2023 NFL Draft prospects: Ranking top defensive tackles in this year's draft class
2023 NFL Draft prospects: Ranking top defensive tackles in this year's draft class

The 2023 NFL Draft is finally here. The first round takes place on Thursday, April 27, and will be televised on ABC and ESPN at 8:00 p.m. ET. After the first 31 picks are selected, the remaining six rounds will take place on Friday and Saturday. Here, we'll take a look at this year's defensive tackle prospects heading into the draft.

Likely first player off the board

Jalen Carter will almost certainly be the first defensive tackle off the board, and we can expect him to go in the top five picks of this year's draft. He ranks third overall, and the next-best DT shows up at No. 31 in the overall rankings. Carter was a member of two national championship-winning Georgia teams who were known for their defenses.

However, Carter has had off-the-field issues and was arrested in March for reckless driving. He is the most talented player in the class at his position, but teams may be hesitant to take him because of this.

Biggest names

Clemson's Bryan Bresee has been a highly-touted prospect throughout his years in college, but his injury issues limited his play with the Tigers. However, we can still expect to see him go in the second round, though it won't be what he hoped for a year ago. Pittsburgh's Calijah Kancey is another exciting prospect whose name will be called in the first or second round. Kancey had seven sacks in both 2021 and 2022.

Sleepers

LSU's Jaquelin Roy has some serious potential with his explosiveness and lateral movement. He has a good build for the position and could even move to defensive end at the next level. Texas' Moro Ojomo is also a guy to keep an eye on – he is one of the best defenders of the run in his draft class. Western Kentucky's Brodric Martin has an intriguing size and build reminiscent of Jordan Davis, and could become a major weapon with more coaching.

Player Pos School Pos Rk Overall Rk
Player Pos School Pos Rk Overall Rk
Jalen Carter DT Georgia 1 3
Bryan Bresee DT Clemson 2 31
Calijah Kancey DT Pittsburgh 3 32
Mazi Smith DT Michigan 4 45
Keeanu Benton DT Wisconsin 5 51
Siaki Ika DT Baylor 6 64
Gervon Dexter DT Florida 7 68
Jaquelin Roy DT LSU 8 96
Zacch Pickens DT South Carolina 9 111
Cameron Young DT Mississippi State 10 132
Moro Ojomo DT Texas 11 142
Kobie Turner DT Wake Forest 12 165
Brodric Martin DT Western Kentucky 13 175
Karl Brooks DT Bowling Green 14 181
Keondre Coburn DT Texas 15 187
Jerrod Clark DT Coastal Carolina 16 195
Tyler Lacy DT Oklahoma State 17 202
Jalen Redmond DT Oklahoma 18 206
Dante Stills DT West Virginia 19 209
Desjuan Johnson DT Toledo 20 218
Scott Matlock DT Boise State 21 225
Nesta Jade Silvera DT Arizona State 22 238
Calvin Avery DT Illinois 23 274
Jacob Slade DT Michigan Sate 24 282
Cory Durden DT NC State 25 288
PJ Mustipher DT Penn State 26 297

  
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