The 2024 NFL Draft DT class doesn’t have a talent like Jalen Carter, but as these rankings show, the group may have superior depth to its preceding class. Trimming the list of top talents to just 10 is a difficult task, and there’s potential blue-chip talent at the top.
Ranking the Top DTs in the 2024 NFL Draft
Time will tell just how rewarding the returns are with the 2023 NFL Draft DT group, but it’s an inspiring class on the surface. Carter has been as advertised so far, Calijah Kancey and Kobie Turner have been exceptional disruptors for their respective teams, and many others have shown promise.
The 2023 class was formidable. Carter, Kancey, Bryan Bresee, and Mazi Smith all earned Round 1 capital, and many other quality contributors dotted the Day 2 and Day 3 ranges.
As strong as the 2023 class was, however, the 2024 group could be even better. Let’s take a look at what it has to offer.
10) Leonard Taylor III, Miami (FL)
A former five-star recruit, Miami’s Leonard Taylor III did nothing but confirm his pedigree with his play in college football.
In 2021 and 2022, Taylor logged five sacks and 19 TFLs. Although his numbers were smaller in 2023, his early-round talent is very much apparent.
Taylor wears 300 pounds about as well as a player can. His athletic 6’3″ frame affords him a great deal of alignment versatility, which he uses to his advantage.
Many of the Miami product’s pressures come from angle confusion, athleticism, and pure effort. Consistency and complete buy-in are the main question marks with Taylor, but he’s a rapid mover off the snap who can channel power with his hands and violently exploit leverage.
9) DeWayne Carter, Duke
DeWayne Carter is one of the top candidates in the 2024 NFL Draft defensive tackle class to go far earlier than anyone expects. In fact, after his Senior Bowl and NFL Combine performances, he could be a surprise top-50 pick.
Carter is one of the higher-floor prospects in the DT group, who also brings a fairly high ceiling at 3-tech with his 6’2″, 303-pound frame, 33″ arms, and high-end athleticism — quantified by his 5.00 40-yard dash and 32″ vertical.
Not only does Carter have all the tools, but he was a three-time captain at Duke. He’s not the most flexible and can still grow beyond his pure power element, but there’s lots to like.
8) Mekhi Wingo, LSU
Players like Ed Oliver, Kancey, and Turner have strengthened the reputation of the undersized, sawed-off interior defender over the past few cycles. Past Johnny Newton and Byron Murphy II, the prospect who best fits that mold in 2024 is LSU’s Mekhi Wingo.
At around 6’0′, 286 pounds, Wingo will predominantly be limited to a one-gapping, pass-rush specialist role. But within that role, he has the instant first-step explosiveness, active and forceful hands, and the motor in pursuit to make an impact.
7) Kris Jenkins, Michigan
Kris Jenkins‘ placement in the top 10 is partly based on projection but even more so on traits. High-level traits are worth banking on if the tape is good enough, and Jenkins possesses those more than many DTs in this class.
He still needs to deliver on those traits more consistently and expand his pass-rushing footprint, but Jenkins is already a high-level run defender with the tools to grow into an every-down force.
Now at 6’3″ and around 305 pounds, Jenkins is tailor-made for the 3-tech disruptor role. He has a potentially overwhelming blend of short-area twitch, leverage, flexibility, power capacity, and ruthless prying strength.
6) Maason Smith, LSU
Maason Smith erupted onto the NFL Draft radar with a four-sack campaign as a true freshman with the LSU Tigers. A torn ACL early in 2022 delayed his ascent, but in 2023, he returned to the fold and again reminded evaluators of his upside.
Smith still has room to improve his pad level on a down-to-down basis, but he’s a stack-and-shed machine at 6’5″, 300 pounds, with arms over 35″. He also flashes exciting burst and flexibility as a pass rusher. At his peak, he can be a Stephon Tuitt-type playmaker.
5) Braden Fiske, Florida State
The Seminoles’ line was stacked in 2023, with Jared Verse and Patrick Payton manning the edges and Joshua Farmer emerging on the interior. Still, the biggest difference-maker down the stretch might have been Braden Fiske.
Fiske was a dominant force for Western Michigan in 2022, accumulating 59 tackles, six sacks, 12 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and three pass deflections. He matched that production at the Power Five level in 2023 with a six-sack, nine-TFL season headlined by a dominant ACC title game against Louisville.
Despite being a massive spectacle at 6’4″and 292 pounds, Fiske is a twitched-up attacker who overwhelms blockers with his energy and loaded power output on his rushes. He’s also a menace in pursuit with his truly relentless motor.
