The 2019 draft is stock piled with talent along the defensive line. The depth of the class is undeniable, and it has its fair share of big name prospects.
I expect this draft will produce the number of effective pass rushers the 2015 NFL Draft was supposed to. At the defensive end position Nick Bosa (Ohio St.) and Clelin Ferrell stand above the rest. Ferrell’s Clemson teammate Austin Bryant is also an interesting prospect who should hear his name called fairly early in the draft. Juniors Brian Burns (Florida St.), Joe Jackson (Miami), and senior Zach Allen (Boston College) should also be gone within the first three rounds of the draft.
But the defensive tackle position is just what puts this class on another level. The monster from Houston, Ed Oliver is primed to become the most coveted defensive lineman since Ndamukong Suh was taken with the second overall pick back in 2010. The names stack up behind Oliver like mountains, creating the deepest defensive tackle class since 2010. Rashan Gary (Michigan), Dexter Lawrence (Clemson), Dre’Mont Jones (Ohio St.), Raekwon Davis (Alabama), Jerry Tillery (Notre Dame), Christian Wilkins (Clemson), Jeffery Simmons (Miss. St.), and Demarcus Christmas (Florida St.) will all be taken in the draft at various points.
Personally I think that Oliver, Gary, and Lawrence are all guaranteed to be first round selections. But Jones, Davis, and Tillery are also so good that it is conceivable any one of them could sneak into the first round. Given that defensive tackle isn’t the most prioritized position though, I feel comfortable saying that Oliver, Gary, and Lawrence will be the only guys from the group going in the first round. The other three, along with Wilkins, Simmons, and Christmas provide an excellent amount of depth that should reach all the way down to the later rounds.
