The Cowboys could target a defensive tackle early — it’s an impressive but short supply
By
Bob Sturm
6h ago
4
In the interest of full disclosure, I decided to change my own rules here in our ninth Draft Digest. To this point, they have all been six players, but in this edition, I wanted to give you the best five defensive tackles and then allow myself an extra cornerback for the 10th edition next week.
There is no doubt that the
Cowboys fancy help at defensive tackle, but the issue there is that the drop-off from the top bunch to the rest is substantial and with only one pick the top 57 selections, the supply will not meet the demand. Average defensive tackles do grow on trees in the later rounds, but these are the best of the best and won’t have to wait very long.
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As you know,
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has been supplying our prospects through his amazing work and his latest
Top 100 list can be found here.
Without any further build-up, let’s look – in alphabetical order – what we believe are the top five defensive tackles in this class.
Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin: 6-4, 309, senior, age 21
Keeanu Benton is a very interesting player who emerged at the Senior Bowl as a force to consider. He is a three-star Wisconsin kid who was ranked the 85th-best defensive tackle in his recruiting class, but after his last two years of All-Big Ten play, it would seem that he has done a lot of growing in Madison.
Career stats
Strengths: You have to love the exceptional size and arm length on a player who also features this level of quickness and explosion off the snap. He is a big man in the center of your defense who appears position versatile in that he can line up in your 3-tech or 1-tech, although we assume he will make more plays outside the guards than he might in the A-gaps. At Wisconsin, he was able to hold up well in the run game and make plays in the backfield against QBs in the pass game. This, of course, is pretty rare. His hands are gifted and he is very powerful.
Concerns: His anchor may not make him a complete 1-technique or nose tackle so then you fall into the questions about whether he might be more of a tweener than a standout that would push him into the top rounds. Either way, he is useful, but our valuation depends on him being excellent at something as a starter. While a good pass rusher for a run defender, is he a legitimate good pass rusher or will you take him off in pass situations?
Overview: This is probably a safer bet than Mazi Smith at No. 26 if you can nab him in the second round, but the trick is for him to be available when the Cowboys make that second pick. I think the more you can find guys in the 310- to 315-pound range who can really move and play with attitude, the better. Of course, that is easier said than done because they are in large demand. I like him plenty as a
SECOND-ROUND grade, but I suspect he gets pushed into the league’s top-50 picks.
Bryan Bresee, Clemson: 6-5, 298, rs-sophomore, age 21
Bryan Bresee was actually the No. 1 recruit in America in the Class of 2020 and pursued by pretty much every college football powerhouse. Upon his arrival at Clemson he immediately won the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year as a freshman. Since then, however, he has been hit hard by an ACL injury to his left knee and a shoulder injury in the last two years and arrives at the draft with a fair amount of questions.
Career stats
YEAR
| SCHOOL
| CLASS
| SNAPS
| TACKLES
| SACKS
| TFL
| PFF GRADE
|
|---|
| 2020 |  Clemson | FR | 430 | 23 | 4 | 6.5 | 68.2 |
| 2021 | Clemson | SO | 152 | 13 | 1.5 | 3 | 69.4 |
| 2022 | Clemson | RS-SO | 330 | 15 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 73.5 |
| Totals | | 912 | 51 | 9 | 15 | | |
Strengths: You can definitely see his upside, the quickness and power that can make him a menace in the backfield. He is tall and has great speed for a defensive tackle and Clemson moved him all over the place including time out on the edge. He can be very explosive and really uses his hands well to win reps in both the run and pass. His motor will not be an issue.
Concerns: The biggest concern is that his best tape was from before his injury and with that comes the conclusion that he is not currently the guy he was before the ACL. He is not as explosive and his lateral quickness is simply not the same. The good news is that we see this all the time one year after an ACL and it almost always gets better. The bad news is that you will have to project that and pick him before you see it. The medicals are going to be imperative and so will his future durability as the past two seasons were abbreviated.
Overview: Bresee is a very nice player and you see that he has a rare skill set of traits and ability. But, the issues are there and the risk factors for a DT that high are pretty significant. Also, I think he is best as a 3-technique inside and from a Cowboys’ standpoint, that position does not need as much help. For me, I would place a
FIRST-SECOND ROUND grade on him, provided the medicals look good.
Jalen Carter, Georgia: 6-3, 314, junior, age 22
Jalen Carter is absolutely one of the household names from this draft who emerged as a top prospect over his three seasons as a man among men on that Georgia defense that has won back-to-back national championships, largely because the defense was absurd. He is a five-star from the 2020 class who did some of his best work as he saw more teammates leave for the
NFL.
Career stats
YEAR
| SCHOOL
| CLASS
| SNAPS
| TACKLES
| SACKS
| TFL
| PFF GRADE
|
|---|
| 2020 |  Georgia | FR | 287 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 71.4 |
| 2021 | Georgia | SO | 396 | 37 | 3 | 8.5 | 85.3 |
| 2022 | Georgia | JR | 392 | 32 | 3 | 7 | 92.3 |
| Totals | | 1,075 | 83 | 6 | 18.5 | | |
Strengths: He is a terrifying player to deal with in that his size and quickness combination are as rare as they get and he will immediately be the centerpiece of whatever defense he joins. He is constantly double-teamed but never slows down. If his initial move doesn’t fully work, he activates a bullrush that jolts larger men right back into the QB. Players of this size seldom affect the pass rush the way he does and can also boss a run game. Understand the impact that a player like this has had at Georgia, with every other member of the group getting better opportunities because opponents are trying to keep Carter from wrecking their day.
