Aaron Donald – Pittsburgh – 3T
Despite being one of the smallest defensive tackle prospects in the 2014 NFL Draft, Donald ranks as the best among them. Weighing in at only 6’1” and 285 lbs., Donald does one thing exceptionally well, and that is play behind the line of scrimmage. He utilizes and explosive first step to shoot through gaps and get the QB flustered and the ballcarrier dancing. Donald combines his quickness with exceptional hand work and rush moves to work himself free of blockers and put on pressure. However, when it comes to occupying multiple blocks and holding up against double-teams, Donald struggles. While he plays with great leverage, he lacks the kind of power and anchor strength to hold his own in these situations. That said, for his size, Donald is remarkably capable, just not by typical NFL standards. One of the biggest knocks against Donald is that he is a one position guy. Because Donald’s game is predicated on shooting gaps, he will be relegated to playing the three-technique at the next level, lacking the length to play outside in a 34 defense, and the anchor to play over the nose in any defense. While Donald is a bit limited in terms of versatility, he will be a hot commodity on draft night.
Comparison: Geno Atkins
Grade: 9.5 (early-1st Round)
Timmy Jernigan – Florida State – 1T/NT
Jernigan is one of the rare breeds of defensive tackles who can occupy space and still get after the quarterback when called for. Despite weighing in at under 300 lbs., Jernigan plays as strong as any other linemen in this year’s crop. Playing the one-technique for the Seminoles, Jernigan has showed he can occupy multiple blockers without getting blown off the ball and can collapse the pocket and bull-rush his way into the backfield. He is surprisingly athletic for what he is asked to do, and pursue outside the tackle box and can even drop into coverage when needed. If there’s a knock on Jernigan, it showed up in the 2014 National Championship against Auburn. Jernigan left for an entire series in the fourth quarter, due to being gassed, which the Auburn running game exploited. If Jernigan can better his conditioning, he should be destined for great things as a contributor on any given down in just about any defense.
Comparison: Jurrell Casey
Grade: 9.4 (mid-1st Round)
Louis Nix III – Notre Dame – NT
To look at him, Nix is the prototypical NFL nose tackle: thick, squatty, and hard to miss. Playing over the center and at the one-technique at Notre Dame, Nix wasn’t a flashy player who made spectacular plays or racked up stats. Instead he occupied multiple blockers and helped free up his teammates to make plays. However, Nix is mostly potential at this point, as he does not yet play to his massive size. Nix can still be pushed back by single blockers, and can get handled by smaller linemen. For a man his size, he’s not a bad athlete, but he’s still below average and will need to maximize his size and power in order to be a serviceable player. Nix’s best trait may actually be what he brings against the pass. He was frequently able to read the opposing quarterback and get his hands up to tip passes at the line of scrimmage, doing so frequently and often successfully. Nix will be best served shedding bad weight and increasing his functional strength in order to become the type of player he should be as a likely first round selection.
Comparison: B.J. Raji
Grade: 9.0 (late-1st Round)
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