The Panthers struggled to get much of a consistent interior pass rush last season with Kawann Short out injured, and with his release this offseason the Panthers are without any true 3-techs on the roster. While the signing of Morgan Fox will hopefully replace or even build upon the production that Efe Obada had as strong-side defensive end, the Panthers have made it clear that they would like to add at least one defensive tackle in the draft.
This defensive tackle class is largely seen as one of the draft’s poorer areas, but while it seems unlikely that any prospect at the position can make a serious case to be considered with the Panthers’ first pick, there are a number of interesting options who will be options for the Panthers from the second day onwards.
To find out who might make the most sense for the Panthers at different points of the draft, we’ve taken a look at the defensive tackles available in the 2021 NFL Draft. So what who are the top prospects the Panthers should be looking at?
What We Look For In Defensive Tackles?
Photo Credit: Brandon Todd/Carolina Panthers
As with all positions, athleticism is an important factor with defensive tackles and prospects who show good quickness and power are going to challenge the foot speed, pad level and strength of blockers both in the run game and the passing game. Pad level is also a really important consideration, and players who aren’t able to get their knee bend right on a consistent basis are going to struggle to impact the game consistently. Finally, for players who are going to be mostly 3-techs, the flexibility to bend around blocks back to the quarterback is also going to be useful.
As pass rushers and run defender, players need to show the hand placement and arm extension to keep their frames clean and prevent blockers being able to get hold of them. They also then need to show the ability to release from blocks laterally and to use their hands to work into gaps both to penetrate against the run and to create pressure in the passing game.
The better prospects will also show the ability to generate leverage as pass rushers with developed moves. This can take different forms for different players, but the best players will have technical counters that complement their athletic strengths. For example, more powerful players will not just be able to use their power to drive blockers off balance but also counters to catch blockers leaning if they overcommit to stopping the power.
It is also worth noting that defensive tackles can be asked to fill quite different roles. While nose tackles are generally viewed as more useful in 3-4 defenses, both under Rivera and Rhule the Panthers have typically used a nose tackle such as Star Lotulelei, Dontari Poe or Derrick Brown in combination with a 3-tech. We will look at both here but with Brown and Roy on the roster it seems likely that the Panthers’ focus will be on 3-techs exclusively.
Washington defenders Levi Onwuzurike, right, and Tevis Bartlett team up to drop ASU running back Emo Benjamin after a 5-yard gain to the 48 in the third quarter. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
The Board
With that in mind, let’s first look at the 3-techs in the 2021 NFL Draft:
| Name | College | Height | Weight | Athletic Traits | Pass Rushing Hand Usage | Run Defense | Biggest Questionmark | Grade | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Levi Onwuzurike | Washington | 6'3 | 288 | Pretty good quickness and power and while bend isn't really a factor his pad level needs to get much better as he is almost vertical | Shows some fairly developed power counters and a pretty good swim move with hand placement overall being pretty good but arm extension and effectiveness are really limited by pad level | Shows consistently good hand placement with pretty good arm extension on the whole but pad level just needs to be more consistent | Can he be more consistent in his pad level, especially as a pass rusher, as this would really elevate his game? | Late 2nd Round | 1 |
| Daviyon Nixon | Iowa | 6'3 | 305 | Pretty good quickness and good power with flashes of pretty good pad level though this is quite inconsistent and band is nothing special | Flashes nice swim move and does a good job of locating hands and arm extension is good when his pad level doesn't get in the way, but doesn't consistent generate lateral leverage with developed moves if he doesn't win early | Pad level inconsistencies create issues as while he locates hands well and arm extension is generally good his ability to work off blocks comes and goes with his pad level | Can he be more consistent in his pad level as this would really elevate his game? | High 3rd Round | 2 |
