2017 NFL draft DL rankings: It’s Jonathan Allen and little else

It’s not a good year to need a 4-3 defensive tackle or a 3-4 end in the NFL draft. Only one — Jonathan Allen of Alabama — is assured of being a first-round pick.

After Allen, it even becomes challenging to guarantee one will go in the first two rounds. The most likely candidates to go that high are Michigan’s Chris Wormley and Caleb Brantley of Florida. Wormley is hard to place because he lacks a true NFL position. Brantley is the classic gap-shooting tackle so he won’t be a fit for everyone.

If there is a sweet spot for defensive linemen in the 2017 NFL draft, it’s the third round. There players like Auburn’s Montravius Adams, Alabama’s Dalvin Tomlinson, Charlotte’s Larry Ogunjobi, and UCLA’s Eddie Vanderdoes have value.

Allen has been a first-round pick since the end of the 2015 season. In a surprise move, though, he returned for his senior season at Alabama and played his way to a higher ranking after finishing the season with 69 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and 10.5 sacks.

Allen can play all along the defensive line, and that’s what Alabama did with him. He played mostly at 3-4 end but on pass plays he would move inside. He even played over the nose occasionally. Allen is a fierce pass rusher thanks to his strength and leg drive. He can easily push blockers around and should be able to do the same as a pro. He can use that same strength to stuff the run. He has good agility for the position, which allows him to slide between gaps. Scored on a 75-yard fumble return while being over 285 pounds, which is absurd.

Of course, you can’t talk about Allen without mentioning his shoulder injuries. He’s had both a torn rotator cuff and torn labrum in his left shoulder, and was diagnosed with having arthritis in both shoulders. If he falls in the draft, this is the only reason why. But if a team feels like they can get two good contracts out of Allen, there should be no hesitation in selecting him.

Wormley is the type of player you can play pretty much anywhere along the defensive line. He has the look and playing style of an interior player on the line, but Michigan would often have him lined up at left or right end. In 29 career starts and 50 games played, he totaled 33 tackles for loss and 18 sacks. He did so by utilizing power more than his athleticism, which is strange considering his impressive testing numbers at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Because he doesn’t turn the corner and get around the edge faster I think NFL teams will view him more as an interior player. He can fit there because even at 6’5 Wormley knows how to get low at the snap and will get leverage against offensive linemen.

If a team is looking for quickness and a good motor from a defensive lineman, Brantley is their guy. Brantley was often used as a gap-shooting tackle who could penetrate and make a play against the run. Brantley likes to time the snaps to get a good jump, and it worked for him (though he’d sometimes land offside). He would also get out of position at times. But when it works for Brantley he’s in the backfield and can find the ball in a hurry.

He moves freely for a 310-pound player and can change direction and chase down the play. If a team drafts Brantley to play two gaps and occupy multiple blockers, he would be miscast. Instead, he should land in a three-technique role that takes advantage of his quickness and motor.

Defensive linemen can be a challenging evaluation because they can get miscast in college. That’s what happened to Adams at Auburn. The Tigers often used Adams over the nose playing two gaps. In doing so, it didn’t take advantage of his natural athleticism and quickness. Adams has a good initial burst off the line of scrimmage and when he’s schemed to he can slide through gaps. At times Adams’ play can run hot and cold and he’ll go stretches without making an impact. This might not happen if he could get better at shedding blockers and locating the ball faster.

Watkins exploded in 2016, finishing with 13.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. He’s a nice combination of size and athleticism for an interior defensive lineman. Watkins has long arms and knows how to use them to keep blockers out of his frame. It would be good if he could figure out how to disengage faster. If he does, that could really unlock his game. That would really show off Watkins strengths which are his ability to take angles and chase down the ball carrier in pursuit. Currently Watkins relies on getting through gaps, and it worked last season, but he could be even better.

If you have concerns about Allen’s shoulders you probably have a similar fear about Tomlinson because he’s torn both of his ACLs. If you concentrate on the positives with Tomlinson, he’s a good fit for a team looking for powerful two-gap tackle who can pick up multiple blockers. He’s a heady player who is fast to find the ball and has surprising short area quickness to latch onto the ball carrier. He started just a season at Alabama, but was a key rotational piece during his career.

Without question, Ogunjobi is the greatest football player in Charlotte 49ers history. That’s not just easy to say because Ogunjobi was part of the first recruiting class ever at Charlotte. He’s a legit NFL player who had 217 tackles, 49 tackles for loss and 13 sacks in four years. He played mostly at nose tackle for Charlotte and was able to quickly get under blockers and knock them backward to disrupt plays. At 305 pounds, he probably won’t be over the nose in the NFL. Instead, his best spot could be used in a one-gap system that allows him to rely on his quickness and penetrate and disrupt.

Leading up to the 2016 NFL draft, I asked former UCLA linebacker Myles Jack to pick the next hot Bruins prospect and he was quick to point out Vanderdoes. During his first two years at UCLA, it was easy to see why when Vanderdoes had 89 tackles and 10 tackles for loss as a freshman and sophomore. Then, in 2015, a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee ended his season after just a game. In 2016 Vanderdoes didn’t look like the same player as early in his career. Maybe with more time he’ll regain his early form. If he does, Vanderdoes is a talent. He’s a squat power defensive lineman who didn’t get pushed off his spot and could occupy multiple blockers. He moves through the trash at the line nicely and finds the ball in a hurry.

Best of the rest:

9. Nazair Jones, DL, North Carolina

10. Jaleel Johnson, DL, Iowa

11. Deatrich Wise, DL, Arkansas

12. Jarron Jones, DL, Notre Dame

13. Vincent Taylor, DL, Oklahoma State

14. Elijah Qualls, DL, Washington

15. Jeremiah Ledbetter, DL, Arkansas

16. Davon Godchaux, DL, LSU

17. Charles Walker, DL, Oklahoma

18. Ryan Glasgow, DL, Michigan

19. Joey Ivie, DL, Florida

20. Chunky Clements, DL, Illinois

21. Tanzel Smart, DL, Tulane

22. D.J. Jones, DL, Ole Miss

23. Stevie Tu’ikolovatu, DL, Southern California

24. Jake Replogle, DL, Purdue