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Overall Rank: 9th DL Rank: 1st
2023 Stats: 36 total tackles, 3 sacks, 7.5 TFL
Strengths: There’s a lot to like about Graham’s game as he could rival Jalen Carter as the best defensive tackle prospect in the last few years. The Wolverine is quick off the ball and has impressive movement skills to get penetration when slanting and be an effective pass-rusher, especially on line games.
Also, he’s strong and physical at the point of attack to hold his ground versus one-on-one blocks as a run defender and is solid at absorbing contact to avoid getting washed out of the gap versus double teams or combo blocks.
Areas of improvement: Graham does have a habit of standing up out of his stance, which could cause him issues against the run and when bullrushing at the next level. Additionally, he’s still learning how to use his hands and often will get caught with them down by his waist.
Overall Rank: 10th DL Rank: 2nd
2023 Stats: 55 total tackles, 7.5 sacks, 12.5 TFL
Strengths: Walker has a basketball background which shows up in his movement skills as he’s fairly nimble for a near 350-pounder. That’s a big reason why he was a productive pass rusher as the Kentucky product has a nice swim move that he can win with. He also uses that to defeat blocks versus the run and is hard to move when solo-blocked.
Areas of improvement: While he is an effective run defender against most college offensive linemen, Walker does tend to play high which got exposed against combo blocks when playing against better competition. Also, he could afford to slim down to improve his conditioning as the Wildcat appeared to run out of gas quickly last year.
Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
Overall Rank: 22nd DL Rank: 4th*
2023 Stats: 53 total tackles, 3 sacks, 10 TFL
Strengths: Williams has impressive upper body strength to win and stand up offensive linemen at the point of attack. That helps him shed blocks against the run and collapse the pocket when bull-rushing. He also has a handful of finesse moves he can win with as a pass-rusher like a hand swipe, stick, swim and rip moves for a good arsenal.
Areas of improvement: Consistency was an issue for the Buckeye last season as he would disappear in the middle of games which could be tied to a conditioning issue. His block recognition is also a work in progress as he’d often get caught off guard against down blocks and double teams.
*NMDD lists Georgia’s Mykel Williams as a defensive lineman but at 265 pounds, he’s more of an edge, making Tyleik Williams the next true defensive lineman on the site’s rankings.
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