2018 Defensive Linemen

[dolphins15]

Nick Bosa (JR) 6'4" 265 Ohio State. A dominant player, projected to maybe be the first player taken in the draft. He had 8.5 sacks last season with 16 TFL's.

Sutton Smith (JR) 6'1" 237 Northern Illinois. MAC defensive player of the year. Broke NIU's sack and TFL single season records. He had a amazing season and is very fast off the edge. A former high school RB showed off his speed taking a fumble to he house last season.

Zach Allen (SR) 6'5" 285 Boston College. One of 2 DL to have 100 total tackles nationally. Added 6 sacks. Should be a 1st rounder next year.

Chase Winovich (SR) 6'5" 253 Michigan. Very productive player with 79 tackles, 18 TFL's, and 8 sacks. Should be in for another big year and go in the early rounds.

Greg Gaines (SR) 6'2" 313 Washington. He was 2nd team All Pac-12 after being honorable mention the year before. A big time force for the huskies.

 

[celticdb15]

Nice group! Bosa and Allen should be no doubt 1st rounders.

 

[dolphins15]

Joe Gaziano (JR) 6'4" 280 Northwestern. He led the Big Ten with 8 sacks in the regular season and was 2nd team all Big 10.

Anthony Nelson (JR) 6'7" 270 Iowa. 3rd team All Big Ten. He has 17.5 career TFL's and 13.5 sacks.

Kenny Willekes (JR) 6'4" 250 Michigan State. A former Walk-On who was 3rd Team All Big Ten last season. He had 7 sacks and 4 TFL's last season.

Hunter Snyder (SR) 6'6" 270 FAU. Honorable Mention C-USA last season after making 57 tackles and 6 sacks.

 

[Don Wassall]

Wow, checking out that highlight of Sutton Smith, he's a defensive end who runs like a defensive back!

 

[dolphins15]

Don, he really can. I was watching that game and had to rewind it to show my dad about this kid. I'm glad it's working out for him so far. But I bet he could have made a great RB. This is a good article about his story.

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/2...known-running-back-to-superstar-defensive-end

 

[dolphins15]

Maxx Crosby (JR) 6'5" 247 Eastern Michigan. He was voted Eastern Michigan's team MVP last season. He was first team All-MAC. He's on Bednarik watch list. He had 11 sacks and 16.5 TFL's in his first season as a starter.

 

[TwentyTwo]

Very solid crop of D-Lineman! Bosa Top 5 (see brother Joey) ; Zach Allen 1st Rounder in Top 20 for sure! NT-Gaines & DE/OLB Winovich could go in the 2nd Round...as well as former RB Sutton Smith who projects as OLB in NFL....remember following him out of HS hoping he'd stay at RB. He sure has found his niche as an explosive playmaker on Defense!

Ryan Bee (Sr) 6'-7" 282 Marshall ....Emerging on the NFL Radar....2nd Team Conference USA all-conference team ; 51 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, one pass deflection, one blocked kick ; 10 QB hurries

 

[Deceptive Speed]

Top 10 white FBS Sack leaders through week 4:
6. OLB Porter Gustin USC 19 tot tackls and 5 Sacks

10. DE Sutton Smith NIU 20 tot tackls and 4 Sacks

Tied 10. LB Carter Coughlin MINN 11 tot tackls and 4 Sacks

Tied. DE Nick Bosa OSU 14 tot tackls and 4 Sacks

21. DL Maxx Crosby EMU 12 tot tackls and 4 Sacks

Tied 21. DE Roger Mann UNLV 18 tot tackls and 4 Sacks

41. DE Sam Miller ULM 9 tot tackles and 3 Sacks

Tied 41. DE Kenny Willekes MSU 16 tot tackles and 3 Sacks

Tied. S Taylor Rapp WASH 18 tot tackles and 3 Sacks

Tied. LB Joey Alfieri STAN 19 tot tackles and 3 Sacks

 

[Red Raider]

Texas Tech DE/LB Tony Jones also 18 tackles 5 tfl 3 sacks should be tied for 10th

 

[Leonardfan]

Carter Coughlin up to 22 Tackles, 9.5 TFL, 7 sacks and 2 FFs.

