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Sixteen scouts were asked to rank the defensive linemen on a 1-2-3-4-5 basis, with a first-place vote worth 5 points, a second worth 4 and so on.
Byron Murphy led with 11 firsts and 69 points. Following, in order, were Johnny Newton (47, two), Darius Robinson (30, two), Kris Jenkins (26, one), Braden Fiske (23), T’Vondre Sweat (16), Michael Hall (15), Maason Smith (six), Ruke Orhorhoro (three), Brandon Dorlus (two), Justin Eboigbe (one), Jordan Jefferson (one) and McKinnley Jackson (one).
DEFENSIVE TACKLES
1. BYRON MURPHY, Texas (6-0 ½, 306, 4.90, 1): Third-year junior. “He’s built kind of like Grady Jarrett,” said one scout. “He’s got qualities like Christian Wilkins and a little bit like Kenny Clark. He’s smaller than Kenny Clark because he’s short but he’s compact, really explosive and has good hands. He fits the mold of what some some successful defensive tackles look like.” Played in a rotation with NFL draftees Keondre Coburn and Moro Ojomo and alongside starter T’Vondre Sweat in 2021-’22 before starting in ’23. “Justin Madubuike is probably the best comparison,” a second scout said. “He would have been in the first round (in 2020) if he didn’t have all the character stuff. I like Byron’s tape better than Ed Oliver’s. He’s much better than Grady Jarrett. He can play 3-(technique) or nose. He can two-gap if you need him to. As good a motor as you’ll see on an interior player. As a pass rusher, he can go through with power and he has legit edge ability, which you wouldn’t think he has the way he’s built. He’s a hard block for a guard because you can’t just (sit) on his bull because he’ll go right around you. If you protect your edges he’ll get underneath you and leverage you and bull your *** back to the quarterback. A-plus character. Great kid.” Arms measured 32 3/8 inches, hands were 10 ¼. “He’s going to be like Casey Hampton,” a third scout said. “I don’t know if he’s as strong as Casey Hampton but he sure looks like it. Hampton was a (nose tackle) but he had movement skills, too. This kid has unbelievable movement skills.” Finished with 70 tackles (15 for loss) and eight sacks. “I really believe he has to be a penetrator and a one-gapper,” said a fourth scout. “He can get in creases. Not that he’s not strong at the point; he’s more about hitting a gap and disrupting. If a team asked him to two-gap, stay square, hold the point, that’s just not his thing. He’s not very big and he doesn’t play very big. He is athletically driven. Maybe only half the league would want this guy because of scheme. Yeah, he might go top 15 but I had a hard time loving the guy.” Took about 10 snaps as a goal-line fullback and scored two touchdowns. “Don’t laugh,” said one scout. “He was killing dudes. He’s going to be a hammer fullback on goal-line. He’ll do that 100% (in the NFL).” From DeSoto, Texas.
2. JOHNNY NEWTON, Illinois (6-1 ½, 304, no 40, 1-2): Fourth-year senior, three-year starter mainly as a 3-technique. ”High motor,’ said one scout. “Lacks some length but compensates with good quickness, burst and power in both phases (run and pass). Has the physical tools to disrupt and see the field early. Just the size holds you back, but he doesn’t necessarily play to that. He’ll be a solid starter.” Arms were 32 3/8, hands were 9 ½. “He can really use his hands,” a second scout said. “His hands and feet are tied together, particularly as a rusher. He’s a little stiff and not real big, but he has a knack for rushing the passer.” Finished with 187 tackles (28 for loss) and 17 ½ sacks. “If you put him in a penetrating scheme he can change the line of scrimmage,” said a third scout. “He can play square and two-gap equally good. All 32 teams looking for a defensive lineman will find this guy as a fit. He absolutely has quickness and athleticism. He’s very, very strong at the point, and he can find the football where some guys don’t make any plays. Jordan Davis, the Georgia kid, didn’t make any plays.” Played hurt down the stretch in 2023 and underwent surgery on his foot in January. “It’s the infamous Jones fracture,” said a fourth scout. “Fifth metatarsal is one of the worst injuries you can have coming out because it is so highly likely to reoccur. Our doctors would say take those guys off the board … He plays a style that’s a big man’s game. He can use extension, press, shed and get to the ball. He plays high pads. His shin angles and ankle stiffness really show up. He’s an awesome college football player whose game does not translate ideally to the NFL. I don’t think he’ll be a failure because he’s instinctive and knows how to play the game.” From St. Petersburg, Fla.
