COMMENTARY
Despite signing ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneer Beau Allen to a two-year deal after losing Danny Shelton to the Detroit Lions, the Patriots still find themselves shorthanded at the defensive tackle position heading into 2020.
After getting run all over by Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans in the playoffs, New England could use another big body or two in the middle of their defensive line to help against the run. This years draft class of defensive linemen isnt outstanding by any means, but has a couple of solid prospects who could help the Patriots upgrade at the position.
Derrick Brown (Auburn) and Javon Kinlaw (South Carolina) are the consensus top two players at the position this year. With Brown expected to go in the top-10, and Kinlaw expected to follow soon thereafter, the Patriots would likely need to move up in order to draft either player. With that being said, here are players who could be options for New England, assuming they dont move up in the draft order for Brown or Kinlaw.
Height/weight: 6-feet-3-inches, 290 pounds
After missing his sophomore year with an Achilles injury, Blacklock shed 25 pounds coming into his redshirt junior year, and returned in 2019 to earn All-Big 12 honors. Blacklock is an elite pass rusher for his position, and has impressive quickness at 290 pounds. He has the power, size, and motor to collapse a pocket quickly, and is light on his feet. He has an NFL-ready frame right now.
With his experience playing over multiple gaps at TCU, Blacklock has versatility that Bill Belichick may find attractive. In addition to his ability to play in different spots along the line, Blacklock also was a team captain as a junior.
Where Blacklock needs to improve is his overall consistency and maintaining his leverage in the run game. Blacklock tends to make himself a bigger target than he needs to and can lose leverage against blockers, allowing them to drive him back in the run game. While he has NFL-caliber physical tools, he needs to improve in using them more consistently to produce. He has some flashy plays on tape, but needs to become a steadier player in order to develop into a starting defensive tackle.
Height/weight: 6-feet-3-inches, 293 pounds
Another undersized tackle who wins with a blend of speed and power in penetrating opposing backfields. Madubuike is an explosive player who wins many matchups with a quick first step and impressive lateral agility. He creates pressure with powerful hands and a quick strike that collapses the point of attack. Madubuike is a violent finisher and strong tackler, and had double-digit tackles for loss in each of his last two seasons. He is best served as a penetrating tackle in a one-gap scheme that allows its tackles to play in space and look to get in the backfield, rather than a two-gap scheme run by teams like New England.
Madubuike is a bit stronger against the run than Blacklock is, but has less experience as a two-gapper, something that the Patriots tend to prefer their defensive linemen be able to do, in order for their linebackers to come in and make plays. Madubuike can have issues holding his own against double teams, in part due to inconsistent pad level, but also due to the fact that his effort can waver at times, something that could be a red flag to some teams.
Height/weight: 6-feet-3-inches, 303 pounds
While not ranked as highly in the draft as his Auburn teammate, Derrick Brown, Davidson is the Auburn DT who led his team in sacks with 6.5, not Brown. He also tied his ex-teammate with 11.5 tackles for a loss, and was named first team All-SEC alongside Brown.
Davidson has more inside/out flexibility than Brown does, having played more on the edge at Auburn. With his large frame though, Davidson is expected to play more on the interior than he did in college, but his experience on the edge makes him a more versatile prospect that could hold more value to some NFL teams like the Patriots.
A four-year starter in college, Davidson is a disruptive player who has long arms that help him shed blocks and make tackles consistently. Hes a high-effort player who knows the game well, and can sniff out plays in the run game better than most.
Davidsons explosiveness is more noticeable in a two-point stance as an edge rusher. When playing in an interior alignment, Davidson tends to pop out of stance rather than drive out of it, ruining his leverage and limiting his ability to win matchups in a phone booth on the inside. Because he lacks the speed and dynamic athleticism to play on the edge in the NFL, he will need to develop a better anchor and refine his technique as a traditional defensive tackle.
Height/weight: 6-feet-2-inches, 304 pounds
Born and raised in Ottawa, Gallimore has a hot motor and never gives up on a play, and his background as a soccer and basketball player shows with his fluid athleticism and solid lateral ability. He has the ability to make some plays that make him look like the best tackle in this draft, but his production in college is unremarkable, with just 18 TFLs and 8.5 sacks over 52 games.
With his quick feet and athletic build, Gallimore projects to be a three-technique DT with the potential to be a starter at some point. He will need to work on keeping his pads low and developing a stronger anchor, but his violent hands and good athleticism make him a player with high potential who could eventually reward whichever team drafts him.
