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Top Prospects In The 2024 NFL Draft: Interior Defensive Linemen

Have you ever seen a flamethrower of a defensive lineman? Look no further. Nate Gosney's interior defensive linemen "My Guys" list has you covered.
2024 nfl draft

In the 2024 NFL draft, the interior defensive line class is not known to be the deepest, nor stacked with top-end talent. While there is some truth to this, selecting a future starter in the later rounds is very possible… if it’s the right guy. There are some gems in the later rounds of this class. Here are some of Nate Gosney’s “My Guys” interior defensive linemen.

Note: This list is curated as more of a favorites list; or a “my guys” list, not exactly the absolute best players from each position.

Ruke Orhorhoro

To start off this list, we go to Clemson to take a look at Ruke Orhorhoro. The Clemson defensive lineman may possess a name that is unforgettable, but his play stands out even more. Standing at 6’4 295 Orhorhoro brings great NFL size, with room to add weight. His 9.90 RAS score with his 34-inch arms shows obvious length, explosion, and speed.

The 22-year-old 2024 NFL draft prospect is extremely versatile, playing anywhere from the A-gap to outside the tackle. This could allow Orhorhoro to rush against tackles who are not ready for his type of strength. This is a scenario that will happen beyond just lining up against a tackle. This is because as a stunter he can completely disrupt plays whether he is the one looping to the outside, or the one completely crashing plays from the interior.

Orhorhoro’s main concern as a defensive interior presence is that he needs to work on his hand usage. He has all the athletic traits and ability to become an elite defensive lineman. Some NFL coaching and some strength and conditioning to further add to his already strong playstyle give Orhorhoro a very bright future. A great value for a player ranked 70 on the 2024 NFL draft consensus board.

Michael Hall Jr.

If you want to talk about a complete flamethrower of a defensive interior, look no further than Michael Hall Jr. At only 20 years old, Hall has immense athletic potential. At Hall Jr’s pro-day he clocked an otherworldly 4.76 40-yard dash at 299 lbs. A 9.24 RAS score is no joke. This shows up on tape, as his explosion off the ball is jaw-dropping.

The Ohio State product started his draft process with a very good Senior Bowl, backing up his tape. Hall Jr brings one of the best swim moves from the interior that I have seen. The ferocity that Hall Jr plays with is unprecedented. His burst, hand usage, and athleticism is extremely intriguing for a prospect who is projected to go in the third round. Especially for a 20-year-old. The 2024 NFL draft prospect is very reminiscent of Raven’s Star Justin Madubuike.

The main issue with Hall Jr is that he was very undersized while at his time at Ohio State. Playing around 280 lbs allowed opposing offensive linemen to blow him off the ball at times. Though he plays with good effort, the weight he plays it makes it much more difficult for Hall Jr to shed blocks. This leads to rushers hitting the second level before he can get off the block. He should be used as a pass-rushing interior presence who can eventually develop as a stronger run defender.

The Los Angeles Chargers could be a good fit, as Morgan Fox’s contract is up after next season, coupled with being a poor fit in the defense. The Bolts only have intriguing prospects as backup plans.

Gabe Hall

The very last player on this list is Gabe Hall. Before I get into more details about Hall, I have to get something off my chest as a Charger fan. He reminds me so much of Jerry Tillery. Now before you click off- if Tillery was a day three selection and seemed like he actually cared about the sport we would be thinking of Tillery as a pretty okay football player. That being said, Tillery obviously is not a massive fan of effort, especially in the run game.

The 6’6 interior defender brings good explosion, length, and pass-rush ability to any team that drafts him. Hall has great competitiveness and will likely come into the NFL with his floor being current-day Tillery. The Baylor defensive lineman is currently at 174 on the 2024 NFL Draft consensus big board.

 

The main issue with Hall comes with his size. In the same way that Mohamed Kamara’s size brings both its own positives and negatives, Hall struggles with the same thing on the opposite side of the spectrum. Hall’s immense height combined with his lack of weight gives him problems. This leads him to having a high pad level which can cause Hall to be easier to knock over due to poor leverage.

Main Image: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

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