Let's talk Defensive Line

[Couch-Potato]

Went through a bunch of threads to identify all of our interests across the defensive line, is this all of them? Who else should be added to the list? Removed from the list? Should anyone be moved up or down on the draft target list?

FA Targets
-DE Yannick Ngakoue, IND
-DT Da’ron Payne, WAS
-DT Poona Ford, SEA
-DE Jadaveon Clowney, CLV
-DT Kalen Saunders, KC
-DT Greg Gains, LAR
-DT Armon Watts, CHI
-DE Ardon Key, JAX
-DE Clean Ferril, LVR
-DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, HOU
-DT Chris Wormley, PIT
-DT Maurice Hurst, SF
-DT Andrew Billings, CIN

Vet Trade Targets
-DE Brian Burns, CAR
-DE Chase Young, WAS
-DE Carl Granderson, New Orleans
-DE Za'Darius Smith, Minnesota
-DE D.J. Wonnum, Minnesota

1st Rd Targets
-DT Byran Breese,
-DE Lukas Van Ness, Iowa
-DE BJ Ojulari, LSU
-DE Keion White, Georgia Tech
-DE Derick Hall, Auburn
-DE Isahiah Foskey, ND
-DE Nolan Smith, Georgia
-DL Tuli Tuipulotu, USC
-DE Andre Carter, Army

2nd Rd Targets
-DT Siaki Ika, BU
-DE Will McDonald IV, Iowa St.
-DL Calijah Kancey, Pitt
-DE Zach Harrison, Ohio State
-DE Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State
-DT Mazi Smith, Michigan

3rd Rd Targets
-DT Gervon Dexter, Florida
-NT Keanu Benton, Wisconsin
-DE Adetomiwa Adebawore, Northwestern
-DL Byron Young, Tennessee
-DT Zack Pickens, South Carolina
-DL Mike Morris, Michigan
-DE Dylan Horton, TCU

4th Rd Targets
-DT Byron Young, Alabama
-DE Viliami Fehoko, San Jose St
-DE Thomas Incoom, Central Michigan
-DL Yaya Diabi, Louisville
-DE Habakkuk Baldonado, Pitt

5th-7th Rd Targets
-DE Isaiah McGuire, Missouri
-DE Caleb Murphy, Ferris St
-DE Derek Parish, Houston
-DT Dante Stills, West Virginia
-NT Elijah Simmons, Tennessee

[Couch-Potato]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

I know you think guys might think it's boring, but there's unlikely to be anyone worth reaching up for. It just doesn't seem to be that kind of draft. We'd better off staying put in those first three rounds and just drafting more good football players.

I agree. I think we are more likely to move around in rounds 2-3.

[JPH83]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

I know you think guys might think it's boring, but there's unlikely to be anyone worth reaching up for. It just doesn't seem to be that kind of draft. We'd better off staying put in those first three rounds and just drafting more good football players.

Strongly agree, it feels like there's a lot of R2-3 types and it's a bit of a crap shoot as to who makes it. You just want to get as many shots in that R2-4 bracket as you can in my opinion

[RunKC]

Really good size for one of the top pass rushers in this class:

Felix Anudike-Uzomah (Kansas St)

6031
255
9 5/8 hand
33 1/2 arm
80 1/8 wing

— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) March 2, 2023

[JPH83]

Nolan Smith's combine presser. Man, I know everyone's probably right and he's too small, but dang I like this guy.

[Chris Meck]

Originally Posted by JPH83

Nolan Smith's combine presser. Man, I know everyone's probably right and he's too small, but dang I like this guy.

He's great for a 3-4 rushbacker.

[Otter]

Calijah Kancey, Pitt

I want to see alumni on the roster and love guy in the 2nd.

[RunKC]

Pest can **** off bc I’m stepping on this bandwagon. I ****ing love this kid.

[Abba-Dabba]

More I watch Keondre Coburn the more I like him. Probably not much interest from the Chiefs though.

[JPH83]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

He's great for a 3-4 rushbacker.

For sure. That level of athlete, i think pretty much any team could find a way to use him productively.

[In58men]

Give me Poona Ford!!!

He would eat in our system

[Couch-Potato]

Karl Brook is interesting, 6-4 300 lbs 20 sacks over the last 2 seasons.

[Couch-Potato]

Calijah Kancey blew everyone away at the NFL Combine, now we're looking at an NFL mock draft for possible fits that could maximize the Pitt defensive lineman.

