Defensive Line Rankings 2021 NFL Draft

DEFENSIVE LINE PROSPECT RANKING 2021 NFL DRAFT

If any NFL teams are desperate for help and need top-level talent across the defensive front, they will need to look elsewhere because this year's class doesn't possess any obvious instant Plug'n'Play NFL superstars. Our latest mock doesn't have defensive linemen picked until #14, which will buck a recent trend of early selections for them.

The likely first pick will be Gregory Rousseau from Miami who's a raw but exciting talent who posted some very impressive numbers in 2019 (19.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks) before he opted out of the 2020 season for covid reasons.

Michigan's Kwiry Paye is a similar raw prospect with intriguing potential and impressive physical ability. Showed a lot of improvement over the 2020 season. He is a quality pass rusher - which means that there will always be a demand for his services on draft day. Christian Barmore from Alabama, who recently produced Quinnen Williams is the top rating defensive tackle prospect. Capable of playing at a number of spots along the lines. Big and powerful but without a lot of experience there are gaps to his game but an impressive amount of potential.

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LAST UPDATED: 04/07/2021

Player Rankings - Defensive Line

# Player Pos H/W/S Team Weight Height 40YD AVG POS RANK AVG OVR RANK Rating Summary
26

DE/ED
Joshua
Kaindoh

6-7 265lbs 4.75
DE/ED
KC   Mascot
KC Mascot
265lbs 6-7 4.75 50 223
67.0
Naturally explosive player with decent get-off speed. Balanced through contact and stout against double-teams. Tackles through the ball....
36

DT
Daniel
Archibong

6-6 307lbs 5.33
DT
Temple   Mascot
Temple Mascot
307lbs 6-6 5.33 66 274
63.0
Tall, solid frame with adequate length and has done a nice job losing the bad weight and firming his body. Can make the impressive...
64

DL
Jared
Goldwire

6-6 305lbs 5.10
DL
LAC   Mascot
LAC Mascot
305lbs 6-6 5.10 146 835
57.0
Tall, solid frame with adequate length and has done a nice job losing the bad weight and firming his body. Played with lean and leverage...
13

DE/ED
Payton
Turner

6-6 270lbs 4.98
DE/ED
NO   Mascot
NO Mascot
270lbs 6-6 4.98 65 273.8
78.0
High-effort, thickly built defender with good strength and the leverage to create a pile. Locates_ the ball quickly and pursues with...
25

DE/ED
Dayo
Odeyingbo

6-6 276lbs 4.77
DE/ED
IND   Mascot
IND Mascot
276lbs 6-6 4.77 22 110.4
67.0
Flashes strength at the point of attack with active, violent hand use. Forceful with his upper body to defeat blocks. Strong hustle...
1

DE/ED
Gregory
Rousseau

6-6 260lbs 4.68
DE/ED
BUF   Mascot
BUF Mascot
260lbs 6-6 4.68 3 16.6
91.0
A raw but exciting talent who posted some very impressive numbers in 2019 (19.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks) before he opted out of the...
73

DT
Elijah
James

6-5 300lbs 5.10
DT
Liberty   Mascot
Liberty Mascot
300lbs 6-5 5.10 179
55.0
Can make the impressive chest-to-chest bear hug tackle in the hole due to his ability to wreak havoc in the backfield. Played with lean...
63

DL
Tedarrell
Slaton

6-5 340lbs 5.09
DL
GB   Mascot
GB Mascot
340lbs 6-5 5.09 81 331.5
57.0
Played with good leverage, even on the nose, despite average bulk. Hustle defender with a good bull rush inside that can close and get...
2

DT
Christian
Barmore

6-5 310lbs 4.93
DT
NE   Mascot
NE Mascot
310lbs 6-5 4.93 4 29.8
90.0
Not in the same sort of class as previous Crimson Tide DT Quinnen Williams, Barmore is nevertheless one of the highest rated defensive...
8

DE/ED
Patrick
Jones II

6-5 260lbs 4.83
DE/ED
MIN   Mascot
MIN Mascot
260lbs 6-5 4.83 10 59.6
85.0
Aggressive with good awareness to track the ball and attack. Tenacious, tough, competItIve and versatile. Has fluid footwork to...
16

DE/ED
Rashad
Weaver

6-5 270lbs 4.83
DE/ED
TEN   Mascot
TEN Mascot
270lbs 6-5 4.83 20 106.8
75.0
Strong tackler. Has good power in hands and can anchor, shed, and chase. Flashes strength at the point of attack with active,...
65

DE/ED
Chauncey
Golston

6-5 270lbs 4.79
DE/ED
DAL   Mascot
DAL Mascot
270lbs 6-5 4.79 46 215.2
56.0
Has fluid footwork to redirect, reverse momentum and close with a burst. Regularly first off the ball with good snap anticipation. Strong...

2021 NFL Draft Athleticism Chart - Defensive Line

We've compared players post combine 40 times and weight and charted them on the scatter chart below. You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds.
The exceptional athletic freaks (determined by the combination of speed vs weight) will be found at the top right of the chart while the less impressive athletes will be sitting towards the bottom left.

For a much improved viewing experience (with more players) please view on a larger screen.

2021 NFL Draft Athleticism Chart - Defensive Line

We've compared players 40 times and weight and charted them on the scatter chart below. You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds.
The exceptional athletic freaks (determined by the combination of speed vs weight) will be found at the top right of the chart while the less impressive athletes will be sitting towards the bottom left.