This is a comparison of the top interior defensive linemen available in the 2014 NFL Draft. For the purposes of this article, interior linemen includes defensive tackles in a 4-3 defense as well as nose tackles and “ends” in a 3-4 alignment. Every scheme is so different from team-to-team that it’s hard to classify a players position but essentially this covers everyone who lines up from tackle-to -tackle.
Positions will be classified as this: 3-tech (lines up outside of the guard in an even front or 4-3 alignment), 1-tech (lines up inside of the guard in an even front), nose (lines up over the center in an odd front or 3-4 alignment), 5-tech (lines up over the tackle in an odd front).
*Side note: If you are a Madden video game player then you will know all of these positions as “DT” or “defensive tackle” except 5-tech which is called “DE” or “defensive end”. Madden has become so big that the position is mostly referred to as “end” but in reality the position is called “tackle”. Back in the old days they were called “tackles” because they lined up across from the offensive tackle. Make sense? As an old school football coach myself, I will never refer to a 3-4 tackle as and end. In reality 3-4 “outside linebackers” are technically ends but that’s for another day.
Timmy Jernigan, Florida State
Ideal position: 3-tech or 1-tech
Timmy Jernigan is possibly the single best run-stopper in this years draft, regardless of position. It’s extremely rare to find someone who is so disciplined when it comes to keeping his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage. As a result, he always has his eyes in the backfield and is very aware of where the ball is. He also plays with phenomenal knee-bend and leverage. Jernigan is always in position to make a play and disrupts blocking schemes. As a result of being so hard for offensive linemen to deal with, his teammates (especially linebackers) are all made better by his presence. He is not a very explosive pass-rusher unfortunately but he makes up for it in two ways. The first way is by pushing his man backward and closing the pocket. The second is by keeping running quarterbacks at bay. The way he plays with bent knees, square shoulders, and his eyes up means quarterbacks have a very hard time finding room to run forward. He also has a high motor throughout the game. Timmy Jernigan will make a team better the moment he steps on the field.
Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh
Ideal position: 3-tech or 1-tech
After Jadeveon Clowney, the next defensive lineman to hear his name called on draft day could very well be Aaron Donald. Teams looking for a downright explosive interior pass rusher will covet him very highly. He gets off the ball with blazing quickness and knows how to use his hands so offensive linemen often times don’t even get to touch him. Donald even has the speed and athleticism to play outside. He will simply wreak havoc on passing games. The downside to him is that he often plays blind, meaning he is so focused on getting in the backfield that he doesn’t know what’s going on around him. He twists, turns, spins, and anything else he can use in his vast arsenal of pass rushing moves to get passed his man. This makes him the opposite of Jernigan in that his eyes are not up and his shoulders are not square. He makes a lot of plays in the backfield, including against the run, but he also allows many plays to get by him. Regardless of that, Aaron Donald is the type of player that is highly coveted in the NFL today and will be a high first round pick.
Will Sutton, Arizona State
Ideal position: 3-tech or 1-tech
Will Sutton won the 2013 PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year Award and he deserved it. He created chaos for opposing offenses. He is a large, strong man with surprising quickness and nimble feet. He absolutely dominated Xavier Su’a-Filo (a potential first-round pick in May) when they played UCLA this year. His only real problem is his consistency. This may have a lot to do with his conditioning since his coaches asked him to add weight for his senior year. If he can shed some weight and keep his power then a team might have a big steal in this years draft.
Caraun Reid, Princeton
Ideal position: 3-tech
People will question a guy from the Ivy League making a jump to the NFL but anyone who watches film of Caraun Reid can tell that he has what it takes to be a star. He is a lean and very well built 300 pounds and shows it with his athleticism. His explosive first step off the ball gives him an advantage over the poor soul trying to block him. Reid’s motor never runs cold as he relentlessly pursues the ball all game long. He terrorizes quarterbacks but he is also run conscious by always keeping his eyes up. Also his swagger is legendary as he plays very mean and has a lot of fun celebrating with his teammates. It really was not fair for him to play in the Ivy League as he easily dominated his competition. Caraun Reid will have his work cut out for him as he tries to adjust to the speed of the NFL. The question is once he does that, can the NFL adjust the the speed of Caraun Reid?
