big bodied with minus athleticism. Good tackler who won’t let you leave with his hands on you. Knocks OL over at times. Sluggish off the snap. Takes a bit to get going. Role player.

 

Eric Johnson is my DL22. Good penetration ability, dominant at his level. Plays low with long arms to move past OL. Lots of athletic upside. Raw and can make mental errors leading to broken tackles. Needs to learn leverage. Upside is there.

 

Kalia Davis is my DL23. Productive player who makes OL work to keep up with him. Has good range and can fill gaps quickly. Wild hands. Pulls and grabs. Doesn’t get consistent penetration. Struggles against better technique.

 

Noah Elliss is my DL24. Big NT type. Tree trunks for legs and very hard to move. Run stuffer who sits and  Shorter arms lead to too much engagement. No upside as a pass rusher. May be best as a 0-tech.

 

Jonathan Ford is my DL25. Big mover who can shake down the line. Nice tackle technique when he is clean. Can get a pop off the snap and drive OL. Not a ton of range. Rarely able to handle two gaps. Not much of a pass rusher.

 

Demetrius Taylor is my DL26. Small penetrator who plays low. Tenacious effort makes him tough to block every play. Good moveset. Has trouble moving bigger OL. Stretches of getting pancaked. Tweener who may have to kick outside.            

 

Jordan Jackson is my DL27. Productive player with good athletic ability. Good footwork to churn and drive. Great effort player. Not much weight and gets pushed around easily. Needs to get stronger. Raw prospect with upside.

 

Jordan Williams is my DL28. Tall with long arms. Hustles in his pass rush. Nice moments of penetration hurries. Functional strength. Doesn’t hold up against run blocking. Loses ground easily. Rarely fills gaps cleanly.

 

Matt Henningsen is my DL29. Elite explosion with great hand placement. Can drive under pads. Ideal 3-tech. Better laterally than going forward. Plays too passive. May be better pro than college player.    

 

Sam Okuayinonu is my DL30. Productive one year player as a pass rusher. Outworks linemen and plays low enough to utilize swim/spins. Very strong. Can get off balance often and go down. Slight frame. Tweener and may have to move outside.   

 

Glen Logan is my DL31. Great length. Stacks and sheds well. Gets penetration for his size. Excellent closing speed on RBs/QBs. Plays high at times. Can get driven backwards. Inconsistent player who can be maddening to watch.

 

Tayland Humphrey is my DL32. Solid Nose Tackle build to stop the run. Powerful lower body drive. Not athletic. Processes slowly. Can miss gap assignments. Developmental.

 

Julius Turner is my DL33. Pops off the snap. Uses his hands to move players back. Has a nice rip moves. Small frame. Struggles against strong OL. Struggles to wrap up against the run. 

 

Dion Novil is my DL34. High effort player with good functional strength. Always around the ball making plays. Tenacious effort. Slight build without much athleticism. Struggled against better teams. NFL fit is questionable.

 

Keir Thomas is my DL35. Can play EDGE. Productive with good closing speed. Can set the edge against the run. Doesn’t get much push. Slow off the snap and takes awhile to get going. Minus athlete.

 

Sam Roberts is my DL36. Towering and pushes down on OL. Gets penetration often and can be a terror. Level of competition jump a question. Misses routine tackles. Often late filling gaps. Developmental.

 

Joe Spivak is my DL37. 110% effort. Makes OL work every play. Good technique and hand placement. Makes surprising plays. Short with short arms. Doesn’t have NFL build. Does struggle vs. athletic OL.

 

Curtis Brooks is my DL38. Athletic lateral mover who has big upside. Shows functional strength and an NFL skillset. Inconsistent leverage. Plays very raw. Small with not much weight to him. Big upside, big downside.

 

Kobie Whiteside is my DL39. Stout at the point of attack. Can move OL by getting under their pads. Very strong upper body. Not overly explosive or athletic. Very short arms. Not much range.

 

Mo Diallo is my DL40. Good movement skills. Gets skinny through the hole. Nice explosion can blow by OL. Has many negative plays too. Small and not strong. Plays upright. Once engaged, rarely disengages.

