Top 5 interior defensive linemen in college football for 2018:

Connecticut v Houston

Now that we moved on to defense and already discussed the edge rushers, we look at the inside of the defensive line. This category can include everything from true nose tackle over those penetrating 3-techs out until the base D-ends in a 3-4. So basically everything in-between the tackles. With that being said, let's mention this again - I look at these guys as college players, rather than eventual draft prospects and my criteria is based on the tape I've watched and how I expect them to improve this upcoming season.

Honorable mentions: Dre‘Mont Jones (Ohio State), Derrick Brown (Auburn).


#1. Ed Oliver, Houston

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When I did this list a year ago, I already said that if I had to choose one player in college football to start my NFL franchise with, I would pick Oliver and that hasn’t changed this time around. The Houston D-tackle’s combination of power, quickness and overall athleticism is just out of this world. When you have a talent like him, it’s rare that he puts in the same kind of effort that other guys do, but Oliver is relentless worker off the field and hustles his ass off on it.

He can deliver quick penetration against the run or flatten down the line if the play is going away from him. As a pass rusher Oliver needs to be more decisive, but you see the flexibility, the cat-like quicks and the ability to put guys on skates. He just needs to put it all together and rush with a plan, because he definitely brings the effort to win on secondary moves and run QBs down.

Pittsburgh v Clemson

#2. Christian Wilkins, Clemson

I wasn’t completely sold on Wilkins after his first two years with the Tigers, but last season I thought he made an enormous jump. The 310-pounder emerged as a leader for the Clemson program and was a much more impactful player for them. Wilkins has edge-rusher like get-off, which puts blockers at an immediate disadvantage, and he has the ability to knife through opposing offensive lines.

The two-time first-team All-American is at his best when slanting into gaps and wreaking havoc in the backfield. The Clemson coaches line him up all over the defensive line and often times he is truly coming off the edge. While I think he is still too passive as a pass rusher and keeps himself busy with the blocker at times, he has a ridiculous bend for an inside guy and he flashes a deadly spin move, plus when the ball comes out quickly he chases down receivers from behind.

Kent State v Clemson

#3. Dexter Lawrence, Clemson

The fact that Clemson has two defensive tackles, who could be top ten picks in 2019 is unheard of. Considering that I was much higher on Lawrence than I was on Wilkins a year ago, makes this even more stupid. After a monster freshman outing, in which he collected 6.5 sacks and 8.5 TFLs, Big Dex was held to a couple each in 2017.

However, he recently said that he “probably played at 45-50 percent” due to a blocked nerve and has now been practicing with an extra pep to his step since July. That’s scary for ACC offensive linemen. When healthy, Lawrence and stack and shed blockers in the run game with ease. He drew constant double-teams and still found a way to get on the stat sheet. Watching his 2016 tape, you see the upper body strength to yank pads around, craftiness as a pass rusher and the effort to win late on plays.

AllState Sugar Bowl - Clemson v Alabama

#4. Raekwon Davis, Alabama

After a rather quiet freshman campaign as a four-star recruit, Davis followed that up with an All-SEC selection thanks to 8.5 sacks and 69 total tackles last season. He became a terror for opposing offensive linemen over the final games of the regular season and in the playoffs. At 6’7”, 305 pounds, Davis has off-the-charts athleticism for an interior defensive lineman.

Unlike most Alabama guys in the trenches, he is not just a pure space-eater against the run, but he actually tries to create penetration and he has the grip strength to shade one way and then pull himself to the opposite gap by the pads of the blocker. When rushing the passer, Davis can kind of slip blockers and keep his balance despite having his body torqued different ways. All he needs to do is develop some type of snap anticipation and hit that initial club or chop at a higher rate.

Kentucky v Mississippi State

#5. Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State

When I first watched Simmons play, I thought he would become the next defensive superstar. The Bulldog has an extremely powerful upper-body and frees himself from blockers consistently with a strong club to knock their arms away. He constantly gets under the pads of the guy lined up across from him and controls the mesh point.

Not only is he disruptive in the run game, but he also put up the second-highest pass-rush productivity by an interior D-lineman, only behind Michigan’s Maurice Hurst, according to Pro Football Focus. The craziest part about his game is the balance he displays with his pads twisted and him leaning so far into one direction, you’d expect him to hit the ground, but his jersey appears to be clean at the end of every game. While I don’t think he is nearly where he is capable of being at, you just feel like Simmons has the upper hand in terms of physical tools against anybody and he already has shown the ability to be a game-changer.

Edited by Shiven Sachdeva