2023 NFL Draft – Defensive Tackle Rankings

Complete NFL Draft Rankings – DT:

You are currently viewing the best defensive tackles in the 2023 NFL Draft. Our top defensive tackle prospects are selected after thousands of hours carefully scouting the best interior defensive linemen in college football. Even though only about 20-25 will get selected in the draft, dozens more are signed as free agents, and many more receive a training camp invite. Find who is a first round talent, and who is likely nothing more than a training camp body. Find draft sleepers, draft stars, who will be a bust, and who is being undervalued.

BNB Football is the best place for in-depth analysis of 2023 defensive tackle prospects at all levels of college football. To view other positions, follow the links below.

(Last Updated: April 19, 2023)

2023:  | QB | WR | RB | FB | TE | OT | G | C | DT | EDGE | ILB | S | CB | K | P | LS | OVERALL |

Jalen Carter shows an excellent combination of quickness, power, and football talent. The 6’3" 315 pound interior defender has lined up all over the line for Georgia’s elite defense, and will be able to excel in any NFL system. The stats weren’t dominant this year, but Carter was slowed by a knee injury and only played about 300 snaps on the season. He wins with elite core strength, a good get off, and impressive balance. He has strong hands to shed blockers and does a good job of locating the football through traffic. Carter has the classic “twitchy" athletic traits that we saw from Georgia defensive linemen in last year’s draft. After the season there has been a ton of off-field issues going on, and it difficult to speculate how teams view that from the outside looking in. Still, in terms of talent he’s one of the best overall players in the class.

2022 Stats

13 games: 32 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, 3 passes defended, 2 fumbles forced

Bryan Bresee was an elite prospect coming out of high school, and played a big role for Clemson as a true freshman in 2020. Following an ACL injury in 2021, Bresee had a very disappointing season this past year with very modest production. The combine will be big for him to prove he’s the same caliber of athlete that he was before his injury. When you watch him as a true freshman, he looked the part of a future top 5 pick. Bresee showed an impressive mix of power, speed, and flexibility, while displaying excellent lateral ability to cover two gaps. His size and athleticism allow him to play in any NFL system, but he’ll need to return to his preinjury form and do a better job of staying engaged when plays aren’t headed towards him.

2022 Stats

10 games: 15 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 2 passes defended, 0 fumbles forced

Calijah Kancey is one of the most fun players to scout in the entire draft. The undersized interior defensive lineman is as fast off the ball as anyone in the class, with elite bend and underneath quickness for his position. He does a very nice job fighting with his hands and gets under the punch of offensive lineman before exploding to the quarterback. The athletic measurables are truly elite, and they absolutely show up on film. While he’s incredibly undersized, he’s actually bigger than we thought which has led to an increase in his stock. At the combine he measured an inch taller than what he was listed at in college, usually it’s the other way around. Being 6’1" 281 pounds will still have its drawbacks, and it’s unfair to assume he’ll counter them as effectively as Aaron Donald. Kancey doesn’t have much length, and will occasionally get completely swallowed up on plays if he doesn’t immediately win off the snap.

2022 Stats

11 games: 31 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 0 passes defended, 0 fumbles forced

Mazi Smith is one of the best athletes in the class, standing at 6’3" 335 pounds with dominate athletic traits. He can lineup as a nose tackle or 3 technique, with the explosive power needed to blow up running lanes or disrupt a quarterback’s throw. He doesn’t have much for pass rushing moves which is to be expected from a 335 pound defensive lineman, but he does a good job of using his speed sideline to sideline and finding the football. He’s a load to be moved and can knock off offensive linemen with 1 arm. Smith has the size and athletic traits of a 1st round player, but will want to work on staying consistently locked in and developing a pass rush plan.

2022 Stats

14 games: 48 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, 0 passes defended, 1 fumble forced

Benton is a big, powerful, and flexible defensive lineman who could perform well in any NFL scheme. He’s got great size at 6’4" 310 pounds, but he often plays even bigger than that thanks to his above-average length and very powerful lower body and core. He consistently disrupts run plays by moving offensive linemen into the holes, and maintains good pad level despite being fairly tall. He has enough of a pass rushing move set to stay on the field in passing situations, and has enough flexibility to turn and drive up field. His overall athletic traits are solid for his size, and he’s very well coached with good use of his hands and very nice play recognition.

2022 Stats

12 games: 36 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 2 passes defended, 0 fumbles forced

Complete 2023 DT draft rankings

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2023:  | QB | WR | RB | FB | TE | OT | G | C | DT | EDGE | ILB | S | CB | K | P | LS | OVERALL |

I’d call the 2023 draft’s defensive tackle class above average due to Jalen Carter’s star talent along with the good mid-round depth. An odd number of the top prospects underwhelmed statistically which is some cause for concern, but this isn’t too uncommon for interior defensive linemen. The defensive tackle label includes all interior defensive linemen, meaning there’s a wide variety of styles for the top prospects. In particular this class feels especially strong for true nose tackles, with guys like Siaki Ika and Keondre Coburn leading the class. Ultimately this group will probably be remembered by how Jalen Carter turns out, as he’s viewed as a likely top 5 pick.