With the NFL Draft fast approaching, teams across the league will be looking to turn areas of need into areas of long-term strength in one fell swoop. And the best way to do that is to find the cream of the crop — which is exactly what we did.
Here are the best available players at every defensive position in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Defensive end
Myles Garrett, Texas A&M
No matter which way the Cleveland Browns go at No. 1, Garrett is almost unanimously considered the best player in the 2017 draft (Warren Sapp appears to be the only skeptic).
A physical specimen at 6-foot-four and 270 pounds, Garrett ran a 4.57 40-yard dash at the Texas A&M pro day. That’s mind-bending speed for a man of his size, and Garrett’s athleticism and dominance was evident in his production for the Aggies: 11 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss as a freshman; 11.5 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss in his sophomore season; and 8.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss in 2016 in which he dealt with a knee injury.
We’ve all seen the effect game-changing defensive ends have had with the likes of J.J. Watt (three-time defensive player of the year), Von Miller (Super Bowl MVP), and Khalil Mack (2016 DPOY) causing nightmares for opposing quarterbacks.
Garrett is a freak athlete with the edge-rushing skills to have the same impact, and the Browns might very well regret picking anyone but him first overall.
Defensive tackle
Jonathan Allen, Alabama
Edge rushers may steal the headlines in Thursday’s first round, but don’t sleep on the best of the draft’s interior defensive linemen. Allen is likely the only defensive tackle to go in the first round, and a top-10 selection looks likely.
The six-foot-three, 290-pound lineman has led the Crimson Tide in sacks in each of the last two seasons (10.5 in 2016, 12 in 2015) and won the Chuck Bednarik Award this past season as college football’s best defender. Allen may be listed as a tackle, but he can play both inside and off the edge, is extremely athletic and is said to be an outstanding leader.
Some shoulder concerns could see Allen slip a bit, but he’ll likely go in the top 10 and no further than 15th.
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Linebacker
Reuben Foster, Alabama
The draft process hasn’t gone well for Foster, who was booted from the NFL scouting combine before taking part in any of the drills and then last week was revealed to have tested positive for a dilute urine sample at the combine.
Both instances bring about question marks, for sure, but Foster isn’t expected to fall too far as a result. And while on-the-rise linebacker Haasan Reddick may be selected ahead of Foster, the Alabama product is the top player at the position.
The leader of the best defence in college football last season, Foster racked up 115 total tackles in 2016, 13 for loss, along with five sacks. The 23-year-old is athletic and can lower the boom, but brings much more than that to the table.
His recent troubles raise flags, but don’t expect too many linebacker-needy teams to pass of Foster.
Cornerback
Marshon Lattimore, Ohio State
This may be one of the deepest drafts at cornerback ever. According to Albert Breer of The MMQB, one team has 35 corners with draftable grades when the average is 15-20. With good size, speed and smarts, Lattimore is considered to be the best among them.
There has been talk of concern about Lattimore’s health, as hamstring injuries limited him to just three games in 2014 and 2015, and reportedly tightened up during the combine. But if teams in the top 10 with a need at cornerback feel confident that’s a non-issue, Lattimore has the potential to reward them as a true shutdown corner.
The 49ers, Bears, Titans and Jets could all be in on Lattimore Thursday night.
Safety
Jamal Adams, LSU AND Malik Hooker, Ohio State
There’s not much separating the two best safeties available in this draft, and there won’t be many spots between the pair when they’re selected Thursday night.
Adams is touted as more of a strong safety-type player, who can slide down as that eighth man in the box and make a big impact against the run. The 21-year-old racked up 209 total tackles in 36 games at LSU over the last three years, including 18 for loss. But Adams is much more versatile than that, which is why he’s a no-doubt top-10 pick who could go as high as No. 2.
Hooker doesn’t have the same run-stopping abilities as Adams, but, boy, does he have a knack for making plays. A scary talent at free safety, Hooker reeled off seven interceptions last season which tied him for second-most in college football. What sets the Buckeye apart? He took three of those for TDs, averaging more than 25 yards per return, Ed Reed style.
Bottomline: both Adams and Hooker bring game-changing ability, and will make an immediate impact on their NFL teams. They could both be long gone by No. 10.