NFL draft: Top 10 defensive linemen
The Observer’s top 10 defensive linemen available in the 2016 NFL draft:
1. Joey Bosa
College: Ohio State.
Position: Defensive end.
Ht.: 6-5. Wt.: 269.
Projected round: 1.
Comment: The most effective pass rusher in the draft should be a top-10 pick.
2. DeForest Buckner
College: Oregon.
Position: Defensive end.
Ht.: 6-7. Wt.: 291.
Projected round: 1.
Comment: Hand size was a thing this year at combine, and Buckner had largest at 12 inches.
3. Sheldon Rankins
College: Louisville.
Position: Defensive tackle.
Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 299.
Projected round: 1.
Comment: Best of a defensive tackle class widely considered the strongest position group in the draft.
4. A’Shawn Robinson
College: Alabama.
Position: Defensive tackle.
Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 307.
Projected round: 1.
Comment: DE in Tide’s 3-4 scheme who’s athletic with a knack for knocking down passes.
5. Shaq Lawson
College: Clemson.
Position: Defensive end.
Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 269.
Projected round: 1.
Comment: Led the nation in tackles for loss after finishing with 12.5 sacks.
6. Jarran Reed
College: Alabama.
Position: Defensive tackle.
Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 307.
Projected round: 1.
Comment: Tremendous strength (500-pound bench) and stout at the point of attack.
7. Robert Nkemdiche
College: Mississippi.
Position: Defensive tackle.
Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 294.
Projected round: 1.
Comment: Gifted athlete with character questions after he fell out of a hotel window in Atlanta and was charged with pot possession.
8. Kevin Dodd
College: Clemson.
Position: Defensive end.
Ht.: 6-5. Wt.: 277.
Projected round: 1-2.
Comment: One-year wonder at Clemson has a long frame, great explosion and big upside.
9. Noah Spence
College: Eastern Kentucky.
Position: Defensive end.
Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 251.
Projected round: 1-2.
Comment: Smallish play-maker has history of drug suspensions and arrests at Ohio State and EKU.
10. Emmanuel Ogbah
College: Oklahoma State.
Position: Defensive end.
Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 273.
Projected round: 1-2.
Comment: Big 12 sacks leader in 2015 needs to get stronger against the run to be more than a situational player.
Panthers’ perspective
Panthers GM Dave Gettleman does not try to hide his love of big linemen (#hogmollies), and there is an ample supply of them at DT. With Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short entering their fourth years, Carolina doesn’t necessarily need another DT but try telling that to Gettleman. The pool of edge rushers isn’t as deep, but don’t be surprised if the Panthers draft a DE – a list that includes those above and Louisiana Tech’s Vernon Butler (6-4, 323).
Local connection
Romeo Okwara (6-5, 265) was cut from his middle school team in south Charlotte before hitting a growth spurt in high school. The defensive end had 12 sacks and a blocked kick during his final season at Notre Dame. And while his technique needs refinement, the Nigerian-born Okwara could be a late-round pick.
Sleeper
DE Carl Nassib was a 6-foot, 218-pound walk-on at Penn State who didn’t start a game in high school. But he kept eating (Chipotle), lifting and growing, and the 6-7, 277-pounder led the nation in sacks (15.5) and forced fumbles (six) last season while being named Big Ten DPOY. Nassib, whose brother Ryan is a Giants QB, is projected as a mid-roud pick.
Worth noting
Reed, the Alabama nose tackle, grew up in Goldsboro and originally committed to Division II Fayetteville State. Instead, he attended Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy and played two seasons at East Mississippi CC before arriving in Tuscaloosa. ... Baylor DE Shawn Oakman (6-8, 287) won a state HS basketball title in Philadelphia and began his career at Penn State. But former Nittany Lions coach Bill O’Brien after an incident at a convenience store during which he attempted to steal a sandwich, tried to pay for a drink with an invalid meal card and grabbed the cashier’s wrist.
This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 7:18 PM with the headline "NFL draft: Top 10 defensive linemen."