Here I review defensive line prospects for the 2022 draft. The embedded table of contents guides you to individual players. Players are listed in the round order in which I think the Ravens should consider them.
Previous position analyses can be found at these posts:
For edge defenders look here.
For defensive secondary look here.
For offensive lineman look here.
For the Round One analysis look here.
Defensive Line Prospects
Unfortunately for the Ravens, defensive line is not a strong position in this year’s class. Right now, the Ravens’ front consists of Michael Pierce, Calais Campbell, Justin Madubuike, Broderick Washington, Isaiah Mack, and the injured Derek Wolfe. I’m assuming Wolfe never suits up in 2022. Pierce likely can’t be counted on for more than 50% of play action, and arguably Campbell for not much more.
This group needs a talent infusion, and if the Ravens want to meaningfully improve it – and they must – they are likely going to have to hunt on day two of the draft given the lack of depth in this class. There still remain several NFL free agent defensive linemen who could be of interest to the Ravens post-draft, if necessary.
Devonte Wyatt
Devonte Wyatt is 6’3, 307 lbs. from Georgia, After several seasons, Wyatt finally put it all together in 2021. Wyatt has an explosive get off. At the Senior Bowl, he was almost impossible to block on one-on-one drills. Wyatt brings a great combination of power and quickness. He’s an absolute penetrator at the line and can shoot the gaps. Wyatt brings an excellent combination of moves, including a quick stutter step, straight up bull rush, and a club-rip move. He maintains good balance and brings excellent lateral mobility. It’s that lateral quickness that will beat zone blocks. On the other hand, Wyatt has been susceptible a bit in the run game, especially when confronted with double teams. This is an important consideration for the Ravens in particular in how Wyatt would be utilized. He is ideal for the three-technique (lining up outside the should of a guard).
Wyatt is winning with elite quickness as opposed to power. Indeed, that power could be improved, though he can adequately anchor at this point. But he’s the type of player who can make guards miss. Wyatt is all about movement. He doesn’t have the strongest hands and needs to combine his hand pop with leverage and momentum. Wyatt brings outstanding chase speed and will run players down.
As a pass rusher Wyatt needs to add more to his game than just relying on his athletic ability. More power to a bull rush attack is needed. He does bring a variety of swim moves to his repertoire. Although the sack numbers weren’t there (he was often used to free up blitzers), his explosion, combined with more power, could make Wyatt a formidable pass rusher from the interior. Within the last two weeks repeated incidents of domestic violence came to the surface regarding Wyatt, and this should be enough to keep the Ravens away. He has round one talent but could now slip. Round 1.
Travis Jones
Travis Jones is 6’4, 325 lbs. from Connecticut. Jones is perfectly constructed to be a nose tackle around whom any team’s run defense is constructed. But I think there’s a lot more there with Jones than just that. Jones is a very good athlete. For example, his three-cone was excellent for a man his size, illustrating his quickness. Over his college career he transformed his body and became the leader on a defense that (frankly) had little talent around him. Jones was the focus of every team that played Connecticut and note only did he wind up occupying multiple blockers, but he was still able to make a real impact in rushing the QB from the inside.
Jones is a strength monster. He is very difficult to move. He will protect inside linebackers and get them plenty of open run to the ball. On top of it, Jones has good explosion out of his stance and adds quick feet off the ball. He has the power to drive blockers backwards, and he stacks, sheds, and displaces with his powerful hands. He brings a variety of moves to the table to push the gaps. Jones is quick to diagnose. Unlike Jordan Davis, Jones was on the field for 584 snaps last year.
There is a lot to like in what Jones can offer in pass rushing. For one, with his powerful bull rush he puts blockers back on their skates almost immediately. But he brings more to the table than just relying on the bull rush. He’s able to swipe, club, and swim with his counters. He wins angles with his surprising quickness, length, and speed. There’s a lot to work with here. Jones plays with a great pad level, which makes him the immovable object that he can be.
There is further upside to his pass rushing game, as he can learn with NFL coaching to better utilize his initial quickness and power. Teammates called Jones, a team captain, the hardest worker on the team. Jones’ dominance on tape continued through the Senior Bowl practices where blockers just didn’t seem to want any part of him.
