Overview
Position: Interior defensive line
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 305 pounds
School: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.93 seconds
Bench press: 23 reps
Vertical jump: 32.0 inches
Broad jump: 9 feet, 7 inches
Three-cone drill: 7.45 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.33 seconds (fifth among defensive tackles)
Jerry Tillery 2019 NFL Draft Profile
Jerry Tillery is an example of a player who excelled on both sides of the football in high school. A MaxPreps second-team All-American offensive lineman, Tillery also tallied seven sacks and 15 tackles for loss as a senior at Evangel Christian High School in Shreveport, LA. He was the first commit of Brian Kelly‘s 2015 recruiting class, giving his pledge to Notre Dame in June of 2013. And he proceeded to make an immediate impact for the Irish.
Tillery registered one sack in his debut as a true freshman in ND’s 2015 season-opener against Texas. Though it was his only sack of the year, he played in 12 games that year and finished sixth among all defensive linemen in tackles. The following year was his first as a regular contributor as he started 11 of 12 games. Among the highlights of his 2016 season was accumulating nine tackles including one for loss against NC State.
As an upperclassman, Tillery continued his ascent into one of the Irish’s top defensive playmakers. He led the team in sacks as both a junior and a senior and added a combined 19.5 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hurries during that time. It played a prominent role in Notre Dame emerging as arguably major college football’s most improved defense in 2017. And he helped the Irish build upon that success a year later as they finished the regular season undefeated and were one of 19 FBS programs that gave up fewer than 20 points per game.
Strengths
- ideal overall size and arm length for the position;
- explodes into blocker with plus initial burst;
- uses quick, active hands to ward off and separate from blockers;
- violent swat moves enable him to penetrate both inside and outside gaps;
- boasts the requisite play strength to hold the point;
- a scheme-versatile prospect who played all over the defensive line;
- received best pass-rushing grade among interior defenders by Pro Football Focus in 2018;
- highly experienced, boasting over 40 starts at the collegiate level.
Weaknesses
- needs to be more of a knee bender to better unleash leverage;
- not the most laterally athletic among this year’s defensive tackle prospects;
- a bit clunky of a mover in open space;
- could do a better job disengaging and attacking ball-carrier on run plays;
- has to rush with more of a plan against strong, fundamentally sound pass-blockers;
- some off-field red flags, including a suspension for the 2016 Fiesta Bowl.
NFL Comparison: Chris Wormley
Teams With Need at Position: Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles
Projection: Late first to early second round
Bottom Line
Tillery is about as good as it gets in terms of pure pass-rushing ability among this year’s crop of interior defenders. He can attack both gaps or run right through opposing blockers if he so pleases. What could cause him to fall into the second round is he’s not as naturally athletic as players such as Quinnen Williams or Ed Oliver. And despite impressive tackle for loss numbers, there are too many instances on tape where he stays glued to linemen, letting ball-carriers run right by him. But he fits the profile of the new age defensive tackle that’s a consistent nuisance to quarterbacks on passing downs. It’s a major reason he could slip into the first round if he performs well during the pre-draft process.