Every year at the NFL Combine, we see players significantly raise their stock for the NFL Draft with the way they wow with their athletic testing. And even though we knew Pitt Panthers defensive lineman Calijah Kancey was a beast, what he did on Thursday at the Combine turned heads everywhere.

The Pittsburgh standout with 14.5 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss over the past two seasons topped every defensive tackle in the 40-yard dash, the only test that he ran. But it was how he did that which had people buzzing.

Kancey ran the 40 in 4.67 seconds, the fastest time by a defensive tackle at the NFL Combine since 2003. Moreover, he started drawing comparisons to another Pitt defensive tackle, some guy named Aaron Donald, for his explosiveness.

Here are 3 fits for Kancey in the upcoming draft:

NFL mock draft: Calijah Kancey fit No. 2 – Kansas City Chiefs

Yes, the Kansas City Chiefs already have one superstar defensive tackle on the roster in Chris Jones. He had an argument for Defensive Player of the Year in his own right this past season and has been a dominant force for several years since he was drafted out of Mississippi State.

It's the depth around him that will be a question for 2023, though. Both Khalen Saunders and Derrick Nnadi are set to hit free agency, as is defensive end Carlos Dunlap. They could bring some of those guys back, but it also stands to reason that the Chiefs would also like to get younger at the position and find a potential high-upside player to replenish the depth like Kancey.

While I'm high on the potential of Kancey and even more so with the explosiveness shown in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine, his size does mean that he's going to need a defensive coordinator who is creative in figuring out how to maximize his athleticism and arsenal of pass-rushing moves.

Steve Spagnuolo is a fantastic option to do that with the way he likes to mix up looks and move guys around in the front seven (and really all over the defense). Kancey could potentially thrive under that type of coaching and he would make a lot of sense if he was there with the 31st overall pick.

[JPH83]

Originally Posted by Couch-Potato

Karl Brook is interesting, 6-4 300 lbs 20 sacks over the last 2 seasons.

Yeah I had him in a much earlier thread on guys I liked. He might be seen as a DE/DT tweener and not long or quick enough for the edge and not stout enough for the interior. But if he's around in the 4th or maybe even the end of the 3rd I would not hate that pick at all. For a guy that size the explosiveness is pretty impressive, and the ceiling seems very high.

[Chris Meck]

Originally Posted by Couch-Potato

Calijah Kancey blew everyone away at the NFL Combine, now we're looking at an NFL mock draft for possible fits that could maximize the Pitt defensive lineman.

Every year at the NFL Combine, we see players significantly raise their stock for the NFL Draft with the way they wow with their athletic testing. And even though we knew Pitt Panthers defensive lineman Calijah Kancey was a beast, what he did on Thursday at the Combine turned heads everywhere.

The Pittsburgh standout with 14.5 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss over the past two seasons topped every defensive tackle in the 40-yard dash, the only test that he ran. But it was how he did that which had people buzzing.

Kancey ran the 40 in 4.67 seconds, the fastest time by a defensive tackle at the NFL Combine since 2003. Moreover, he started drawing comparisons to another Pitt defensive tackle, some guy named Aaron Donald, for his explosiveness.

Here are 3 fits for Kancey in the upcoming draft:

NFL mock draft: Calijah Kancey fit No. 2 – Kansas City Chiefs

Yes, the Kansas City Chiefs already have one superstar defensive tackle on the roster in Chris Jones. He had an argument for Defensive Player of the Year in his own right this past season and has been a dominant force for several years since he was drafted out of Mississippi State.

It's the depth around him that will be a question for 2023, though. Both Khalen Saunders and Derrick Nnadi are set to hit free agency, as is defensive end Carlos Dunlap. They could bring some of those guys back, but it also stands to reason that the Chiefs would also like to get younger at the position and find a potential high-upside player to replenish the depth like Kancey.

While I'm high on the potential of Kancey and even more so with the explosiveness shown in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine, his size does mean that he's going to need a defensive coordinator who is creative in figuring out how to maximize his athleticism and arsenal of pass-rushing moves.

Steve Spagnuolo is a fantastic option to do that with the way he likes to mix up looks and move guys around in the front seven (and really all over the defense). Kancey could potentially thrive under that type of coaching and he would make a lot of sense if he was there with the 31st overall pick.

One thing you COULD do with Kancey is play him at DE on early downs and short yardage,and then move him inside next to Jones on passing downs.

It's not the worst idea in the world.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

One thing you COULD do with Kancey is play him at DE on early downs and short yardage,and then move him inside next to Jones on passing downs.

It's not the worst idea in the world.

That’s my thought with him. I think you’d use him like Mike Danna is used, except he’s more gifted than Danna.