Scouts Inc. Top DL's

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Raji shows power and quickness
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McShay By Todd McShay
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Todd McShay breaks down the defensive tackles and defensive ends invited to this year's NFL scouting combine and ranks them heading into the event. To see this and more, become an ESPN Insider. Insider

Only three defensive tackles have been drafted in the top five since Cincinnati took Dan Wilkinson first overall out of Ohio State in 1994. They are Gerard Warren (No. 3, Cleveland, 2001), Dewayne Robertson (No. 4, NY Jets, 2003) and Glenn Dorsey. (No. 5, Kansas City, 2008). The jury's still out on Dorsey, but the other three failed to realize their awesome potential, yet there's still a chance a defensive tackle will hear his name called in the top five this year.

There is reason to believe that 334-pound B.J. Raji of Boston College will continue the trend of underachieving defensive tackles, because his production doesn't mirror his considerable abilities, and he is a bit inconsistent. On the other hand, the risk could very well be worth the reward in this case. Raji dominated Senior Bowl week with a rare blend of size, quickness and power. He's big enough to clog up the middle as a nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme and agile enough to shoot gaps as a defensive tackle in a 4-3 scheme.

The other defensive tackle expected to come off the board in the first round is Peria Jerry (Mississippi), who isn't nearly as big or strong as Raji but has athletic ability and quickness that are easy to like. Jerry is a perfect fit for a one-gap scheme such as the one run by the Indianapolis Colts.

Raji's collegiate teammate, 329-pound Ron Brace, projects as a second-round pick, and comparing Brace to Jerry is a study in contrasts. Brace isn't going to get to the quarterback or disrupt running plays in the backfield on a consistent basis, but he is a stout interior run defender who can hold his ground and keep blockers off the linebackers who play behind him.

Four defensive tackles have been selected in the first two rounds of the draft just once in the past three years (2007), but there's a chance it could happen this year, as Evander Hood (Missouri) is a fringe first-day pick. Though Hood plays a bit too high, he has the upper-body strength, instincts and first-step quickness to contribute early in a one-gap scheme.

There is also good depth here, and one of the more intriguing prospects in the middle rounds should be Jarron Gilbert (San Jose State). Gilbert has problems holding his ground thanks in large part to his tendency to stand up coming out of his stance, but there's a lot to like about his upside, and he turned some heads at the East-West Shrine games. He moves very well for his size and flashes above-average upper-body strength.

Last year nine defensive ends came off the board in the first two rounds, including five in the first round. Don't be surprised to see another five ends taken in the first round this year.

Aaron Maybin (Penn State), Brian Orakpo (Texas) and Everette Brown (Florida State) are defensive end/outside linebacker hybrids, and where they line up will depend on which team selects them, but all three can get to the quarterback regardless of where they play. Paul Kruger (Utah) is also a first-day prospect, and at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, Kruger has the frame and burst to contribute at either position as well.

Adding to the variety at the top of this class is Tyson Jackson (LSU). Jackson isn't an explosive edge rusher like the other four, but he is a stout run defender who can set the edge and occasionally push the offensive tackle back into the quarterback's lap. In other words, he's an excellent fit for a team that runs a base 3-4 defense.

However, it's unlikely this year's group will match the 2007 or 2008 classes when it comes to second-round picks. Robert Ayers (Tennessee) and Michael Johnson (Georgia Tech) are the only two defensive ends with second-round grades heading into the combine, and each has taken a very different path to get there.

Ayers started just two games during his first three seasons at Tennessee but started all 12 games in 2008 and led the team in tackles for loss, getting the attention of scouts in the process. He then impressed teams with his play at the Senior Bowl. Johnson is a first-round talent, but there are concerns about his work ethic, and his decision not to attend the Senior Bowl because of a minor shoulder injury reinforced those concerns. He's an excellent athlete, and we expect him to perform well during drills, so how he interviews with teams at the combine could play a bigger role than his talent in determining where he gets drafted.