Concerns: Clearly,
his offseason has not helped his stock as his role in the street-racing tragedy will not make this an easy evaluation and he also
did not have the best pro day ever. He has limited experience with a snap count barely over 1,000 in three years at Georgia, but that can actually be a positive to many. His stats and production are modest, but we all know that eating double teams makes the defense better without statistical credit. He definitely needs to refine his skills and continue to develop, but he is the real deal.
Overview: He could be considered the best football prospect in this entire draft, but the arrest and the fact he is not a quarterback is going to probably slide him down a fair bit. But make no mistake, turning on the tape shows the rarest of prospects: a defensive tackle who seems to impact the entire game plan. Teams will be hoping and praying nobody from their division takes him so they don’t have to deal with him twice a year. He is that good.
HIGH FIRST-ROUND GRADE for his tape.
Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh: 6-1, 281, rs-junior, age 22
Calijah Kancey is one of the most interesting players in this draft because he is one of the smallest at his position. Yet, his rise from three-star recruit to potential first-rounder is based on production, technique and a skill set that simply defies his limitations at a high level. Yes, his college uniform makes people compare him to
Aaron Donald, but we don’t believe in uniform scouting here. He has to have it himself — and, it seems he might.
Career stats
YEAR
| SCHOOL
| CLASS
| SNAPS
| TACKLES
| SACKS
| TFL
| PFF GRADE
|
|---|
| 2020 |  Pittsburgh | RS FR | 398 | 27 | 1.5 | 7 | 80.4 |
| 2021 | Pittsburgh | RS SO | 577 | 33 | 7 | 13 | 84.6 |
| 2022 | Pittsburgh | RS JR | 454 | 31 | 7.5 | 14.5 | 91.8 |
| Totals | | 1,429 | 91 | 16 | 34.5 | | |
Strengths: I entered my study of Kancey extremely cynical in that I really get concerned with size outliers in the trenches. But, he is consistently so explosive out of his stance and so polished with his hand techniques and pass-rush skills that he is in the backfield in a flash. He causes chaos and attracts attention and is a real high end twitch player who knows what he is doing. He wins with speed and with surprising power. He would be great in a stunting 40 front and his quickness will be a problem.
Concerns: He is small: 2 percentile in height, 4 percentile in weight, 1 percentile in arm length. He is not scheme diverse in that 30 fronts will not have interest and probably not position diverse. He is a straight 3-technique, for me. His play in the run game is acceptable at the college level, but he will be attacked weekly in the NFL to prove he can survive there. He does play low and stands his ground, but, there are many questions to answer.
Overview: Sometimes, you have to focus on what a guy can do and he can make plays. He will not be for everyone, but there are many places he could go that will fit his style and situation that might allow him to be a featured member of their front. Dallas could conceivably be in that group. I had to be convinced and a morning with his tape, did it. He is going in the first round and should receive a
FIRST-ROUND grade. I have been won over.
Mazi Smith, Michigan: 6-3, 323, rs-junior, age 21
Mazi Smith was the
No. 1 freak in our Bruce Feldman’s 2022 Freak List. Here is the opening paragraph:
” The 6-foot-3, 337-pound senior has rare power and agility. So rare, in fact, it’s hard to find the right superlative to begin with. But let’s start with this: Smith does 22 reps on the bench press, but that’s with 325 (not 225). He close-grip benched 550 pounds. He vertical-jumps 33 inches. He broad-jumped 9-4 1/2. Smith, who had 37 tackles last season, has clocked a 4.41 shuttle time, which would’ve tied the best by any defensive tackle at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, and it would’ve been better than any defensive tackle weighing 310 pounds or more in the past decade. His 6.95 3-cone time would’ve been by far the fastest among defensive tackles in Indianapolis. The fastest was 7.33. “
Career stats
YEAR
| SCHOOL
| CLASS
| SNAPS
| TACKLES
| SACKS
| TFL
| PFF GRADE
|
|---|
| 2019 |  Michigan | FR | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Michigan | RS FR | 51 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 61.4 |
| 2021 | Michigan | RS SO | 544 | 37 | 0 | 2.5 | 75.6 |
| 2022 | Michigan | RS JR | 632 | 48 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 79.9 |
| Totals | | 1,234 | 88 | 0.5 | 6 | | |
Strengths: As you can see, he has few — if any — physical limitations. For a man his size, he should not be able to move as he does. So often, we look at nose tackles and 1-techniques as players you should get later in the draft because they are so limited physically. They cannot move. Smith is a real exception in that he moves very well. Dominant player vs. the run. He has an anchor against double teams, but can run down the line and mirror someone like C.J. Stroud on a rollout. It is a sight to behold. He can also play a high volume of snaps and remain effective.
Concerns: Well, he is a 1-technique and for all of his wonderful attributes, still totaled just a half-sack in more than 1,200 snaps at Michigan. He is limited as a pass rusher, but can really push the pocket. He had felony charges dismissed for a concealed handgun without a license that will require some work from teams, but by all accounts seems a solid man.
Overview: This one comes down to valuation of the position. I think he is exactly what the Cowboys need, but I also wonder if No. 26 overall is a bit too rich for a guy who might not play on nickel downs. That said, I don’t think he would make it to No. 58, so do you try to trade back to somewhere in the middle? He is impressive and I like him.
FIRST-SECOND ROUND grade for me. He is a cut above.
With 53 players done, we have one group — the cornerbacks to go. Of course, I will cheat again and offer a bonus look at the QBs after that. But, for now,
here is the Sturm 60 with grades.
Wisconsin