3. DARIUS ROBINSON, Missouri (6-5, 285, 4.97, 1-2): Half the league probably views him as an edge player, half the league probably views him as a 3-4 defensive end/sub interior pass rusher. “He’s determined to be great,” said one scout. “That’s what I love about him, and it’s all real. He comes from (bleep).” Didn’t play high-school football in Canton, Mich., until his junior year. “This sucker might have the highest ceiling in the whole draft,” said a second scout. “The build, the talent. You watch him in the SEC, they line him up over tight ends in a 6-technique and he beats the **** out of that tight end. Kind of like Wayne Simmons back in the Brent Jones era. You say, ‘Holy smokes, they might throw him in prison for that.’ He is physical and violent.” Led the position in vertical jump (35 inches) and hand size (10 5/8). Arms were 34 ½. “He’s an edge rusher all day,” a third scout said. “He is violent. Plays his *** off. He’s gonna be really productive. He can win outside with a 4.97 40 because he can kick your ***. He’s got enough get-off. He’ll win because he’s got 34-inch arms and (big) hands. He’s as good a grab-and-jerk pass rusher as there in the draft … I can’t see him playing inside at all. He’s too stiff to be an every-down 5-technique.” Starting 30 of 47 games, he finished with 111 tackles (21 for loss) and 13 sacks. “He was real average and not productive at all as a tackle,” a fourth scout said. “As an end, the 290 can come into play as he sets the edge. He was a bit of an underachiever. Kind of body beautiful. The more you did, the less you like. He’s just a straight-line bull rusher.” From Southfield, Mich.
4. KRIS JENKINS, Michigan (6-2 ½, 301, 4.95, 2): Made 33 starts over four seasons. “Like that kid but he don’t make any plays in the pass or the run,” one scout said. “It’s all technique for him. He’s consistent. His weakness is his instincts. He doesn’t have Cullen Jenkins’ instincts. Cullen Jenkins is way better.” Cullen Jenkins (6-3, 305), his uncle, played 13 seasons for four teams and had 49 sacks. His father, Kris (6-4, 360), made four Pro Bowls from 2001-’10. “His old man was a beast,” said a second scout. “Amazing thing is, his old man was a whack job where this kid is a phenomenal kid. He was banged up at the end of the year. He’s too good of an athlete to drop too far.” Meager stat line showed 112 tackles (eight for loss), four sacks, one pass defensed and no forced fumbles. “At the end he was their third best defensive lineman,” a third scout said. “Their other two guys (Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant) were much better. I was kind of disappointed.” Arms were 34, hands were 9 3/8. “His effort and his play is so consistent,” said a third scout. “Not consistently amazing but every snap looks the same. You almost get bored watching this kid because he does the same thing every game. Isn’t that what we all want? He’ll be a functional starter. He’s got to play in one-gap scheme. If you just ask this guy to take on double teams he’ll struggle. I don’t think he’ll be a special rusher but he’ll be a good rusher. He plays hard.” From Olney, Md. “Just a try-hard guy,” a fourth scout said. “Knows how to play. Really not much of a factor. He’s fair. He probably makes it because of his dad but I didn’t see starter talent.”
5. BRADEN FISKE, Florida State (6-3 ½, 293, 4.76, 2): Played the 2023 season in Tallahassee after five years at Western Michigan. “I liked him way more this year than what I saw last year,” one scout said. “He took the money and improved his stock.” After a six-sack season for the Seminoles he was impressive at the Senior Bowl and aced the combine. “It always happens to a couple guys every year,” said a second scout. “He’s the one guy that won the process over in the spring. People fell in love with the workout. I think he’ll get overdrafted in the second (round). He’d be a great pick in the third.” His broad jump of 9-9 led the position. “He’s a determined, relentless athlete,” said a third scout. “His father’s a steelworker, his mom is blue collar. He’s f--king determined to win. Everybody talks about (FSU DE Jared) Verse but this guy has more of a motor than Verse. He challenges (Verse) every day at practice to be great. This kid is a winner.” Finished with 191 tackles (36 ½ for loss) and 19 ½ sacks. “I could watch the film all day long,” a fourth scout said. “You talk about passion. The negative is, hey, where’d he come from? He’s a transfer guy from the MAC so he’s a little bit late to the scene. I think this guy is destined for the first round.” His arms measured 31, the shortest at the position. Hands were 9 3/8. “We sit in meetings and say, ‘Length, length, length,’” said a fifth scout. “The guy’s got 31-inch arms. You know what you’re getting. Meat and potatoes guy. He ran fast. I’m not as high on him as maybe the league.” From Michigan City, Ind. “Now he’s a little older (will be 25 in January) and has an injury history so you’ve got to take that into account,” said a sixth scout. “But he fits bottom of the first. You could compare him to Kyle Williams because of his size and movement and angles and twisting the body and hand use. But this guy was more explosive than Kyle Williams. His weren’t manufactured workout numbers. You see the explosiveness on film.”
