2021 NFL Draft defensive tackle rankings: Jaylen Twyman is underrated
By John Blair
This year’s defensive tackle group is not the greatest as only one player at the position carries a first-round grade in the 2021 NFL Draft. With that being said there are some players at this position who could be good value picks including Jaylen Twyman of Pittsburgh, Marlon Tuipulotu of USC and Alim McNeil of North Carolina State.
1. Christian Barmore, Alabama
6-foot-5, 310 pounds
2021 NFL Draft grade: First round
Alabama’s Christian Barmore has been a force during the two years he played for the Crimson Tide, despite seeing limited playing time. In his first year of action which was his redshirt season in 2019, he registered 26 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and six sacks while only playing 269 snaps. He was graded out by ESPN that season as having a pressure rate of 20% and 23.5% win rate, both of which would have led the nation. This past season he was named an All-American after recording 37 tackles, eight sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss.
What makes Barmore such an intriguing prospect is his pass-rushing potential. For someone 6-foot-5 310-pounds, he shows amazing quickness. He has one of the quickest first steps of any defensive tackle that has come out of college in recent years and shows the closing speed to turn a pressure into a sack. Another positive with him is that he has a nice punch and when using proper technique shows the power to win consistently.
While Barmore shows a ton of potential he is still a very raw prospect. He needs to do a better job of not overextending vs the run which causes him to lose his power. He tends to play a little out of control at times as well, which can get him to get out of position and force him to miss tackles from time to time. One other area he needs to work on is his pass-rushing moves especially when it comes to counter moves.
Overall, Barmore is the only player in the 2021 NFL Draft class with a first-round grade which is due to his potential and pass-rushing ability. He will likely be picked towards the end of the round one and one team that could make sense for him is the Oakland Raiders who have the 17th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
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