Post-Draft IDP Rookie Defensive Line Rankings
Defensive end is the number one position I look for in IDP. But (spoiler alert) this year was pretty dire for ends landing in good spots, so I’ve combined both lineman positions together to mask my disappointment.
Defensive ends
1. Marcus Davenport, DE NO
This is the one player I’m super excited about. The Saints clearly love Davenport and quite rightly. He was top of my own pre-draft end ranks at one point. I dropped him down a bit eventually, but the Saints gave up a ton to go and get him. That tells us he’s going to be on the field often and early. The fact he’ll play opposite an all-pro talent also helps his outlook. If you’re going to go after one IDP lineman, Davenport is him.
2. Kemoko Turay, DE IND
Turay is stuck behind Jabaal Sheard, Denico Autry, and John Simon right now. So it may look odd that he’s this high in my rankings. I don’t think he’s going to be a 2018 star in any way, but I think longer-term he really could be. Turay has gifts you can’t teach – a 6’5” frame and the balance and speed to be a true round-the-corner edge rusher. I suspect he’ll only play 300-400 snaps as a rookie but this is dynasty. I love his chances of becoming a very good asset from 2019 and beyond.
3. Rasheem Green, DE SEA
Conversely, Green was much lower in my pre-draft rankings but his landing spot is better. After Frank Clark, the Seahawks really don’t have a settled second-choice starter at the position, which means Green is going to get on the field. He’s not a speed player at all but he does ft the Seahawks line given their heavy use of unbalanced fronts.
4. Chad Thomas, DE CLE
I had no clue why more people weren’t talking about Thomas pre-draft. He seemed to have a lot of advantages. He’s got the perfect frame, speed, active hands. He just never quite put it all together in college.
He’ll slot into the Browns rotation at end, so again I expect only 400-450 snaps from him. He’s not going to be a top 24 DE but he could easily have some big games.
5. Sam Hubbard, DE CIN
He’s yet another player who’s landed in a crowded room. Hubbard is all work-rate and motor which will endear him to the Bengals coaches. He’ll have to put up with minimal playing time behind Carlos Dunlap, Carl Lawson and potentially Jordan Willis.
6. Arden Key, DE OAK
Key at least lands in a spot where he can win a starting spot. But I just don’t really trust him to do that. He’s far too lightweight at the moment to play three downs. He says he can bulk up but if that’s the case, why didn’t he do it for the Combine?
Currently, in my eyes, he’s a specialist pass rusher and a long-shot to ever become more than that.
7. Tyquan Lewis, DE IND
Lewis may well end up playing on the inside of the line. He’s certainly got the build for it at 6’3” 270 lbs. That’s no bad thing though and given the draft capital invested (64th overall in the second round) the Colts would seem to have a plan for him.
8. Breeland Speaks, DE KC
Speaks is another big body at 6’3”, 285 lbs. He’ll compete to line up across from Chris Jones for the Chiefs. They invested the 46th overall pick in him so coming in as an immediate starter seems fairly likely. He’s not going to be a star in IDP leagues but sometimes you just need a player who’s on the field.
9. Josh Sweat, DE PHI
Sweat comes in as the fifth option on a stacked depth chart that just won the Super Bowl. Frankly, he’ll do well to get on the field. On the other hand, it is an aging line at a couple of spots at least and Jim Schwartz is the best line coach in the sport. Sweat will not contribute in 2018 but he’s a fantastic taxi squad candidate.
10. Dorence Armstrong, DE DAL
Armstrong is a much better player against the run than the pass. He’ll be used to relieve the players above him and maybe to be an extra lineman in short yardage situations. Again, don’t expect much this season but I like him as a stash. The players ahead of him are at least insecure. DeMarcus Lawrence is on a franchise deal. Taco Charlton was awful as a rookie. Kony Ealy is a short-term solution at best.
Defensive tackles
For the record, I absolutely do not advocate drafting tackles unless you’re in a very large league. By very large, I mean rosters of 60 or over or leagues that have 20 or more teams.
1. Taven Bryan, DT JAX
Bryan walks into a stacked room as Malik Jackson’s understudy. Jackson is cuttable after this season and would count $15m against the cap (as a 29-year-old) in 2019. Taking Bryan in the first round tells us the Jags are at least starting to think of life without him.
On his own merit, I love Bryan as a relentless, knifing interior rusher. It’s often said that interior pressure is king against modern offenses and Bryan has shown he can create it. He might not be a player you use much in 2018 but he has a very bright future.
2. Vita Vea, DT TB
Who doesn’t love a 340-pound tackle who wears a maroon velvet suit?
As a top 12 pick, Vea will get on the field early and often and although he’s not a pure pass rusher, he is simply disruptive which will lead to decent production. Especially with Gerald McCoy next to him.
3. Maurice Hurst DT, OAK
I simply can’t drop Hurst lower than this. If his heart is OK (and I appreciate that’s a big if), he’s the best interior rusher in this draft by a mile. I’ll happily burn late picks in rookie drafts on the off chance of a potential top-five DT.
4. D’Shawn Hand, DT, DET
Hand will almost certainly end up as a DT although he might be listed on your provider as a DE for now. I think he’ll walk in as a full-time starter next to fellow Alabama alumni A’Shawn Robinson. Matt Patricia knows a few things about dominant lines and will focus on gap integrity and brilliant basics. Hand was only a fourth-round pick but Alabama tackles are nothing if not well prepared for playing in the NFL.
5. Da’Ron Payne, DT WAS
I like Payne as much as most people. And I adore him being taken at 13th overall. But as we know Washington linemen just don’t put up big numbers. They just don’t. Which means his value to us is limited.
6. Deadrin Senat, DT ATL
Senat has a relatively clear path to starting next to Grady Jarrett in Atlanta. I can’t see him playing a huge amount at his size and he’s not getting after the quarterback but he was a fantastic run-stopper in college and that should translate to a decent tackle number.
That’s it. There are other players who’ll make it onto the field but very few of them will have serious lasting value. At this time of year it’s tempting to think that every talented player in the late rounds is going to be a good option. But in this game, we’re mostly just looking for top 30 options. That means realistically any player needs to be the best option on his own team at a given position. It’s more complicated than that in practice but it’s still true at heart. Bear it in mind during rookie drafts.
Thanks for reading.
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