6. MICHAEL HALL, Ohio State (6-2 ½, 299, 4.75, 2): Third-year sophomore played 28 games, starting 12. “He didn’t even start at Ohio State,” one scout said. “I think he came out because he realized he wouldn’t play much next year. He’s strong but he plays high and doesn’t make plays.” His pro day workout included a 4.75 40, the fastest at the position. “He’s the most gifted,” a second scout said. “As good as he is, he has the highest ceiling. He played the least amount of college football. When you watch him it’s kind of easy for him at times. The length shows up and he uses it in the run game at the point. Gets good separation. As the season went he got better and better. Now the Michigan game, he struggled. You can’t ignore that one because those were the best linemen he played against. But I see him as a high-impact starter.” Finished with 45 tackles (10 for loss) and six sacks. “Watch that sack in the Michigan game — he is a dude,” said a third scout. “Now I don’t think you can take him too high because I don’t think he’s going to be an every-down player. If he gets into the right scheme where it’s all penetration upfield – and it’s not stacking and shedding blocks — you’re going to feel him and hear a lot about him as a rookie. He’s a lot stronger than you think. When he showed up at 299 on pro day (290 at the combine) that will sell a lot of people.” Arms were 33 ½, hands were 10. “He’s a problem child,” a fourth scout said. “Not real coachable. Underachiever as a worker. Didn’t have a great year production-wise.” From Streetsboro, Ohio.
Byron Murphy led with 11 firsts and 69 points. Following, in order, were Johnny Newton (47, two), Darius Robinson (30, two), Kris Jenkins (26, one), Braden Fiske (23), T’Vondre Sweat (16), Michael Hall (15), Maason Smith (six), Ruke Orhorhoro (three), Brandon Dorlus (two), Justin Eboigbe (one), Jordan Jefferson (one) and McKinnley Jackson (one).
DEFENSIVE TACKLES
1. BYRON MURPHY, Texas (6-0 ½, 306, 4.90, 1): Third-year junior. “He’s built kind of like Grady Jarrett,” said one scout. “He’s got qualities like Christian Wilkins and a little bit like Kenny Clark. He’s smaller than Kenny Clark because he’s short but he’s compact, really explosive and has good hands. He fits the mold of what some some successful defensive tackles look like.” Played in a rotation with NFL draftees Keondre Coburn and Moro Ojomo and alongside starter T’Vondre Sweat in 2021-’22 before starting in ’23. “Justin Madubuike is probably the best comparison,” a second scout said. “He would have been in the first round (in 2020) if he didn’t have all the character stuff. I like Byron’s tape better than Ed Oliver’s. He’s much better than Grady Jarrett. He can play 3-(technique) or nose. He can two-gap if you need him to. As good a motor as you’ll see on an interior player. As a pass rusher, he can go through with power and he has legit edge ability, which you wouldn’t think he has the way he’s built. He’s a hard block for a guard because you can’t just (sit) on his bull because he’ll go right around you. If you protect your edges he’ll get underneath you and leverage you and bull your *** back to the quarterback. A-plus character. Great kid.” Arms measured 32 3/8 inches, hands were 10 ¼. “He’s going to be like Casey Hampton,” a third scout said. “I don’t know if he’s as strong as Casey Hampton but he sure looks like it. Hampton was a (nose tackle) but he had movement skills, too. This kid has unbelievable movement skills.” Finished with 70 tackles (15 for loss) and eight sacks. “I really believe he has to be a penetrator and a one-gapper,” said a fourth scout. “He can get in creases. Not that he’s not strong at the point; he’s more about hitting a gap and disrupting. If a team asked him to two-gap, stay square, hold the point, that’s just not his thing. He’s not very big and he doesn’t play very big. He is athletically driven. Maybe only half the league would want this guy because of scheme. Yeah, he might go top 15 but I had a hard time loving the guy.” Took about 10 snaps as a goal-line fullback and scored two touchdowns. “Don’t laugh,” said one scout. “He was killing dudes. He’s going to be a hammer fullback on goal-line. He’ll do that 100% (in the NFL).” From DeSoto, Texas.