In all, Jones is a dominant nose run defender with good upside as a pocket pushing and penetrating pass rusher. In that respect, I think he has more upside than Jordan Davis. For the Ravens, 14 is simply too high to draft Jones. Now on the surface, given the signings of Michael Pierce and Calais Campbell, one might not expect the Ravens to use draft capital on a nose tackle – even one with the good pass rush upside that Jones offers.
But on further reflection I could see a scenario where Pierce more frequently lines up in a five-technique putting Jones on the nose whenever he is on the field. That would have some intriguing possibilities. And over time I could see Jones playing much more on third down to provide interior pocket pressure. As a result, I could see the Ravens selecting Jones in the second round if he is still on the board. I think he is better value (and upside) than Davis and I like Jones a lot. He’s a reason why the Ravens might want to garner an additional second round pick. Round 1-2.
Jordan Davis
Jordan Davis is 6’6, 341 lbs. from Georgia. So here’s the thing about Davis. There’s tremendous excitement regarding his performance at the Combine and the athletic traits he brings to bear. I’ll get to that below. But this is a man who has never played more than 378 snaps in a season (which he did in 2021). And even that is deceiving because he played fewer snaps per game in 2021 (a paltry 25) than he did in 2020 (a still measly 33). To me, this is an incredible red flag in the sense of his draft value. I simply cannot spend first round capital for any player who’s on-field time is this low.
Moreover, although Davis is the ultimate run-stuffer, he has not been an effective pass rusher to date. PFF shows a pass-rush win rate of only 8.1% and gave him a true pass-rush grade of only 70.7. He had a total of seven sacks over his four year career.
Davis is a mountain of stone at the point of attack. He will pile up blockers at the line and brings excellent strength to shove blockers back and shed them. He has gigantic hands, and he uses them in the run game to tremendous effect. Davis has unreal athleticism for a man his size. Now for those Combine numbers, the likes of which we might not see again: at 341 pounds he ran a 4.78 forty and had a broad jump in the 98th percentile. These traits allow him to chase down runners and he will hustle to do so. He’s a very well-liked player among his teammates.
Davis does not offer any of the gap-quickness like Devonte Wyatt; these are two different types of players, and without that penetrating quickness Davis’ ability to get to the quarterback will be more limited. He just doesn’t offer too much as a pass rusher.
Davis is a classic nose tackle who can play in any scheme and be a dominant run stuffer. In today’s NFL, however, what is that worth in terms of draft capital? Haloti Ngata was drafted in the 12th slot 15 years ago. We will see if Davis can reach Ngata’s peak performance. I’m not betting on him bringing the complete game that Ngata brought in his prime. In the NFL in 2022, I would not draft a pure run stuffer that high, no matter how dominant he is (and I think Davis will be a dominant run stuffer). If Davis falls to the Ravens slot number 14, I would not draft him. Because of his limits, I think Davis is way over-rated on draft boards. Round 2.
Perrion Winfrey
Perrion Winfrey is 6’4, 290 lbs. from Oklahoma. Winfrey frequently played out of position at Oklahoma, where he aligned as a nose tackle at just 290 pounds. He brings a tremendous wingspan (almost 85 inches) and he has powerful hands allowing him to displace blockers. Winfrey combines that with great explosion and power. He gets off the ball really fast.
Winfrey is best seen as a gap penetrator with excellent range. For the Ravens, this is where the problem lies as I don’t think he fits well in a two gap scheme. Where Winfrey stands out is with his explosive get-off. He is an attacking penetrator. At times Winfrey will play too tall allowing blockers to get inside on him, and if he can bring down his pad level, he should be that much more impactful.
Winfrey brings good positional flexibility, as he can be utilized in both three-technique and five-technique. He will not be a player to rely on to handle double-teams, so he won’t be over the nose. He brings good change of direction ability to his game. Winfrey will run down the line of scrimmage to chase against zone blocking schemes, yet keep his gap integrity. As a pass rusher he gets up the field very quickly and can redirect to pressure the quarterback.
Winfrey needs to add further to his rushing repertoire, where he currently relies on swim and rip moves. And he must develop better counters. Too often Winfrey relies on his extraordinary athleticism and doesn’t bring enough of a plan to his attack. His bull rush is a bit rudimentary because his usage is inadequate at this point. But he can convert speed to power and has enough strength to bring a good bull rush to the table. He obviously has a high football IQ, as reflected by Oklahoma playing him all along the defensive front. Winfrey needs to bring more discipline to the field.
