2014 NFL Draft defensive tackle rankings

Louis Nix has lost the top spot in our defensive tackle rankings.

Jan 17, 2014, 3:31 PM UTC

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Louis Nix was a different player in 2013. His explosiveness wasn’t there and he wasn’t quite as strong at the point of attack as he was during his breakout 2012 season. A knee injury was the main reason for the drop off, and that will be a concern during the pre-draft process.

We’ve dropped him a spot in our rankings, but it has more to do with the play of Minnesota defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman. His 13 tackles for loss hardly do justice to how disruptive he was for the Gophers this season.

A handful of undersized defensive tackles make up the next tier of our rankings. Tim Jernigan, Dominique Easley, Aaron Donald and Will Sutton all get by on quickness. Not every team will hold those players in high regard due to size concerns, but each could have a bright future in the right system.

In all, we have 22 tackles ranked. Here’s our list.

1. Ra'Shede Hageman | 6'6, 311 pounds | Defensive tackle | Minnesota

2. Louis Nix | 6'3, 326 pounds | Defensive tackle | Notre Dame *

3. Tim Jernigan 6'2, 298 pounds | Defensive tackle | Florida State *

4. Aaron Donald | 6'0, 285 pounds | Defensive tackle | Pittsburgh

5. Dominique Easley | 6'2, 280 pounds | Defensive tackle | Florida *

6. Ego Ferguson | 6'3, 309 pounds | Defensive tackle | LSU *

7. Will Sutton | 6'1, 305 pounds | Defensive tackle | Arizona State

8. Anthony Johnson | 6'3, 304 pounds | Defensive tackle | LSU *

9. DaQuan Jones | 6'3, 318 pounds | Defensive tackle | Penn State

10. Jay Bromley | 6'4, 285 pounds | Defensive tackle | Syracuse

11. Calvin Barnett | 6'2, 300 pounds | Defensive tackle | Oklahoma State