The Big Board
| Ranking | Name | College | Height | Weight | Athletic Outlook | Run Defense | Pass Rushing | Biggest Concern | Summary | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greg Gaines | Washington | 6'1 | 315 | Pretty good quickness, good strength and pad level is generally good with occasional lapses. | Does a decent job of using his hands to work off blocks and to penetrate, also does a good job of anchoring when necessary. | Flashes of hand usage but lacks elite quickness and pass rushing moves are underdeveloped. | Is he going to be able to generate a pass rush against NFL linesmen? | Stout run defender with some of the pieces needed to be a decent pass rusher. | High 3rd Round |
| 2 | Daylon Mack | Texas A&M | 6'1 | 335 | Freakish quickness for a man of his size, with good strength and a generally decent pad level. | Generally uses hands well to work off blocks and penetrates effectively but anchor could be better. | Hand usage needs work but quickness is extremely impressive though pass rushing moves are lacking. | Can he develop technically to match his athletic potential? | Rare athlete for his size with solid technique but with room for improvement. | Mid 3rd Round |
| 3 | Dontavius Russell | Auburn | 6'3 | 310 | Decent quickness and strength, but pad level is inconsistent. | Flashes the hand usage to work off blocks and anchor is decent but consistency is an issue. | Flashes the hand usage to work through blocks but needs to be more consistent and lacks distinct pass rushing moves. | Can he translate the flashes of technique into consistent production? | Does a lot of nice things but needs to be more consistent going forwards. | Mid 4th Round |
| 4 | Dexter Lawrence | Clemson | 6'4 | 350 | Decent power and quickness with generally solid pad level. | Flashes the hand usage to prevent blockers getting hold of him and is ok when anchoring against the run. | Doesn't really use his hands effectively when looking to rush the passer and distinct pass rushing moves are absent. | Can he offer anything as a pass rusher to allow him to be more than a rotational run-stuffer? | Solid run defender who needs to either round-out his game or develop further in this regard in order to be more than a bit piece. | Late 4th Round |
| 5 | Khalen Saunders | Western Illinois | 6'2 | 310 | Decent burst and quickness, but pad level is concerning. | Flashes hand usage to work off blocks and strength to anchor but didn't dominate at point of attack. | Flashes of hand usage but quickness isn't elite and lacks distinct pass rushing moves. | Is his athleticism good enough to be a plus at the NFL level? | Good FCS player who will likely need time to develop in the NFL. | Early 5th Round |
| 6 | Albert Huggins | Clemson | 6'2 | 315 | Good pad level with solid power but quickness is unremarkable. | Uses his hands reasonably well to work off blocks and is ok at anchoring. | Doesn't use hands effectively as a pass rusher, quickness isn't great and lacks distinct pass rushing moves. | Can he offer anything as a pass rusher? | Decent run defender but currently offers nothing as a pass rusher. | Early 5th Round |
| 7 | Bryan Mone | Michigan | 6'3 | 335 | Good power and decent pad level but quickness isn't good. | Ok at working off blocks and has anchors well. | Poor hand usage as a pass rusher, poor quickness and lacks pass rushing moves. | Can he offer anything as a pass rusher? | Ok interior anchor, but very one dimensional. | Late 5th Round |
| 8 | Ed Alexander | LSU | 6'2 | 331 | Decent strength but lacks quickness and pad level is inconsistent. | Flashes of decent hand usage and ok at anchoring. | Poor at using his hands to avoid blockers, lacks pass rushing moves and quickness is limited. | Is he good enough as a run defender to be a specialist in that regard? | Ok run defender, but it's not clear if that will be enough. | Mid 6th Round |
| 9 | Demarcus Christmas | Florida State | 6'3 | 311 | Decent strength but burst is unremarkable and pad level is poor. | Poor hand usage but has some ability to anchor. | Lacks effective hand usage and pass rushing moves are a way off. | Can he offer more than just bulk? | Has some ability against the run but not much else. | Mid 7th Round |
| 10 | Olive Sagapolu | Wisconsin | 6'2 | 346 | Pad level is really poor and burst isn't good but strength is ok. | Struggles to use his hands effectively but is hard to move. | Lacks effective hand usage and pass rushing moves are a way off. | Can he find a way to cling on to a roster until he's able to develop more fully? | Has bulk but not much else. | Undrafted |
Greg Gaines appears to be the latest product of Washington’s nose tackle factory, and while he is good, he is probably closer to Danny Shelton than to Vita Vea when it comes to outlook. As a run defender, he has the power to anchor effectively at the point of attack and uses his hands well to gap-fit, providing relatively frequent penetration without being the most explosive athlete. It would be surprising to see Gaines become a star, but he looks to be a pro-ready guy who can offer good quality play from day one.
Daylon Mack is almost the complete opposite, offering real upside but without the technical development of Gaines. He has remarkable quickness for a man of his size and uses this to penetrate effectively while also having the power to anchor at the point of attack. This quickness offers potential as a pass rusher, but in order to live up to that he will need to work extensively on his hand usage.
Russell and Lawrence are both solid prospects, but neither offer the upside of Mack or the pro-readiness of Gaines. Russell has starter potential but needs to be more consistent in his pad level and hand usage as a pro in order to have a chance of living up to that. Conversely, Lawrence can probably get early game time as a run defender, but currently offers nothing as a pass rusher – unless he is able to improve in that regard, there’s going to be a ceiling to his value.
There are options behind that, with Saunders out of Western Illinois being one of the more intriguing options albeit in need of significant development and unlikely to make a significant impact early on. Besides him, there aren’t many late-round options who offer more than depth in my opinion; unless the Panthers are unable to resign Kyle Love, it is hard to imagine them seeing value in one of these guys even on the final day of the draft.
The Panthers’ need at nose tackle isn’t non-existent, but even if the Panthers do look to run more of their defense out of a three-man front, Dontari Poe and Vernon Butler would likely be options one and two – unless they think the value is too good to pass on on the final day of the draft, the need is likely more at 3-technique – even if they are unable to resign Love.