| Christian Barmore | Alabama | 6'5 | 310 | Decent-to-good quickness with pretty good power and decent bend but pad level is consistently quite high | Flashes a nice swim move as a power counter and shows consistently pretty good hand placement but arm extension isn't great though this isn't helped by pad level and needs to diversify rush a little | Hand placement is generally pretty good and arm extension is good though inhibited by pad level which is consistently pretty poor | Can he get his pad level under control as this will become an issue against better athletes at the next level? | High 3rd Round | 3 |
| Cameron Sample | Tulane | 6'3 | 280 | Good quickness and power with generally good pad level (helped by moving to a 3-point stance) and reasonable bend | Flashes really good hand placement and arm extension with reasonably developed rip and swim moves and does a good job of using hands to generate lateral leverage early in plays | Can sometimes get pushed around when he doesn’t get his pad level right but generally plays with good leverage and shows nice hand placement and arm extension to stack and shed | Can he continue to developed his pass rushing repertoire? | Mid 3rd Round | 4 |
| Jaylen Twyman | Pittsburgh | 6'2 | 290 | Decent-to-good quickness with pretty good power and bend and while he flashes nice pad level this is far too inconsistent | Flashes some really nice advanced moves with a nice power counter and a good speed swim and shows good hand placement but needs to get hands up faster and play with more consistent arm extension | Hand placement is pretty good though hands can be a bit low off the snap though arm extension isn't great which isn't helped by inconsistent pad level, though he flashes nice hand usage to work into gaps as a penetrator | Can he consistently nail the basics in terms of arm extension and pad level to make the most of his high level traits? | Late 3rd Round | 5 |
| Osa Odighizuwa | UCLA | 6'2 | 279 | Really pretty good quickness with consistently good pad level and decent power and bend | Flashes some really nice hand usage with good hand placement and pretty good arm extension but this needs to be more consistent and lacks high-quality developed moves | Pad level needs to be a little more consistent but does a good job of locating hands and plays with good arm extension but needs to show that he can penetrate more consistently | Can he continue to develop his hand usage to make him a more consistent pass rusher? | Mid 4th Round | 6 |
| Marvin Wilson | Florida State | 6'5 | 305 | Quickness is pretty unremarkable but has really good power though pad level is really inconsistent though bend is not good | Shows pretty nice hand placement though can be a little slow to get hands up and uses hands well as a power counter with flashes of more developed pass rushing moves but needs to show more consistent arm extension | Hand placement is good when he gets his arms up early but pad level can be quite poor and arm extension suffers as a result | Can he continue to develop his pass rushing repertoire to allow him to be a consistently effective power-only rusher inside? | Late 4th Round | 7 |
| Darius Stills | West Virginia | 6'1 | 285 | Pretty good quickness with decent power and good bend but pad level is consistently quite high while playing quite upright | Shows pretty good hand placement but arm extension isn't great though this isn't helped by pad level though he does flash some nice hand usage to work around blockers but this could stand to develop further | Works into gaps well with good hand usage but hands drop too often allowing him to get crowded out and pad level needs to get much better as this and arm extension make him too easy to move | Can he play with more technical discipline in terms of pad level and hand usage as he relies too heavily on athleticism? | High 5th Round | 8 |
| Milton Williams | Louisiana Tech | 6'4 | 278 | Decent-to-good quickness and power but plays with a really narrow base that causes pad level fluctuations and limited bend | Flashes of a nice swim move and hand placement seems reasonably good but pad level limits arm extension and struggles to consistently generate lateral leverage | Pad level causes real fluctuations and while he shows an ability to locate hands and work off blocks at times this is not consistent and arm extension appears to be relatively limited | Can he turn promising core traits into consistent performance? | Late 5th Round | 9 |
| Xavier Kelly | Arkansas | 6'5 | 311 | Decent quickness and power with flashes of good pad level but this is quite inconsistent and bend isn't amazing | Hand placement is decent but arm extension really is quite poor on a consistent basis and lacks any developed pass rushing moves | When he gets his pad level under control he shows nice hand placement and can work off blocks effectively but this is inconsistent and arm extension needs to be better | Can he play with consistent pad level and arm extension to be a consistent if unspectacular player? | High 5th Round | 10 |