2. JOHNNY NEWTON, Illinois (6-1 ½, 304, no 40, 1-2): Fourth-year senior, three-year starter mainly as a 3-technique. ”High motor,’ said one scout. “Lacks some length but compensates with good quickness, burst and power in both phases (run and pass). Has the physical tools to disrupt and see the field early. Just the size holds you back, but he doesn’t necessarily play to that. He’ll be a solid starter.” Arms were 32 3/8, hands were 9 ½. “He can really use his hands,” a second scout said. “His hands and feet are tied together, particularly as a rusher. He’s a little stiff and not real big, but he has a knack for rushing the passer.” Finished with 187 tackles (28 for loss) and 17 ½ sacks. “If you put him in a penetrating scheme he can change the line of scrimmage,” said a third scout. “He can play square and two-gap equally good. All 32 teams looking for a defensive lineman will find this guy as a fit. He absolutely has quickness and athleticism. He’s very, very strong at the point, and he can find the football where some guys don’t make any plays. Jordan Davis, the Georgia kid, didn’t make any plays.” Played hurt down the stretch in 2023 and underwent surgery on his foot in January. “It’s the infamous Jones fracture,” said a fourth scout. “Fifth metatarsal is one of the worst injuries you can have coming out because it is so highly likely to reoccur. Our doctors would say take those guys off the board … He plays a style that’s a big man’s game. He can use extension, press, shed and get to the ball. He plays high pads. His shin angles and ankle stiffness really show up. He’s an awesome college football player whose game does not translate ideally to the NFL. I don’t think he’ll be a failure because he’s instinctive and knows how to play the game.” From St. Petersburg, Fla.
3. DARIUS ROBINSON, Missouri (6-5, 285, 4.97, 1-2): Half the league probably views him as an edge player, half the league probably views him as a 3-4 defensive end/sub interior pass rusher. “He’s determined to be great,” said one scout. “That’s what I love about him, and it’s all real. He comes from (bleep).” Didn’t play high-school football in Canton, Mich., until his junior year. “This sucker might have the highest ceiling in the whole draft,” said a second scout. “The build, the talent. You watch him in the SEC, they line him up over tight ends in a 6-technique and he beats the **** out of that tight end. Kind of like Wayne Simmons back in the Brent Jones era. You say, ‘Holy smokes, they might throw him in prison for that.’ He is physical and violent.” Led the position in vertical jump (35 inches) and hand size (10 5/8). Arms were 34 ½. “He’s an edge rusher all day,” a third scout said. “He is violent. Plays his *** off. He’s gonna be really productive. He can win outside with a 4.97 40 because he can kick your ***. He’s got enough get-off. He’ll win because he’s got 34-inch arms and (big) hands. He’s as good a grab-and-jerk pass rusher as there in the draft … I can’t see him playing inside at all. He’s too stiff to be an every-down 5-technique.” Starting 30 of 47 games, he finished with 111 tackles (21 for loss) and 13 sacks. “He was real average and not productive at all as a tackle,” a fourth scout said. “As an end, the 290 can come into play as he sets the edge. He was a bit of an underachiever. Kind of body beautiful. The more you did, the less you like. He’s just a straight-line bull rusher.” From Southfield, Mich.