 

Tyler Johnson is my DL41. Ideal 5-tech. Good explosion off the snap. Can scoot around slower OT. Mediocre lower body drive. Poor bend. Tweener for DL and EDGE. Will need the right fit.

 

Kurt Hinish is my DL42. Experienced player who moved laterally well. Fills gaps. Strong and rarely moved off of spot. Small with poor leverage. Doesn’t stack well. Needs taught fundamentals.

 

Trevon Mason is my DL43. Tall with solid range. Gives good effort and has a high motor. Small and not very explosive. Can get pushed around at times. Some injury concerns.             

 

David Anenih is my DL44. Productive player with years of experience. Smart in reading offenses. Good tackler. Plays low. Tweener who may be better as an EDGE. Athletic for DL but too small, and not athletic enough to bend around edge.

 

Ben Stille is my DL45. Good athlete who moves down the line to stop the run up the middle. Central cog in the defense. Explosive. Won’t get much of a push. Not a pass rusher. Inconsistent leverage and technique.

 

Akial Byers is my DL46. Stout with long arms. Keeps OL off of him and can fill gaps. Not very mobile and has slow reaction time. Often lets runners blow by him. Some upside.      

 

Damion Daniels is my DL47. Good length and range. Fills gaps and stops the run well. Strong. Won’t add much interior pass rush. Plays very high. Light anchor and gets tossed around sometimes.

 

Keyshon Camp is my DL48. Small penetrator who gives a nice pass rush. Explosive north-south mover who can chase down QBs/RBs. Not great length and slow laterally. Won’t do much against the run.

 

Ryder Anderson is my DL49. Could play EDGE. Tall with very long arms. Explosive athlete with a good bend. Not much pass rush moves. Has trouble disengaging. Change of direction is poor. Some upside.

 

Tariqious Tisdale is my DL50. May be more 5-tech. Good tenacity with some plus SEC games. Quick to the edge to shut down RBs. Spin move is a plus. Tweener. Lacks lateral mobility. Footwork can be slow.

 

CJ Wright is my DL51. Impressive FBI at reading and reacting. Knows how to beat opposing OL with moves. Small and slow. Doesn’t have NFL athletic ability. 

 

Nolan Cockrill is my DL52. Quick off the snap with good leverage. Knows to penetrate for backfield tackles. Smart and strong. Has trouble shedding blocks. Short arms limit ability. Long cold stretches.

 

Derrick Tangelo is my DL53. Good length and movement. Can 2-gap at times. Feet can get caught up. Plays high often. Needs technique work. 

 

Deionte Knight is my DL54. Dominated small school level. Tenacious worker who is explosive and can blow past OL. Bends well and dips around blockers. Not very strong and can get pushed around by non-NFL guys. Upside, needs work.

 

Roderick Perry is my DL55. Good length. Lower body anchor is solid. Won’t wow with athleticism off the snap. Run stuffer only. Gets blown off the ball often. 

 

Antonio Valentino is my DL56. Role player with a limited ceiling. Shorter arms but does flash strength to get a push. Average explosion. Arm tackles too much. 

 

Ralfs Rusins is my DL57. Bulky run stuffer who gets a good push. Churns legs, but can’t get around OL. No real pass rush ability.

 

Ralph Holley is my DL58. Plus athlete whose motor runs hot and cold. Undersized but plays low. Gets a pass rush against weaker competition. Question marks against NFL talent.

 

Caeveon Patton is my DL59. Good bender with an explosive first step to throw OL off balance. Small and slight. Needs to get stronger. 

 

Jeremiah Caine is my DL60. Really dominant at his level. Good interior pass rusher. Uses raw athleticism but lacks technique. Leverage is poor. Lots of work.

 

Blake Green is my DL61. Good lateral ability to fill gaps. Flashes pass rush ability. Slight body. Doesn’t disengage well. Gets run over at times. 

       

Ryan Boehm is my DL62. Smart player with good hand work and drives through feet. Small, not very athletic. Won’t hold up to bigger RBs. One gap only

 

Devin Smith is my DL63. Tweener who played well at his level. Bends well around edge. Not overly big or strong. Can get overpowered. Raw developmental.