| LaRon Stokes | Oklahoma | 6'4 | 278 | Decent quickness and power but pad level is generally quite poor and bend is not good | Shows pretty good hand placement but can be too slow to get his arms up which hinders his arm extension and lacks any developed pass rushing moves | Pad level is going to be a real problem as while he shows solid hand placement it is often hindered by pad level and arm extension and struggles to hold group or work off blocks as a result | Can he get his pad level under control as this really limits him currently? | Mid 6th Round | 11 |
| Ta'Quon Graham | Texas | 6'4 | 294 | Quickness and power are both decent but nothing special while pad level is consistently fairly poor which also makes it very hard to judge bend | Locates hands pretty well and flashes some ability to work laterally using power but pad level limits arm extension and so gets blocked out of too many plays | Pad level and arm extension are both quite poor and while hand placement is pretty good on the whole he is simply too easy to move off the ball at the moment | Can he turn decent athletic traits and odd flashes of hand usage into a more complete skill set? | Late 6th Round | 12 |
| Marlon Tuipulotu | USC | 6'3 | 305 | Decent-to-good quickness with pretty good power but pad level is consistently quite poor and bend suffers as a result | Hand placement is decent but arm extension is hindered by pad level and lacks any developed pass rushing moves | Decent fundamentals in terms of hand placement but arm extension is hindered by pad level and struggles to work off blocks or work into gaps as a penetrator | Can he get his pad level under control as currently it will be hard for him to make any impact? | Late 6th Round | 13 |
| Isaiahh Loudermilk | Wisconsin | 6'7 | 293 | Pad level is consistently really quite poor and quickness, bend and power are all pretty unremarkable | Hand location is decent but nothing special and poor pad level limits arm extension though he does flashes some ability to generate lateral leverage with his hands | Poor pad level and arm extension really limits him and while hand placement is decent and he works off blocks effectively at times he is too easy to move off the ball | Is his pad level ever going to be anything other than poor? | High 7th Round | 14 |
Levi Onwuzurike is the class of the 2021 defensive tackle class, and while he does need to show he can play with more consistent knee bend his combination of quickness, power and hand usage makes him a highly promising pass rusher with the ability to hold his own as a run defender. He would also be a good fit for the Panthers as a logical partner for Derrick Brown, though as an older prospect his need for further technical development could cause some hesitancy.
Photo Credit: Kim Montuoro
Daviyon Nixon is a much more conventional defensive tackle, and much of his game is based around his ability to challenge blockers with his power. He also could do with playing with more consistent knee bend and arm extension, but he shows nice technical counters to his power rush and works off blocks effective as a run defender. Given his power-based game he might not be the ideal complement for Brown, but he is a good prospect who the Panthers could consider on day two.
Cameron Sample is somebody the Panthers should be familiar with from the Senior Bowl, and while some teams will see him as more of a defensive end, he is very powerful from his size and plays with great leverage and arm extension allowing him to hold his own in the run game despite being under 280lbs. As a pass rusher, he shows a nice combination of quickness, power and leverage and uses his hands well to keep his frame clean and to generate lateral leverage. A little bit of a gamble but he could become a really special player with time.
Nov 23, 2019; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Christian Barmore (58) celebrates his sack on Western Carolina Catamounts quarterback Tyrie Adams (12) during the second quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
The other top options for the Panthers are likely to be Christian Barmore, Jaylen Twyman and Osa Odighizuwa. Barmore is in contention to be the top defensive tackle prospect taken and so might not be a reasonable player for the Panthers to pursue as while he does show some nice flashes of hand usage and does a good job of penetrating into gaps he needs to play with more consistently good knee bend as he currently gets blocked out of too many plays early on.
Twyman isn’t the most explosive athlete and also needs to play with better pad level but he has good power and has a larger repertoire of pass rushing moves than any other prospect in the class allowing him to generate consistent pressure even without elite athletic traits. Odighizuwa, by contrast, is more developmental and while he doesn’t have any massive weaknesses, he will need to continue to develop his hand usage as a pass rusher to make a consistent impact in the NFL.
