2020 NFL Draft: First-round targets for the Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans 2019 Starters: Jeffery Simmons, DaQuan Jones, Jurrell Casey

In a league centered around the pass-rush, teams have found the importance of building depth in their defensive lines to swap in units of pass-rushers to keep fresh legs coming after the quarterback throughout the course of the full 60 minutes. Tennessee currently has a talented 3-4 defensive line highlighted by Jurrell Casey and 2019 first-round pick Jeffrey Simmons.

Ross Blacklock is a big defensive tackle and 3-4 defensive end out of TCU who has lined up consistently in both the 1 and 3 technique. Blacklock is a tenacious, high motor defensive lineman who uses his hands well to win leverage battles and throw interior lineman off-balance rather than using brute force.

His high motor gets him out into space to chase down the play. That is a big turn-on for scouting departments looking for that gritty defensive tackle to add to a defensive line. His size and versatility on the interior also make him a great fit alongside the current linemen in Tennessee, able to line up anywhere on the inside of their 3-4 defense.

The modern NFL invests plenty of assets into the defensive line, acquiring a stable of players to fill different roles to put pressure on quarterbacks, eat space inside, and set the edge against the run. Blacklock is a hard-headed interior lineman who will be able to translate directly to the NFL with his high-motor and hand skills.