Height/weight: 6-feet-6-inches, 311 pounds
As one of the most physically-imposing players in this draft, and having learned under the tutelage of Belichicks close friend Nick Saban at Alabama, Davis has Patriot written all over him.
With his 34-inch arms and 11-inch hands, Davis has prototypical size to become a 3-4 defensive end in the NFL. However, his poor three-cone and short shuttle times at the draft combine muddy that projection a bit, and lead to some concerns about his quickness and speed.
Because of that, he projects to be a two-down player at the next level, but his power and run-stopping ability would be an immediate help on a Patriots defensive line that lacked those traits in defending the run last year. Daviss enormous wingspan and ability to hold his anchor against anyone make him one of the more NFL-ready prospects at his position, but his lack of a pass rushing skillset and general explosiveness limit his long-term ceiling.
Height/weight: 6-feet-4-inches, 302 pounds
With the speed and explosiveness that is packed into his NFL-ready frame, Elliott has one of the highest ceilings in this years draft class at the defensive lineman position. He has experience playing in several alignments, having played one year at Texas and two at Missouri.
Elliotts strength is as a pass rusher, where he can use his quickness to cross the face of blockers and penetrate through gaps. At 302 pounds, he can hold his own against double teams, but has issues with playing too tall at times. He has the size to be a better run defender, but needs to improve his anticipation and processing of the game in order to allow him to utilize his physical tools more freely.
A strong and slippery player, Elliott can be a scheme-versatile player if he improves against the run, and has a considerably high ceiling thanks to his size and speed.
Height/weight: 6-feet-4-inches, 320 pounds
Hamiltons frame is that of a more traditional defensive lineman in the NFL. A big and powerful player who can take on double teams and hold his position on the line, Hamilton projects to be a two-down, two-gapping defensive tackle in the NFL, and has solid rotational potential thanks to his well-proportioned body and impressive strength.
Hamilton is low on quick-twitch ability, and is an upright rusher who doesnt explode out of his stance often. With an underdeveloped pass rushing skill set, Hamilton still has work to do, but his strength and size make him a good fit as a zero- or one-technique player at the next level.
Height/weight: 6-feet-5-inches, 330 pounds
Another behemoth of a man, Fotu would replace the profile of the kind of defensive tackle that New England lost in Danny Shelton, a physically-imposing player who can occupy multiple blockers in the run game and plug up several gaps.
With 34-inch arms and 10.5-inch hands, Fotu is a classic nose tackle and has an excellent first step with quick penetration and gap control. His closing burst is impressive at his height and weight.
Fotu struggles as a pass rusher, generating only 19 pressures on 298 pass rush snaps at Utah. He can also have issues with his leverage, which he will need to improve on in the NFL.
With a high motor, and a reputation as being a good leader, having been a team captain in 2019, Fotu is a high-character individual with great size for his position, and has potential as a run defender in the NFL.
Height/weight: 6-feet-3-inches, 297 pounds
Murchison spent a lot of time at NC State defending two gaps, making him an ideal fit in New Englands two-gap scheme. A quick player with upside as a pass rusher thanks to his bend and lateral ability, Murchison was a senior captain and started all 25 games of the past two seasons as a member of the Wolfpack. His production has risen steadily each year, indicating he still has room to grow as a prospect.
Despite his quickness, Murchison has inconsistent hands, and is not strong in space. Easily overwhelmed by power, Murchison will need to get stronger and learn better technique so that he can hold his own in the trenches. Because of his lack of length and explosiveness, Murchison is a Day 3 pick with potential to develop into a rotational three-technique defensive tackle in the NFL.
Height/weight: 6-feet-4-inches, 275 pounds
As an undersized lineman, Strowbridge projects to a role as a 3-4 DE in the NFL, but has plenty of experience rushing from an interior position in college and taking on double teams. Hes an agile big man who has a good first step, and uses his big hands and long arms to disengage from blockers and make plays in the backfield. Strowbridge also has experience on special teams, having blocked four kicks over the last three seasons.
Strowbridge impressed at the Senior Bowl, both on the edge and inside. He appears to be an ascending player with some potential to be a versatile rotational defensive tackle as he develops a better range of pass rush moves and learns to play with better pad level.
More:
10 defensive linemen the Patriots could grab at this years NFL Draft - Boston.com
