The Chargers stand with only three defensive tackles on the roster after the re-signing of Brandon Mebane. A glaring hole that will need to be addressed, expect Los Angeles to consider selecting one early in the draft and electing to get one later on for more depth.
With that, here is one defensive tackle in each round for L.A. to heavily consider in April’s draft.
Round 1 | Jerry Tillery | Notre Dame
Every year the Chargers have a handful of prospects that are consistently mocked to them throughout the pre-draft process. Among the group is former Notre Dame defensive tackle Jerry Tillery.
Flying under the radar throughout his collegiate career, Tillery didn’t start to get the attention until his senior season. In 2018, Tillery earned second-team All-American status from the Associated Press. He tallied 30 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks and three forced fumbles.
Standing at 6-foot-6 and 295 pounds, Tillery is a dominant force up front. Moving like a defensive end and displaying the strength of a nose tackle, Tillery wins with upper body strength and hands to stack, jolt and toss obstacles in his way, showing the ability to get after the quarterback, and reset the line of scrimmage with initial power at the point of attack. Despite his height, Tillery displays the mobility to drop his pad level and play with great leverage.
Tillery would be a phenomenal addition up front because he would be able to play the one or three-technique, showing the versatility needed. His physical and explosive presence would be welcoming inside of defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.
Round 2 | Renell Wren | Arizona State
Wren was a relative unknown throughout his four-year stint with the Sun Devils. He wasn’t a player that was lighting up the stat sheet on a weekly basis, posting only 43 tackles, 4.5 tackle for loss, one sack, and two passes defensed in his senior season. But he consistently flashed at the line of scrimmage.
Standing at 6-foot-5 and 318 pounds, Wren blends size, strength and athleticism all into one when he steps on the field. He flashes on tape with his punch and upper-body power to jolt blockers back. Wren plays balanced on his feet with snap anticipation and coordinated movements, but needs to improve his pad level to better clear single blockers when not squared up.
Although he has strong hands, he needs to utilize them to develop a pass-rush technique. Wren is not perfect by any means, but putting him on the Chargers’ defensive line would help unlock his true potential. His relentless playing temperament, quickness, and power to control the point of attack will make him coveted around this range.
Round 3 | Khalen Saunders | Western Illinois
Saunders, an Associated Press FCS second-team All-American, started all 12 games and posted 57 tackles, 12 for loss, 7.5 sacks, and three passes defensed in 2018. The small-school standout showed that was capable of competing with the best of the best in the Senior Bowl, and posted phenomenal numbers at the Combine.
Standing at 6-foot and 324 pounds, Saunders plays an attacking brand of football. For his weight, he is very explosive and has great short area quickness. Saunders exhibited flexibility, speed, and power at the point of attack. His first step and twitch make it difficult for interior offensive linemen to square him up and cut him off. He’s effective at playing on the edge of blockers and penetrating through a gap.
Saunders is far from the perfect prospect and has areas that he will have to improve on in order to have success at the next level. His play recognition, hand usage to disengage from blockers, and ability to anchor are things that will need to be addressed.
Saunders lined up all across the defensive line for Western Illinois, but he best projects as a one-gapping 4-3 nose tackle, which would is something that Los Angeles needs.
Round 4 | Trysten Hill | UCF
Hill’s 2018 season didn’t go as planned. After current Nebraska coach left UCF’s program, he saw his playing time take a dip in his junior year. After starting every game in his first and second year, Hill finished his final season with 11 starts, posting 36 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
Standing at 6-foot-3 and 308 pounds, Hill was hidden in this deep defensive tackle class until the Combine where he shined among the others in his group. He ran a solid 40-yard dash at 5.05 seconds. He added that to his 28 reps on the bench press, a 35-inch vertical jump and 115-inch broad jump, all of which were among the top-10 for defensive linemen.
Hill is not the biggest player, so he was not immediately going to pop on the screen, but it was impossible not to notice his get-off, foot quickness, energy and strength, creating splash plays behind the line of scrimmage. There were times where his lack of leverage, lack of control and inability to anchor would allow offensive linemen to get rid of him on the spot.
Overall, Hill isn’t yet the sum of his parts and needs time to evolve from a traits prospect into a more consistent football player, but they’re tools worth working with in the long run to develop into a key rotational interior defensive lineman.
Last 3 Possibilities
Round 5 | Daylon Mack | Texas A&M
Mack dominated the pre-draft all-star games (East-West Shrine Game, Senior Bowl) after being under the radar all season, as he went through various coaching changes. Mack has a thick and squatty frame at 6-foot-1 and 336 pounds, possessing strength and anchor ability like none other to help clog up the middle with his point-of-attack power.
Round 6 | Ricky Walker | Virginia Tech
Walker was a versatile defender, playing up and down the defensive line for the Hokies. He posted double-digit tackles for loss in 2018. Projecting best as a three-technique, Walker is adept at working on the edge of blockers and creating leverage to the gap. Walker has a high motor, showing the willingness to chase and pursuit. He can win with his hands, as he has a good swim, club, rip and hump move to help him get into the backfield.
Round 7 | Albert Huggins | Clemson
Huggins was hidden behind former teammates Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence throughout his career. He got his opportunity to shine with the suspension of Lawrence in the playoffs. Huggins is a short-area defender who can hold the point of attack when he plays up to his natural power. He creates some movement when he stays low and runs his feet, but he’s going to be a player to occupy space and eat up blockers.