Ed Stinson, Alabama
Ideal position: 3-tech, 1-tech, 5-tech.
Ed Stinson is one of the most underrated prospects in this years draft. He is so versatile and he can realistically play ANYWHERE on the defensive line. In his time at Alabama he did just that. Stinson spent most of his time playing end in an even front and 5-tech in an odd as Alabama shifted fronts a lot. However, he also played quite a bit of 3-tech and even played nose at times. He was effective anywhere he played. His strength lies in his ability to hold his ground and play the run. Stinson is strong and stout enough to create push in the passing game and has underrated quickness to close in on the ball. His ideal positions are 3-tech, 1-tech, or 5-tech but depending on the scheme he can be a very effective 4-3 end or 3-4 nose. Obviously at 287 pounds he won’t be a classic two-gap player but defensive coaches that prefer a quick nose, like Wade Phillips, can give him a long NFL career (see: Jay Ratliff). Literally every team in the NFL can find a spot for Ed Stinson but teams who like to use multiple fronts and versatile players will fall in love with him. His play is not flashy but when it’s all said and done, Ed Stinson may have a very long and underrated NFL career.
Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame
Ideal position: 5-tech or 3-tech
Louis Nix got all of the credit but Stephon Tuitt was possibly more important to Notre Dame’s defensive front. He is a classic 5-tech with the size and strength to hold the edge vs the run and command double teams. He is surprisingly nimble and balanced, always staying on his feet and in the play. Tuitt constantly stuffs the run and makes everyone on his side of the field look better. His strength allows him to collapse the pocket and create room for blitzes. He is quick enough to make it very hard to get outside the pocket on his side and also uses it to make plays in the backfield. When Tuitt was asked to slide inside one gap and play 3-tech, he was just as effective and seemed right at home. There is a real chance that he sneaks into the first round on May 8th.
Louis Nix, Notre Dame
Ideal position: Nose
At 6’2″ and 331 pounds, Louis Nix has the ideal size for a classic nose tackle. With that size comes the natural strength to stand up the center and defend both A-gaps. Unfortunately with that size also comes a lot of weight to carry around. Nix moves well for his size but still not quickly enough to be a serious factor in the passing game. He does a decent job of pushing into the pocket but ultimately will make his living by commanding double teams and creating room for linebackers to make plays. Louis Nix could go in the first round as the clear best classic nose tackle in this draft class.
Ra’Shede Hageman, Minnesota
Ideal position: 3-tech, 5-tech
Ra’Shede Hageman is a massive player with the raw talent to take over a game if he wants to. His best positions right now are 3-tech or 5-tech but he has the frame to add weight and play nose. He is very strong and has a surprising short area burst. Hageman can stop the run with pure size and strength or push the pocket and close in on quarterbacks. The only thing holding him back is his motor. Often times he just gets lazy and plays with a very high pad-level. At 6’6″, when he stands straight up it’s very easy for his opponent to get leverage on him and win the battle. Whether it’s motivation or conditioning, he needs to find a way to fix that. If he does then he has All-Pro potential. In this ridiculously deep draft class, Ra’Shede Hageman is another guy who may sneak into the first round.
DaQuan Jones, Penn State
Ideal position: 3-tech, 1-tech
DaQuan Jones is another guy who deserves more credit than he gets. He has great size for the position and moves very well. His quickness off the snap combined with his strength make him very hard to deal with as an offensive lineman. His stats don’t tell the right story because he commanded so many double teams and made his teammates better. He pushes the pocket very well and holds strong against the run. His size and athleticism also give him potential to play nose or 5-tech if a team decides to coach him up. DaQuan Jones is a very solid all-around player who could start in the NFL right away.
Photo courtesy of http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/files/2014/03/zz-ed-stinson.jpg