1. Ndamukong Suh - Nebraska (6'4" 307 lbs) Highlights
- Strengths: Ideal height and weight for a pass rushing DT. Can beat a lineman with his strong hands or even a spin move. Great stamina to stay all 3 downs. Can play any position in a 4-3 or 3-4. Incredible effort on tackling for his size. Clogs open holes right away. Good play recognition. Can drop into coverage. A top notch pass rusher.
- Weaknesses: Not the quickest first step. Can struggle with LT that are as athletic as he is. Tends to stand too tall at times, eliminating his great leverage.
- NFL Comparison: Haloti Ngata
- Round Projection: Top 5 pick.
2. Gerald McCoy - Oklahoma (6'4" 300 lbs) Highlights
- Strengths: A violent pass rusher who has incredible speed for someone his size. Great Quarterback awareness. By far the best DT against the run in the draft and rarely misses a tackle. Can get down the field quickly and never quits on a play. Incredible usage of his hands to stand up the O-Lineman which allows McCoy to get to the QB very quickly.
- Weaknesses: Can lose leverage at times. Gets thrown aside by a Lineman who is bigger and faster than McCoy is. Has a rough time getting off of double teams. Can take too wide of angles.
- NFL Comparison: Jay Ratliff
- Round Projection: Top 5 pick
More after the jump
3. Dan Williams - Tennessee (6'2" 325 lbs) Highlights
- Strengths: Extremely strong, which Williams uses to get through the middle very quickly. A true Defensive Tackle. Most explosive step after the snap in the draft this year. Holds up well against double teams because of elite size and strength. Considered short for a DT, but has such strong and thick build, allowing for Williams to rarely get thrown aside.
- Weaknesses: Does not have great east-west movement. Can stay engaged with his blocker longer than needed at times. Relies on strength too often when working on the edge. Needs to work on speed after the first 5 yards.
- NFL Comparison: Kevin Williams
- Round Projection: Mid 1st
4. Brian Price - UCLA (6'1" 306lbs) Highlights
- Strengths: Extremely quick and keeps the lineman guessing on which direction Price will take. Disengages plays very quickly and one of the best tackles at collapsing the pocket through the middle of the line. Sheds blockers with strong hands and solid balance.
- Weaknesses: Nothing really to offer as far as down field tackling. Needs to work on his balance, as some blockers have been able to easily throw Price on the ground. Work on stamina.
- NFL Comparison: Ziggy Hood
- Round Projection: Mid-Late 1st
5. Terrence Cody - Alabama (6'4" 350 lbs) Highlights
- Strengths: Impossible to move off the line of scrimmage, even against double teams. Has taken even 3 blockers to contain him, allowing for ends and OLB to take advantage of 1 on 1 match-ups. Usually knocks his opponent into the back field off the snap. Gets off blocks fairly quickly for his size. Blocked 6 field goals while at Alabama.
- Weaknesses: Definitely has to work on keeping his weight down. Can only play on the first 2 downs. Does not offer anything off of the line of scrimage. Poor wrap up tackling techniques at times.
- NFL Comparison: Pat Williams
- Round Projections: 1st-2nd
Sleeper pick: Lamaar Houston - Texas