Photo Credit: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images
In terms of nose tackles, this isn’t a class with any stand-out options but there is reasonable strength in depth in terms of mid-round prospects:
| Name | College | Height | Weight | Athletic Traits | Pass Rushing Hand Usage | Run Defense | Biggest Questionmark | Grade | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alim McNeill | NC State | 6'2 | 320 | Pretty good power with generally good pad level but quickness is fairly unremarkable and bend isn't great | Locates hands well and can use arms well to rip blockers off balance but lacks consistent arm extension and developed pass rushing moves other than the rip move | Plays with generally good pad level and locates hands well with fairly good ability to work off blocks and to penetrate but can rise up as plays go on and arm extension has room for significant improvement in consistency | Can he play with more consistent pad level and arm extension to be a very good run defender? | High 4th Round | 1 |
| Tedarrell Slaton | Florida | 6'5 | 340 | Pretty good quickness with really good power but pad level is consistently quite high and bend isn't great | Hand placement is pretty good but arm extension is limited by pad level and while he flashes a really nice ability to work into gaps with hand placement this is often negated by poor arm extension | When he gets his pad level right he can power penetrate effective with good hand placement and pretty good arm extension and works off blocks effectively but is just too inconsistent | Can he improve the consistency of his pad level as this is his real limiting factor? | High 4th Round | 2 |
| Tommy Togiai | Ohio State | 6'2 | 300 | Pretty good quickness with decent-to-good power but pad level isn't especially good and bend is fairly limited | Locates hands pretty well and arm extension is decent though limited by pad level and lacks any developed pass rushing moves | Hand placement is pretty good and arm extension is reasonable though limited by pad level and works off blocks reasonably well and flashes some potential as a penetrator | Can he improve his knee bend to allow him to anchor more effectively and generate more power as a pass rusher? | Late 4th Round | 3 |
| Tyler Shelvin | LSU | 6'3 | 346 | Pretty good burst and power but plays reasonably upright and bend really isn't great even for his size | Does a reasonable job of using hands to challenge the balance of blockers but limited arm extension and lack of developed moves limits him | Uses his hands reasonably well to work around blocks to penetrate and hard to move despite his pad level but arm extension isn't amazing and doesn't do a great job of working off blocks | Can he offer enough impact as a run defender to be more than a rotation piece? | High 5th Round | 4 |
| Jordon Scott | Oregon | 6'1 | 311 | Decent-to-good quickness with decent power and bend but pad level is consistently quite high | Locates hands reasonably well and flashes some potential to work into gaps with his hands but needs to extend arms better and could do with adding to his pass rushing repertoire | Locates hands well and shows some ability to work off of blocks but needs to play with better pad level and arm extension to be more consistently effective | Can he improve his pad level and arm extension as he flashes nice upside if he can? | High 5th Round | 5 |
| Jay Tufele | USC | 6'3 | 315 | Pretty good quickness with decent-to-good power but pad level is very hit and miss while bend isn't amazing | Does a reasonable job of locating hands but arm extension is very dependent on pad level and lacks any developed pass rushing moves | When he gets his pad level right he shows nice arm extension and works off blocks well but this is too inconsistent and doesn't show much in terms of penetration | Can he be more consistent in his pad level as if not then it will really limit him? | Late 5th Round | 6 |
| Bobby Brown III | Texas A&M | 6'4 | 325 | Power appears to be decent but is largely negated by pad level which is really quite poor while quickness is decent and bend is limited | Hand location is decent but arm extension is really quite poor and is limited by pad level and lacks any developed pass rushing moves | Has the power to be disruptive but pad level limits him and while hand placement is decent his arm extension is really quite poor and gets blocked out of plays far too often | Can he turn decent raw traits into consistent play at the NFL level? | High 6th Round | 7 |
| Naquan Jones | Michigan State | 6'4 | 340 | Quickness is nothing special and power, while decent, isn't a massive plus while pad level and bend are both quite poor | Hand placement is decent but pad level limits arm extension and lacks any developed pass rushing moves | Is too easy to work off-balance due to poor knee bend and while hand placement is decent his arm extension isn't great and struggles to work off blocks | Does he offer more than a large body on the interior? | Mid 7th Round | 8 |
McNeil isn’t a very flashy prospect, but he is a consistently good run defender who plays with good leverage and does a good job of anchoring against double teams. As a pass rusher, he has the power to drive blockers off balance and counters this with a nice rip move to release laterally. He wouldn’t make much sense for the Panthers with Roy and Brown on the roster, but he should be a good player for somebody.
Similarly, Tedarell Slaton might not be somebody the Panthers target but he has great power and pretty good quickness with flashes of nice hand usage to work into gaps and off of blocks but needs to play with much more consistent pad level as blockers are currently too easily able to work him off balance and negate his significant power. If he can get this under control, however, he has a chance to be a really impactful player.
RALEIGH, NC – NOVEMBER 30: Alim McNeill #29 of North Carolina State University celebrates a sack during a game between North Carolina and North Carolina State at Carter-Finley Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
The Panthers probably won’t be as enthusiastic about the defensive tackle class as some other position groups they have needs at, but there are a number of promising defensive tackles in this class and the Panthers could potentially find good value from the beginning of day two into the middle rounds.
(Top photo via Brian Ray/hawkeyesports.com)