In run defense he is not the player to prevent double teams from displacing and turning him. His hand usage definitely needs work on the front side of runs as he’s not able to consistently lock blockers, thereby compromising his own power. Again, there’s upside here as he learns better hand placement and usage.
We got a real glimpse of Winfrey’s potential at the Senior Bowl, where he got away from the nose tackle position. He was named the game MVP, recording two sacks and three tackles for loss, after dominating one-on-one drills all week. Winfrey plays with a hot motor. With that said, Winfrey was not always impactful on the field, part of which I think will be alleviated once he settles in away from the nose tackle position.
I see Winfrey as a rapidly ascending prospect. From the Ravens’ perspective, how would they use him given their scheme? He will probably go in the top part of the second round which is where his talent might prove out if his Senior Bowl performance is any indication. I like Winfrey a lot, but I don’t see the Ravens taking him this high. Round 2.
DeMarvin Leal
DeMarvin Leal is 6’4, 283 lbs. from Texas A&M. The first issue for Leal is, where does he fit? Leal is not necessarily big enough to play on the inside, and arguably not explosive enough to slide outside. It’s harder to see him in a two-gap system when he is probably best situated for a one-gap penetrating style, where I think he could offer good pass rushing ability. When positioned on the inside at A&M, he was consistently unable to handle double teams. To my mind, he’s a one-gap player only.
Leal’s 2021 campaign certainly had its share of highlights, as he was named an AP All-American and first team all SEC, with 8.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. Yet he had two poor games, one against Alabama (playing against first-rounder Evan Neal) and the other against LSU. And he didn’t fare particularly well against Mississippi (playing against first-rounder Charles Cross).
Athletically, he tested very poorly at the Combine. Leal has a good first step and for his size moves well. But he is not all that sudden and doesn’t consistently show the type of closing burst to finish at the quarterback. His anchor is not consistent, and he is not particularly stout in run defense, nor does he display the skill to shed blocks. He doesn’t play with enough leverage to power all the way through his bull rush. Leal plays undisciplined. He can win as a pass rusher with his quickness. His pad level is frequently too high, and his motor isn’t regularly hot.
In all I think Leal is an over-hyped player. I place him as a third round prospect but one I don’t think he fits the Ravens’ scheme and might not play like a Raven. For the Ravens, pass. Round 3.
John Ridgeway
John Ridgeway is 6’5, 321 lbs. from Arkansas. Ridgeway is purely a run defender at this point, best suited for playing anywhere from nose tackle to three-technique. Ridgeway is unusually tall for a nose tackle which causes him problems with high pad level on occasion. This is a challenge for a player whose primary role would likely be taking on double teams at the nose and maintaining gap integrity. Nevertheless, playing in the SEC the tape shows that Ridgeway was more than able to hold his own taking on those double teams. A consistently lower pad level would make him that much more effective.
Ridgeway relies on his power and is generally not a gap penetrator because he is not all that explosive. But he brings power to that first step, which makes him disruptive, although he is not quick. A wrestler, Ridgeway has strong and heavy hands that allows him to knock back blockers. He has the power to keep linebackers clean. Ridgeway is a classic first and second down run defender. He brings long arms and has enough athleticism to react to the gaps. But he is not going to bring great lateral mobility; for him, it’s all about anchoring. If the Ravens are looking for the classic first down run anchor, Ridgeway should certainly be on their board. Round 4.
Phidarian Mathis
Phidarian Mathis is 6’4, 310 lbs. from Alabama. Mathis is another run-stuffer with a very strong anchor who is powerful against the run. He is not particularly flexible, and that lack of flexibility shows in an open field. I believe he will be less effective against zone blocking schemes. He can play across the entire defensive front. Mathis consistently locks and sheds blockers and brings excellent physicality. His quick first step easily translates into power. Mathis uses his hands very well and has a very long wingspan, along with the skillset to handle two-gap responsibilities. He is an excellent technician in the run game. He can anchor well when called upon. But Mathis is not a great athlete and that likely limits his potential in pass rush. And he didn’t really distinguish himself at the Senior Bowl.
