Once again, the defensive tackle class looks loaded. Four defensive tackles were taken in the first round of the draft this year. At least that many should be picked in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
2014 NFL Draft defensive tackle rankings
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
The frontrunner of the group is Notre Dame’s Louis Nix. He plays nose tackle in the Irish’s 3-4, but isn’t strictly locked into that position. Nix tops the list because of his combination of pure power and size and an explosive first step.
That size alone is what keeps him ahead of Arizona State's Will Sutton. There is no better first step among front four players in college football than the Sun Devils' gap shooter. Sutton bulked up over the offseaso, which should allay any concerns about his ability to hold up inside in the NFL.
Anthony Johnson of LSU is just behind Nix and Sutton and has the look of a top 20 player. The real intrigue is Daniel McCullers of Tennessee. The mountainous tackle can get a push against multiple blockers and seems to be just touching on his potential. The same can be said for Minnesota's Ra'Shede Hageman.
Here is our initial defensive tackle rankings for the 2014 NFL Draft. Did we miss anyone? Let us know in the comments.
| 1. Louis Nix | 6'3, 326 pounds | Defensive tackle | Notre Dame - Preseason notes |
| 2. Will Sutton | 6'1, 305 pounds | Defensive tackle | Arizona State |
| 3. Anthony Johnson | 6'3, 304 pounds | Defensive tackle | LSU * |
| 4. Daniel McCullers | 6'6, 377 pounds | Defensive Tackle | Tennessee |
| 5. Ra'Shede Hageman | 6'6, 311 pounds | Defensive tackle | Minnesota |
| 6. Tim Jernigan 6'2, 298 pounds | Defensive tackle | Florida State * |
| 7. DaQuan Jones | 6'3, 318 pounds | Defensive tackle | Penn State |
| 8. Calvin Barnett | 6'2, 300 pounds | Defensive tackle | Oklahoma State |
| 9. George Uko | 6'3, 275 pounds | Defensive tackle | Southern California |
| 10. Danny Shelton | 6'1, 327 pounds | Defensive tackle | Washington * |
| 11. Kerry Hyder | 6'2, 280 pounds | Defensive tackle | Texas Tech |
| 12. DeAndre Coleman | 6'5, 315 pounds | Defensive tackle | California |
| 13. Ego Ferguson | 6'3, 309 pounds | Defensive tackle | LSU * |
| 14. Roosevelt Nix | 5'11, 267 pounds | Defensive tackle| Kent State |
| 15. Darious Cummings | 6'2, 301 pounds | Defensive Tackle | Florida |
| 16. Aaron Donald | 6'0, 275 pounds | Defensive tackle | Pittsburgh |
| 17. Taylor Hart | 6'6, 292 pounds | Defensive tackle | Oregon |
| 18. Beau Allen | 6'2, 334 pounds | Defensive tackle | Wisconsin |
| 19. Derrick Hopkins | 6'0, 306 pounds | Defensive tackle | Virginia Tech |
| 20. Shamar Stephen | 6'5, 322 pounds | Defensive tackle | Connecticut |
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