 

[Bucky]

Carter Coughlin up to 22 Tackles, 9.5 TFL, 7 sacks and 2 FFs.

Extremely impressed with his effort against Ohio St. He was blowing past their OL with ease and apparently everyone else's!

 

[Deceptive Speed]

What do you guys make of Iowa DE AJ Epensa, who seems to be a mixed mestizo? He has 9.5 Sacks this season, and is projected to be a 1st-2nd round pick in 2020. Given he's not poly and has a white mom, where does that put him in caste terms??

 

[Bucky]

Epenesa is a good player but I wouldn't consider him close to being White.

 

[Leonardfan]

Epenese is a good player but not white - you can hear the contrast during Iowa games when they talk so glowingly about him while throwing the same cliches towards the Nelson brothers and Parker Hesse. Taylor Rapp - also won't consider him to be a white athlete come the draft.

 

[TwentyTwo]

FCS ...they play Eastern Washington today led by RB McPherson

Sully Laiche (Jr.) - Nicholls in Louisiana ...undersized at 6'-2" 270lbs ...but he's a Pit Bull + Squats 600lbs...first play vs. SEC Georgia last season was Tackle for Loss...handled FBS Kansas this season too! He has 25½ sacks in three seasons, which ranks third on the active FCS list. This season, he has 16½ tackles for losses, 8½ sacks and two forced fumbles. He is on the Buck Buchanan Watch List for the best defensive player in the FCS.

Declined Walk-on at LSU & Grayshirt at Southern Miss
What's fueling Nicholls' FCS playoff run? Start with DL Sully Laiche from Lutcher

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/sports/article_f7660b4a-f431-11e8-a849-dba0a5a7e03c.html

At Lutcher High School, Sully Laiche was a three-time district defensive most valuable player, was three times All-State and was chosen Class 3A defensive MVP as a senior.

However, when it came to scholarship offers, the big schools didn't really bite.

“Three days before signing day, LSU asked me to walk on, but I wasn't going to do that,” said Laiche, who is from Gramercy. “I was about to commit to Southern Mississippi, but they wanted me to greyshirt (sit out his freshman year without a scholarship). I said 'No. If you're not even going to give me a shot, that tells me pretty much how you feel about me.'

“He works very hard, he studies film and he's just a football player,” Rybacki said. “But he's obviously a powerful guy. He's explosive out of the hips, and I think that represents his run-playing ability.”

Laiche says he squats 600 pounds. To him, his lack of height is an advantage. On the line, often, the low man wins. Laiche can get under an offensive lineman's skin in more ways than one. He uses a battery of moves — the swim, bull rush, push-and-pull, pull-and-bob and rush-by — to get 300-plus-pound opponents off-balance and beat them.

Rybacki said Laiche “is pretty dynamic.”

“I've got lower-leg leverage on all the big offensive linemen, who don't move as well as I do,” Laiche said. “I am going to run down the middle of you, and if you're on your heels, you're going to fall back, without a doubt.”

He has 25½ sacks in three seasons, which ranks third on the active FCS list. This season, he has 16½ tackles for losses, 8½ sacks and two forced fumbles. He is on the Buck Buchanan Watch List for the best defensive player in the FCS.

“The sacks are eating me up, though,” he said. “I set a goal before the season to get double digits, so I've got to get a couple more.”

 

[Leonardfan]

Great find Twenty-Two! One to keep an eye next year for sure.

 

[Deceptive Speed]

With all-star bowls over and now NFL combine invites being sent, here are the top ranked D-Line prospects in 2019:
DE/Edge
1. Nick Bosa OHIO St 6'4 265 #1 ovrall pick
2. Zach Allen BC 6'5 285 1st rd pick
3. Anthony Nelson IOWA 6'7 270 1st rd
4. Chase Winovich MICH 6'3 255 1st-2nd rd
5. Maxx Crosby E MICH 6'5 250 3rd-4th rd
6. John Cominsky CHRLSTN(D2) 6'5 275 4th rd
7. Mathieu Betts LAVAL (Que, Canada) 6'4 255 5th-6th rd

DT
1. Gregg Gaines WASH 6'1 320 3rd rd
2. Matt Nelson IOWA 6'8 295 5th-6th rd
3. Ryan Bee MARSH 6'6 285 6th-7th rd