Mathis competes with real hostility, rarely missing tackles. He has a terrific motor and a great work ethic. He also handled a heavy workload (unlike Jordan Davis). Mathis has some push-the-pocket capability on early downs, but I don’t see him on the field on third down passing situations. In the run game he will have some difficulty in the NFL getting wide. He was a team captain in 2021. Mathis as a two down player with no real appeal as a potential three down player has more limited value to me. Accordingly, I rate him lower than some. Round 4.
Matthew Butler
Mathew Butler is 6’4, 295 lbs. from Tennessee. Butler had an impressive week and game at the Shrine Bowl, with some people calling him the best player there. He shined there in one-on-ones and 11-on-11 drills. He showed quickness to win the edge and combined that with great power to drive blockers back. The question for Butler is whether this is indicative of a higher arc in the NFL than he showed across his career game tape. He isn’t the longest of players.
Butler is quick off the snap which he combines with violent hands. His quickness has allowed him to shoot gaps. Butler uses good leverage. In the practices he both set the point and maintained the gap, while making the tackle. He also played one of his better games against Alabama.
Unlike some of the other defensive linemen in this class, Butler has three-down potential with the ability to shoot the gap on passing downs. And, although he might not present as just a one-dimensional one gap player or just a two gap player (potentially with the ability to play either), for the Ravens he schematically probably fits best in a five-technique. Although he plays with solid technique, he doesn’t bring the type of mass to help keep blockers away from his pads, and his ability to anchor against the run will be one of his challenges. As a pass rusher he has the ability to stunt and twist with enough speed to carry around the corner.
Butler has a good football IQ with excellent play recognition. His lateral quickness allows him to sustain against blocks down the line. He maintains his effort. In all, provided Butler is positioned properly and away from double teams, his versatility and variety of skills should make him an effective rotational player. He should be on the Ravens’ board. Round 4-5.
Kalia Davis
Kalia Davis is 6’1, 302 lbs. from UCF. Davis is a difficult evaluation because he brings some gifts but has only played a total of five games over the last two seasons. When he’s been on the field he has shown great power and up-field explosiveness with the ability to shoot through gaps. His short frame allows him to bring natural leverage and a lower center of power, and he utilizes that in the run game to advantage. He’s been a player who has been tough to push backwards.
David has outstanding upper body strength. Yet, he still must improve his anchoring ability. Not all of his weight is muscle, and he could stand to add some muscle mass. Moreover, he also has conditioning issues and tends to wear down. He has too often slid off of tackles, probably as a result. He allows blockers too frequently to get their hands on him and with his narrow base he has difficulty with down blocks.
Davis’ tape has been inconsistent. When he flashes, he’s very good. I think the talent is there. But he relies heavily on his explosion, which offers some pass-rush upside, and he must round out his game. If he can become a better conditioned player, I think he has interesting talents to become impactful. Round 5.
Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson is 6’4, 299 lbs. from Missouri State. Johnson is a sleeper candidate who played at a small school but who brings excellent athleticism including a long wingspan to the table. Johnson dominated at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and was then invited to the Senior Bowl where he held his own. At his pro day, he ran a 4.84 forty, which would be third among all defensive tackles had he been at the Combine (exceeded only by Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt).
At this point the strength in Johnson’s game comes from his movement skills and his hands, which have very good pop and the strength to push blockers back. He must play with more bend, and he must sustain his drive and power better when he gets stopped-out. At almost 24 years old and coming from play against lesser competition, the question is how much better can Johnson get. From the Ravens’ perspective he’s best suited as a five-technique in the NFL, where he can use his short-space explosiveness to best effect. Johnson has visited numerous teams including the Ravens in the pre-draft process. Round 5-6.
Noah Ellis
Noah Ellis is 6’4, 346 lbs. from Idaho. Ellis is a massive nose tackle who must get in better condition and manage his weight. At this point, he will not be on the field for passing downs. He has the play strength and the power to stack blockers. He relies on that power and has not yet added the technical refinement to take full advantage of his massive frame. Ellis is also notable physically because he plays with good bend and is blessed with a natural flexibility. He needs to improve his footwork to reach his potential, as he offers the upside of a dominant nose tackle. When he determines to set his anchor, he is very hard to move, but with better technique he could become a real clog against double teams. He averaged significantly more plays per game (40) than Jordan Davis.