4. KRIS JENKINS, Michigan (6-2 ½, 301, 4.95, 2): Made 33 starts over four seasons. “Like that kid but he don’t make any plays in the pass or the run,” one scout said. “It’s all technique for him. He’s consistent. His weakness is his instincts. He doesn’t have Cullen Jenkins’ instincts. Cullen Jenkins is way better.” Cullen Jenkins (6-3, 305), his uncle, played 13 seasons for four teams and had 49 sacks. His father, Kris (6-4, 360), made four Pro Bowls from 2001-’10. “His old man was a beast,” said a second scout. “Amazing thing is, his old man was a whack job where this kid is a phenomenal kid. He was banged up at the end of the year. He’s too good of an athlete to drop too far.” Meager stat line showed 112 tackles (eight for loss), four sacks, one pass defensed and no forced fumbles. “At the end he was their third best defensive lineman,” a third scout said. “Their other two guys (Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant) were much better. I was kind of disappointed.” Arms were 34, hands were 9 3/8. “His effort and his play is so consistent,” said a third scout. “Not consistently amazing but every snap looks the same. You almost get bored watching this kid because he does the same thing every game. Isn’t that what we all want? He’ll be a functional starter. He’s got to play in one-gap scheme. If you just ask this guy to take on double teams he’ll struggle. I don’t think he’ll be a special rusher but he’ll be a good rusher. He plays hard.” From Olney, Md. “Just a try-hard guy,” a fourth scout said. “Knows how to play. Really not much of a factor. He’s fair. He probably makes it because of his dad but I didn’t see starter talent.”
5. BRADEN FISKE, Florida State (6-3 ½, 293, 4.76, 2): Played the 2023 season in Tallahassee after five years at Western Michigan. “I liked him way more this year than what I saw last year,” one scout said. “He took the money and improved his stock.” After a six-sack season for the Seminoles he was impressive at the Senior Bowl and aced the combine. “It always happens to a couple guys every year,” said a second scout. “He’s the one guy that won the process over in the spring. People fell in love with the workout. I think he’ll get overdrafted in the second (round). He’d be a great pick in the third.” His broad jump of 9-9 led the position. “He’s a determined, relentless athlete,” said a third scout. “His father’s a steelworker, his mom is blue collar. He’s f--king determined to win. Everybody talks about (FSU DE Jared) Verse but this guy has more of a motor than Verse. He challenges (Verse) every day at practice to be great. This kid is a winner.” Finished with 191 tackles (36 ½ for loss) and 19 ½ sacks. “I could watch the film all day long,” a fourth scout said. “You talk about passion. The negative is, hey, where’d he come from? He’s a transfer guy from the MAC so he’s a little bit late to the scene. I think this guy is destined for the first round.” His arms measured 31, the shortest at the position. Hands were 9 3/8. “We sit in meetings and say, ‘Length, length, length,’” said a fifth scout. “The guy’s got 31-inch arms. You know what you’re getting. Meat and potatoes guy. He ran fast. I’m not as high on him as maybe the league.” From Michigan City, Ind. “Now he’s a little older (will be 25 in January) and has an injury history so you’ve got to take that into account,” said a sixth scout. “But he fits bottom of the first. You could compare him to Kyle Williams because of his size and movement and angles and twisting the body and hand use. But this guy was more explosive than Kyle Williams. His weren’t manufactured workout numbers. You see the explosiveness on film.”
6. MICHAEL HALL, Ohio State (6-2 ½, 299, 4.75, 2): Third-year sophomore played 28 games, starting 12. “He didn’t even start at Ohio State,” one scout said. “I think he came out because he realized he wouldn’t play much next year. He’s strong but he plays high and doesn’t make plays.” His pro day workout included a 4.75 40, the fastest at the position. “He’s the most gifted,” a second scout said. “As good as he is, he has the highest ceiling. He played the least amount of college football. When you watch him it’s kind of easy for him at times. The length shows up and he uses it in the run game at the point. Gets good separation. As the season went he got better and better. Now the Michigan game, he struggled. You can’t ignore that one because those were the best linemen he played against. But I see him as a high-impact starter.” Finished with 45 tackles (10 for loss) and six sacks. “Watch that sack in the Michigan game — he is a dude,” said a third scout. “Now I don’t think you can take him too high because I don’t think he’s going to be an every-down player. If he gets into the right scheme where it’s all penetration upfield – and it’s not stacking and shedding blocks — you’re going to feel him and hear a lot about him as a rookie. He’s a lot stronger than you think. When he showed up at 299 on pro day (290 at the combine) that will sell a lot of people.” Arms were 33 ½, hands were 10. “He’s a problem child,” a fourth scout said. “Not real coachable. Underachiever as a worker. Didn’t have a great year production-wise.” From Streetsboro, Ohio.