 

Joshua Black is my DL64. Undersized without much pass rush ability. Can move laterally a bit and stop runners. Practice squad type.

 

Israel Antwine is my DL65. Gets skinny through space and adds some pass rush. Inconsistent. Poor leverage. Got run at a ton.

 

Suh Kamara is my DL66. Smart player with a good variety of pass rush moves. Short arms, small, slow. Lacks NFL athleticism to make an impact.

 

Bryson Donnell is my DL67. Nice consistent penetration. On the shorter end with short length. Flashes upside and may be a practice squad type.

 

Tony Fair is my DL68. Big body Nose with short arms. Not much penetration and can tackle well. Guesses too much on gaps. Slow.

 

Ty’Ran Dixon is my DL69. Super productive with explosion to penetrate. Better film than workout numbers. Level of competition questions. Lateral mobility is a big question.

 

Keshawn James is my DL70. Small penetrator with long arms. Keeps defenders off of him and sheds. Not very strong. Won’t get a push. Might get knocked around in the NFL.

 

Dalyn Wade-Perry is my DL71. Big run stuffer. Crashes the line well. Can build up power. Not overly strong or fast. Can get caught off balance at times.

 

TJ Johnson is my DL72. Tweener. Really long arms and has a nice rip move. Too slow for an edge rusher, too small for a DT. Will need the right scheme.

 

Leevel Tatum III is my DL73. Good leverage, works hard to get hands under pads. Not very explosive off the snap. Gets engaged too easily.

 

Markell Utsey is my DL74. Small frame, but has good lateral agility to move down the line. Good tackler. Plays high and can get moved off his spot often. Should be better pass rusher than he is.

 

TJ Rayam is my DL75. Good footwork and can run down RBs. Not overly explosive and lacks the height to give good range. Limited.

 

Luc Bequette is my DL76. Good athlete with a raw skillset. Needs to learn how to use his hands. Struggles to disengage. Some upside.

 

Djimon Brooks is my DL77. Has a good get off the line. Some penetration against lesser athletes. Struggles to use his hands effectively or rush the passer.

 

Weston Kramer is my DL78. Short with short arms, but is a smooth mover. Gets a nice pop. Dealt with double teams, had ineffective games. Some good upside.

 

Mike Greene is my DL79. Small with short arms. Has some great games with a good push. Upper body strength is solid. Tougher competition led to ineffectiveness. Not quite big or athletic enough.

 

Timmy Horne is my DL80. Big dancing bear. Agile in space. Struggles when he engages. Can get caught behind. Not as strong as he should be. Some developmental upside.

 

Tabarius Peterson is my DL81. Tweener. Looks more like an EDGE rusher but plays like an interior player. Run stopper first and foremost with good tackling technique. Not a good mover. Can’t spin off of engagement. 

 

Antwuan Jackson is my DL82. Rotational player who fills gaps. Has a nice spin move to attack RBs. Won’t get int the backfield much. Not very explosive. Camp body that never reached potential.

 

LaRon Stokes is my DL83. Tweener who is a bit too small for DT but not athletic enough to be a great pass rusher. Fast mover who is raw in his feet and handwork. Some upside, but will need help.

 

Jabari Ellis is my DL84. Decent athlete without much production. Uses his feet well to churn through openings and get into the backfield. Raw tools. Not very disciplined.

 

Cody Roscoe is my DL85. Small without much athletic upside. Gets pushed around often. Tweener without a good position. 

 

McKinley Williams is my DL86. Good height and length. Good lower body strength. Not athletic enough for his size. Small and slow.

 

Mi’Cario Stanley is my DL87. Small and slow. Struggles with leverage. Experienced and has good knowledge of the game.

 

Datona Jackson is my DL88. Stout and strong. Gets a good push for penetration. Uses arms well. Not very athletic. Struggles to get past athletic OL. Gets caught off balance often.   

 

Savion Williams is my DL89. Good power and drive. Long arms. Raw in the use of his tools. Not fast or explosive.

 

Alvin Peah is my DL90. Good athlete with some production. Fast and explosive. Not very big and can get taken out of plays. Could be a camp player.  

         

See the rest of the position notes here

 

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