The 2025 NFL Draft class at defensive sort out in monstrous each of their particular person measurement, but additionally within the quantity of expertise on the place. So many DTs should go on this yr’s draft and it’s a really deep place.
There are such a lot of defensive tackles which are going to be drafted, we expanded our checklist as much as 20 gamers this yr, and we blurbed the highest 10 beneath. A gaggle of SB Nation’s draft analysts from our 32 NFL staff communities ranked their high OTs within the draft.
2025 NFL Draft consensus rankings at defensive sort out
20. Cam Jackson, Florida State
19. Ty Hamilton, Ohio State
18. Jordan Phillips, Maryland
17. J.J. Pegues, Mississippi
16. Ty Robinson, Nebraska
15. Aeneas Peebles, Virginia Tech
14. C.J. West, Indiana
13. Jamaree Caldwell, Oregon
12. Joshua Farmer, Florida State
11. Shemar Turner, Texas A&M
The highest 10 defensive tackles within the 2025 NFL Draft
10. Omarr Norman-Lott, Tennessee
Norman-Lott has an uphill battle, each figuratively and actually at 6’1-7/8” and 291 bounds. He’s undersized, however has the arm size and hand measurement of anyone three inches taller and 20 kilos heavier.
The query for Norman-Lott is how will he win on the subsequent stage persistently at his measurement? How usually will he play? Tennessee had a heavy rotation, and that meant Norman-Lott solely performed 225 snaps in 2024. He nonetheless managed 4 sacks and 7 quarterback hits to associate with six tackles for loss and an elite go rush win charge of 18.9 p.c.
All of it makes for Norman-Lott to be a captivating prospect. There are transferrable traits Norman-Lott possesses that make me assume he’ll carry out nearer to DT5 than DT10. I’d say he has first-round quickness, hand utilization/placement, and a motor.
You’d take that sort of participant in right now’s NFL day-after-day of the week.
9. Deone Walker, Kentucky
When you’re new to Kentucky soccer, Walker was the 6’7-3/8”, 331-pounder. He’s a mammoth of a person. When you’re first guess was a person this measurement taking part in excessive and getting drained rapidly, come accumulate your prize. However in case you watch a cut-up of Walker when he wins, you’d blame us for not having him larger.
Enjoyable truth: Walker is second within the class in quick-pressure share. He has worth, and it exhibits up usually when he’s on the sphere. Inevitably, sustaining your motor, being disciplined, and controlling your physique at that measurement might be a problem.
No matter tier you lump Walker in, he’s poised to be one of the best of the bunch. I’d take his hand utilization over a handful of gamers listed above him. That’s an indication a participant is aware of what he’s doing.
8. T.J. Sanders, South Carolina
Sanders isn’t probably the most nimble huge man, which makes his position fairly clear on the subsequent stage: Have him shoot gaps and use his first step to trigger havoc.
Sanders might fall sufferer to being requested to do an excessive amount of on the subsequent stage. He’s not tremendous adept and operating the various kinds of video games that almost all NFL defenses are asking their tackles to do. His preliminary quickness doesn’t at all times result in energy. In truth, it may possibly imply he both stands straight up or runs out of his hole.
Nonetheless, Sanders has simply sufficient juice to make you assume he can produce for you someplace within the high 75 of the NFL Draft.
7. Alfred Collins, Texas
Collins greater than appears to be like the half at 6’5-5/8,” and 332 kilos. His top, weight, wingspan, and arm size all put him above the ninetieth percentile. However the remainder of his mix exhibits up once you watch Collins, particularly his vertical (thirteenth percentile) and broad (fourth percentile) jumps. Collins is moved too simply for a participant his measurement.
However you may as well see him rise up opposing lineman, overwhelm, tight ends, and line up all over the place alongside the defensive position. Collins looks like a strong rotational piece able to changing into a starter if he will get stronger and develops greater than a spin transfer.
6. Darius Alexander, Toledo
The widest vary in our high 10, Alexander acquired a ninth-place vote and a fourth-place vote. He appears to be like like he’s 330 kilos, and even performs prefer it at instances, so seeing him are available in at 305 kilos with 52nd percentile palms was stunning. You may see his energy and athleticism over the course of a recreation. Not like most collegiate gamers, Alexander has a signature go rush transfer. His difficulty is getting hung up after that transfer doesn’t work. Nonetheless, Alexander stood out throughout MAC play, an indication of a promising participant.
5. Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
Williams doesn’t transfer like a human who weighs 334 kilos. His play power resembles a sumo wrestler. Williams persistently resets the road of scrimmage and can forklift a guard out of the way in which if want be. However he’s way over your typical nostril sort out who eats up house. Williams has high-level first-step quickness, is conscious of discovering the ball, and, better of all, is the one often making the play.
The first cause you wouldn’t take Williams within the first spherical or high 50 picks is because of the variety of performs you will get out of him. His ceiling is perhaps 25-30 in an NFL recreation. At Ohio State, he got here off the sphere. When Williams did get an opportunity to persistently rush the passer, he’d sometimes win, however most of the time, he didn’t appear to be a participant with a plan to hurry the passer.
That results in Williams sitting clearly in a tier behind the highest 4 choices, who all had at the least one top-three vote. The very best Williams reached was fourth.
4. Derrick Harmon, Oregon
Harmon is an fascinating take a look at case. He greater than tripled his variety of quarterback hits from the earlier two seasons in 2024, regardless of taking part in across the similar variety of snaps. That might clarify among the variance in our voting, the place he landed a number of second-place votes but additionally a number of fifth-place choices.
However once you watch Harmon, he comes off like a participant that’ll be within the league a decade from now. He has really feel for the sport. He senses the double-team coming, can maintain his floor towards totally different mixture blocks, and wins sufficient of his 1-on-1s the place you possibly can’t assist however image Harmon getting a 3rd contract.
3. Kenneth Grant, Michigan
Grant is perhaps the defensive sort out on this class that all of us look again on two to 3 years from now and surprise why he wasn’t unanimously a top-15 choose, and one in every of our voters had him at second of their voting.
For each publicity to Grant taking part in too excessive and getting thrown outta the membership, there’s a play the place the 331-pounder is the quickest participant alongside the trenches and knifes his manner into the backfield for a optimistic end result for Michigan.
The athleticism is there, as are the flashes of successful a number of methods. However as of right now, Grant might not be far sufficient alongside as a pure go rusher for a staff keen to tug the set off on him early.
When you’re drafting Grant, it’ll take time. That’s not at all times a nasty factor.
2. Walter Nolen, Mississippi
Nolen is all energy. There’s no fluff in his recreation. He displaces blockers with simple and high-end higher physique power. He has a popularity for not being a lot of a go rusher, however Nolen is third within the class in true strain charge. He’s a dominant run defender who will jolt again whoever you place in entrance of him. He causes chaos within the backfield, and that typically results in good issues for the protection. We’ve not seen one of the best of Nolen but, which is why he’s so excessive on our checklist and earned one first-place vote from our panel.
However there’s a buyer-beware signal with Nolen. He’ll disappear for durations of a recreation. The previous five-star recruit and high participant in highschool has been to seven colleges in eight years, and despatched a cryptic message after transferring from Texas A&M.
It wouldn’t be stunning to see Nolen find yourself being one of the best participant within the class. However his flooring is a rotational depth piece who by no means will get it going as a go rusher. I’m keen to guess Nolen’s expertise and play model shine on the subsequent stage, and he’s nearer to a star than a sub off the bench.
1. Mason Graham, Michigan
Our almost unanimous high choose, he was second on just one poll. Graham performed by means of accidents in 2024, however that didn’t forestall him from being productive. There are few flaws to Graham’s recreation. His first step, hand utilization, and agility for an enormous fella are all elite.
Graham is the lone defensive sort out within the class who goes a number of stretches in a recreation the place he appears to be like unblockable, thanks largely to his first step. Graham has additionally proven the power to make use of and win with quite a lot of strikes. His instincts towards the run are excellent, and his heavy palms assist Graham maintain up, regardless of being undersized in some matchups.
There are sufficient performs the place Graham’s lack of arm size/wingspan exhibits up, which might forestall him from being one of the best of one of the best on the subsequent stage, however he’s a sure-fire top-five choose on this draft whose worst-case situation is an above-average starter.
The entire SB Nation 2025 NFL Draft positional rankings
- Quarterback
- Working again – coming quickly
- Large receiver
- Tight finish – coming quickly
- Offensive sort out
- Inside offensive line – coming quickly
- Defensive sort out
- EDGE rusher – coming quickly
- Off-ball linebacker – coming quickly
- Cornerback – coming quickly
- Security – coming quickly
- Particular groups – coming quickly
