Since our rankings for the 2014 NFL Draft have come out and been updated over and over, perhaps no position has been as in flux at the top as defensive tackle. At one point, it was Ra’Shede Hageman of Minnesota. At another it was Louis Nix of Notre Dame.
2014 NFL Draft defensive tackle rankings
The top of the defensive tackle rankings has shifted around throughout the draft season with Notre Dame’s Louis Nix coming out on top.
Jonathan Daniel
Will Sutton of Arizona State was near the top before a slightly down senior season. Dominique Easley of Florida was close to the top before tearing up his knee. Others unquestionably have Aaron Donald of Pittsburgh at the top.
So what exactly does this say about this class of defensive tackles? That’s it’s really good. Nix is our top defensive tackle now, but it’s only by a slim margin over Donald. If there is a wild card, upside defensive tackle in the class, it’s Hageman. A very good athlete for his size, Hageman is capable of lining up outside in a 3-4 or inside in a 4-3. The same can be said for Notre Dame’s Stephon Tuitt.
If 4-3 teams are looking for quick tackles, and miss on Donald, Tim Jernigan of Florida State is a good consolation prize, as are Easley and Sutton.
Even after the top players, the depth at the position is good with a mix of potential and low ceiling players.
| 1. Louis Nix | 6'2 3/8, 326 pounds | Defensive tackle | Notre Dame * |
| 2. Aaron Donald | 6'0 3/4, 285 pounds | Defensive tackle | Pittsburgh |
| 3. Ra'Shede Hageman | 6'5 7/8, 310 pounds | Defensive tackle | Minnesota |
| 4. Stephon Tuitt | 6'5, 304 pounds | Defensive end/tackle | Notre Dame |
| 5. Tim Jernigan 6'1 5/8, 298 pounds | Defensive tackle | Florida State * |
| 6. Dominique Easley | 6'2, 288 pounds | Defensive tackle | Florida * |
| 7. DaQuan Jones | 6'3 3/4, 322 pounds | Defensive tackle | Penn State |
| 8. Ego Ferguson | 6'3, 315 pounds | Defensive tackle | LSU * |
| 9. Ed Stinson | 6'3, 287 pounds | Defensive end/tackle | Alabama |
| 10. Will Sutton | 6'0 1/2, 303 pounds | Defensive tackle | Arizona State |
| 11. Anthony Johnson | 6'2 1/4, 308 pounds | Defensive tackle | LSU * |
| 12. Caraun Reid | 6'2 1/8, 302 pounds | Defensive tackle | Princeton |
| 13. Calvin Barnett | 6'2, 300 pounds | Defensive tackle | Oklahoma State |
| 14. Jay Bromley | 6'3 1/8, 306 pounds | Defensive tackle | Syracuse |
| 15. Kerry Hyder | 6'2 1/2, 290 pounds | Defensive tackle | Texas Tech |
| 16. Kelcy Quarles | 6'3 3/4, 297 pounds | Defensive tackle | South Carolina * |
| 17. Taylor Hart | 6'6, 281 pounds | Defensive tackle | Oregon |
| 18. DeAndre Coleman | 6'5, 314 pounds | Defensive tackle | California |
| 19. Ryan Carrethers | 6'1 1/4, 337 pounds | Defensive tackle | Arkansas State |
| 20. Derrick Hopkins | 6'0, 306 pounds | Defensive tackle | Virginia Tech |
| 21. Daniel McCullers | 6'7, 352 pounds | Defensive Tackle | Tennessee |
| 22. Beau Allen | 6'2, 334 pounds | Defensive tackle | Wisconsin |
| 23. Justin Ellis | 6'1 1/4, 334 pounds | Defensive tackle | Louisiana Tech |
| 24. George Uko | 6'2 5/8, 284 pounds | Defensive tackle | Southern California |
| 25. Wade Keliikipi | 6'3, 306 pounds | Defensive tackle | Oregon |
| 26. Roosevelt Nix | 5'11, 267 pounds | Defensive tackle | Kent State |
| 27. Darious Cummings | 6'2, 301 pounds | Defensive Tackle | Florida |
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