Ellis has active hands allowing him to seal off blocks. He has been a little slow getting into tackling position. Ellis has the power to become a factor pushing the pocket, but he needs coaching to get there. He has been too undisciplined (penalties). His physicals are a concern as he tore his hamstring at the Combine (though he avoided surgery). Round 5-6.
Neal Farrell, Jr.
Neil Farrell, Jr. is 6’4, 330 lbs. from LSU. Farrell is not an athletic, traits-driven prospect. Rather, for the Ravens he projects as a two-down nose tackle prospect. He brings a solid up-field burst and is able to deconstruct running plays with some alacrity. He has an excellent first step. Farrell brings explosive hands and good leverage that he combines with good upper body strength. His arm length is not ideal which may make it more difficult for him to stack linemen. As time went on this season, which was his first as a regular starter, he improved his play against double teams, which is essential if he’s going to contribute in the Ravens scheme as a true nose.
Farrell was able to provide some stunting and twisting capability, illustrating better agility than one might have thought. He is pretty fluid for his size. Farrell could stand to improve his hand usage as they are inconsistent. But he has good hand power and delivers a pretty good pop. He gets pushed out of power running plays too often. Farrell’s motor runs hot and cold. His play is a bit inconsistent. Farrell has some upside with good coaching.
For the Ravens, a player like Farrell has a place as a rotational nose tackle. Round 5-6.
Eyioma Uwazurike
Eyioma Uwarzurike is 6’6, 316 lbs. from Iowa State. Uwazurike is an imposing and interesting prospect at age 24. He has a massive almost 85” wingspan and brings a lot of positional versatility as Iowa State utilized him all across the defensive front. He has improved every year.
No surprise for a player this height, his greatest challenge is repeating pad level discipline in order to maintain his play balance. Uwazurike wins in the pass rush with his athleticism and needs more polish though he has a solid slap-swim move. Although he is not exceptionally explosive off the ball, his excellent lateral movement allows him to sustain effort and win sliding across the line of scrimmage. Uwazurike packs a strong punch, and he has shown an ability to slide through gaps.
The issue for Uwazurike is whether at age 24, even after improvement, there is much more upside. His pass rush game has potential, but he is far from polished. He is not a dominant run defender, and I don’t see him playing nose tackle in the NFL. I think there is a good amount of risk associated with whether he can be coached to a higher level. His positional flexibility is an asset, but I’m not sure that he ever becomes more than a rotational piece at best. Now this is a comparatively thin defensive lineman class, which alone could cause him to be drafted higher than he should be. But there are better risk/reward prospects than Uwazurike and he should be well down the Ravens’ board, if he’s on it at all. Round 6.
Jayden Peevy
Jayden Peevy is 6’5, 308 lbs. from Texas A&M. Peevy has had flashes of good play against top-tier competition but has not been consistent. He has one of the largest wingspan’s (85.5”) of anyone in this year’s draft. He has first-step quickness and uses that wingspan to extend his power into blockers. His hands can be powerful, but he tends to play too tall too frequently. He can play too stiff, particularly in his lower body. Peevy was a non-factor in the pass rush game. And he winds up on the ground a bit too much. There is something to work with in Peevy, utilizing him on first down, but I’m not sure he can be that effective over the nose and he’s probably best suited in the three-technique. Round 6.
Sam Roberts
Sam Roberts is 6’5, 293 lbs. from NW Missouri State. Looking into the small schools, Roberts presents as an interesting candidate. He won the 2021 Cliff Harris Award as the best small-college defensive player. Roberts presents a powerful build and a game based on power, with heavy hands and a low center of gravity. He’s a tough guy on the interior who, unsurprisingly, could use some refinement in his technique. Roberts is explosive out of his stance. Priority Free Agent.
Thomas Booker
Thomas Booker is 6’3, 301 lbs. from Stanford. Booker went to Gilman. A jack-of-all traits and Academic Heisman nominee at Stanford, Booker is really the master of none at this point. Although as a local kid we are rooting for him, I just don’t see enough there to warrant a draft selection. Pass.
Others
Otito Ogbonnia, 6’4, 320 lbs, UCLA – Pass.
Haskell Garrett, 6’2, 300 lbs, Ohio State – Pass.