Though Fiske has very poor length, he compensates with his elite athleticism, quantified by his 4.78 40-yard dash, 33.5″ vertical, and 9’9″ broad jump — and his motor makes him almost bust-proof.
4) Michael Hall Jr., Ohio State
The Ohio State Buckeyes represent a football factory all across the board, and while the school has yet to be quite as productive on the interior defensive line as it has been at positions like wide receiver and quarterback, there’s still high-quality talent to know at DT.
Had he declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, Tyleik Williams could’ve been a top-three DT prospect. But even without him, the Buckeyes still have early-round representation with Williams’ teammate, Michael Hall Jr.
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Hall notched 4.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss in a breakout 2022 campaign. His 2023 season could have been more productive on the surface, but he was still a consistent disruptor in both phases of the game.
Hall’s a bit undersized at 6’3″, 290 pounds, and maintaining his balance when working across-face can, at times, be an issue. Still, he has the bristling explosiveness, agility, and natural leverage to play between 3-tech and 5-tech. He uses those same traits to capitalize in 1-on-1 situations — with swims and rips — and stunts across the formation.
3) Ruke Orhorhoro, Clemson
Ruke Orhorhoro had a strong case to declare after the 2022 campaign. But, after accruing 6.5 sacks and 16 TFLs across 2021 and 2022, Orhorhoro instead chose to return to the Clemson Tigers alongside Tyler Davis, enacting his fifth season of eligibility.
Now, after an eight-TFL, five-sack 2023 season, Orhorhoro carries a top-50 grade on my board.
At around 6’4″ and 294 pounds, Orhorhoro has enticing physical traits. He’s one of the most explosive athletes on this list, and he channels that burst with superb proportional length, culminating in elite raw power capacity.
Orhorhoro came to America from Nigeria and didn’t start playing until his junior year of high school, but already, he’s extremely versatile and can play all across the front.
2) Byron Murphy II, Texas
Naturally, with his size, it’s hard to overlook T’Vondre Sweat on Texas’ interior. But on PFN’s board, the higher-ranked Texas DT prospect is Byron Murphy II, and by a safe margin.
Sweat is a stellar nose tackle prospect who could succeed at the NFL level if he can stay consistent off the field, but Murphy has the tools to be a game-wrecker at the next level.
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On the way to putting up five sacks and 8.5 TFLs in 2023, Murphy showed off an elite mix of explosiveness, agility and twitch, voracity, hand quickness, and strength at 6’1″, 308 pounds.
Murphy is already an incredibly sturdy run-defender, but his ability to win one-on-one in the blink of an eye will prove alluring to NFL evaluators. Of the DT prospects ranked below No. 1, Murphy is the closest challenger for DT1.
Who Is the Best DT in the 2024 NFL Draft?
If you need a disruptive defensive lineman, the 2024 NFL Draft class has what you need. But as many DTs as there are vying for top-10 spots, Illinois’ Johnny Newton takes the top spot on our list.
1) Johnny Newton, Illinois
Illinois’ defense was a dominant unit in 2022, and that was reflected in the amount of 2023 NFL Draft talent they produced.
Devon Witherspoon, Sydney Brown, and Jartavius Martin all loomed near the top of their positions. Had he declared, Newton would have been in a similar situation. Instead, he’s the top DT in the 2024 NFL Draft and a top-20 prospect.
Heading into 2023, Newton was coming off a career-best campaign that included 61 tackles, 14 TFLs, 5.5 sacks, three pass deflections, and two fumble recoveries. In 2023, he added 7.5 sacks and 8.5 TFLs to his career totals.
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At 6’2″, 300 pounds, Newton has the versatility to rush inside or use burst, ankle flexion, and surgical hands to work around the apex. Through it all, he’s strong and stout enough to disrupt in the run game as well, with phenomenal football IQ.
Newton is best alongside a nose tackle who can encumber blocks. Still, he’s unnaturally proficient at prying through congestion and squirming through blocks to make stops. The Illinois product’s hyper-elite flexibility is a one-of-one trait that makes him a perplexingly slippery opponent for even the strongest offensive linemen.
Honorable Mentions
- McKinnley Jackson, Texas A&M
- T’Vondre Sweat, Texas
- Khristian Boyd, Northern Iowa
- Keith Randolph Jr., Illinois
- Gabe Hall, Baylor
- Tyler Davis, Clemson
- Fabien Lovett Sr., Florida State
- Jordan Jefferson, LSU
- Justin Eboigbe, Alabama
- Evan Anderson, FAU
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