Ranking the DL at the NFL scouting combine
Player Pos. School Ht. Wt. Grade
1. B.J. Raji DT Boston College 6-1⅝ 334 97
2. Aaron Maybin* DE Penn State 6-3½ 245 95
3. Brian Orakpo DE Texas 6-3½ 258 94
4. Everette Brown* DE Florida State 6-3¼ 252 93
5. Tyson Jackson DE LSU 6-4½ 295 92
6. Peria Jerry DT Mississippi 6-1⅝ 290 92
7. Paul Kruger DE Utah 6-5 3265 90
8. Robert Ayers DE Tennessee 6-3⅛ 273 87
9. Ron Brace DT Boston College 6-3 329 87
10. Michael Johnson DE Georgia Tech 6-7 259 84
11. Evander Hood DT Missouri 6-3⅛ 298 81
12. Michael Bennett DE Texas A&M 6-3⅝ 271 79
13. Fili Moala DT USC 6-4¼ 303 78
14. Sen'Derrick Marks* DE Auburn 6-0⅞ 289 77
15. Brandon Williams* DE Texas Tech 6-5 252 74
16. Alex Magee DT Purdue 6-2½ 295 73
17. Ricky Jean-Francois* DT LSU 6-3 3289 72
18. Lawrence Sidbury DE Richmond 6-2⅜ 267 69
19. Terrance Taylor DT Michigan 6-0⅜ 314 69
20. Jarron Gilbert DT San Jose State 6-5 287 68
21. Kyle Moore DE USC 6-4⅜ 265 64
22. Vance Walker DT Georgia Tech 6-2 295 63
23. Mitch King DE Iowa 6-1½ 275 62
24. Matt Shaughnessy DE Wisconsin 6-5⅛ 260 59
25. Corvey Irvin DT Georgia 6-3 296 59
26. Will Davis DE Illinois 6-2⅜ 262 56
27. Darryl Richard DT Georgia Tech 6-2½ 306 55
28. Dorell Scott DT Clemson 6-3¾ 310 54
29. Tim Jamison DE Michigan 6-2⅝ 265 53
30. Myron Pryor DT Kentucky 6-0⅛ 310 52
31. Pannel Egboh DE Stanford 6-5⅞ 267 51
32. Derek Walker DE Illinois 6-3¾ 271 49
33. Roy Miller DT Texas 6-1⅛ 301 48
34. Stryker Sulak DE Missouri 6-4⅜ 240 46
35. Sammie Lee Hill DT Stillman 6-4¼ 331 46
36. Rulon Davis DE California 6-5⅛ 274 42
37. Demonte' Bolden DT Tennessee 6-3⅜ 281 41
38. Maurice Evans* DE Penn State 6-2 265 38
39. Chris Baker DE Hampton 6-2 308 34
40. Marlon Favorite DT LSU 6-1 306 31
41. Jarius Wynn DE Georgia 6-2⅞ 267 30
42. Ian Campbell DE Kansas State 6-4⅛ 265 30
43. David Martin DE Virginia Tech 6-2¼ 253 30
44. Zach Potter DE Nebraska 6-6⅞ 277 30
45. Terrance Knighton DT Temple 6-3⅛ 324 30
46. Ra'Shon Harris DT Oregon 6-3⅝ 300 30
47. Charles Alexander DT LSU 6-2⅝ 307 30
48. Adrian Grady DT Louisville 6-1 290 30
49. Khalif Mitchell DT East Carolina 6-5¼ 316 30

[fredtoast]

I am huge University of Tennessee homer, but Robert Ayers is not one of the top 10 D-linemen in the country. He only had 2 or 3 sacks this year and was more of a DE/DT hybrid. At 270 he is too small to play inside in the NFL. He got a couple of sacks at the Senior Bowl, but I don't think that outweighs the way he played at UT for the last 4 years. He wasn't even a starter until his senior year.