Position Breakdown: Defensive Tackle

1. Tim Jernigan (JR) 6'2 300 Florida State
Analysis: Stout at point of attack. Rarely moved off his spot. Elite run defender. Can play in any scheme. Good speed and quickness. Underrated pass rusher. Best fit in a 4-3.
Projection:  2nd Round

2. Aaron Donald (SR) 6'1 285 Pittsburgh
Analysis: Explosive athlete.  Prototypical 3 tech DT. Had monster 2013 Season. Uses quickness to disrupt pocket. Small size hurts him vs run. Limited scheme fit.
Projection:  Top 10

3. Louis Nix (JR) 6'2 331 Notre Dame
Analysis: Elite strength. Very good quickness and speed for size. Can play in a one or two gap system. Lacks stamina. Only a 2 down player right now.  Can play in 3-4 or 4-3.
Projection:  2nd Round

4.  Stephon Tuitt (JR) 6'5 304 Notre Dame
Analysis: Versatile player who can play multiple positions in multiple schemes. Elite speed and quickness. Solid anchor. Better at DT than DE in 4 man front. Finesse player. Inconsistent.
Projection:  Top 50

5. Dominique Easley (SR) 6'2 288 Florida
Analysis:  Explosive and disruptive player.  Stout at the point of attack. Non stop motor. Short arms makes it hard to disengage from blocks. Coming off of ACL surgery. Fits only as 3 tech in the 4-3.
Projection:  Day 2

6. Ra'Shede Hageman (SR) 6'6 310 Minnesota
Analysis:  Physical freak. Can flat out dominant games with quickness and strength, but can also disappear completely. Versatile. Can play in any scheme and multiple positions. Relies too much on athletic ability.
Projection:   Top 50

7. Kelcy Quarles (JR) 6'4 297 South Carolina
Projection: 3rd Round

8. DaQuan Jones (SR) 6'4 322 Penn State
Analysis:  Stout at the point of attack. Uses hands to shed blocks. Displays good power. Good recognition skills. Average speed and quickness. Doesn't have much pass rush. High motor guy.
Projection:  3rd or 4th Round

9. Will Sutton (SR) 6'0 303 Arizona State
Projection: 4th or 5th Round

10. Daniel McCullers (SR) 6'7 352 Tennessee
Analysis:  Massive size. Stout at the point of attack. Can penetrate vs single blocker. Hard to move. Flashes playmaking ability. Below average athlete. Below average pass rusher. Not an every down player
Projection:  Day 3

Player Profile: Stephon Tuitt

Height:  6'6
Weight:  303
School:  Notre Dame
Position:  Defensive End / Tackle
Ranking:  #1 3-4 Defensive End
Projection:  Top 40 Pick

Strengths
-Experienced.  Played since true freshman year. 33 games played
-Has the ideal size and length to play the 5 technique defensive end in a three man front
-Good bulk and size to play DT in a four man front
-Versatile defender.  Can play the 3 tech DT, 5 tech DE, or even the LDE in a 4 man front
-Good at the point of attack in one on one situations.  Hard to move off his spot
-Uses quickness to fire off the ball
-Good closing burst that allows him to get to the QB to make a play
-Elite athlete for somebody of his size.  Moves very well
-Does a good job of uses speed and quickness when rushing the passer from the DT position
-When turned loose on a pass rush he makes an impact.  12 sacks in 2012
-Shows the ability to bend the edge to get to the QB
-Never had to miss a game because of an injury.
-Known for having a great work ethic.  Willing to put in the extra work to be successful

Weaknesses
-Inconsistent.  Will look dominant one play and just average the next
-Only average in the pass rush when lined up as a DE
-More of a finesse player than physical.
-Looks passive too often
-Needs to get stronger to help with taking on double teams and with his bull rush
-Relies too much on his athletic ability to rush the passer

Summary
How often to do see a player that can line up at three different defensive line positions and have success at all of it?  Not often.  But if you watch Stephon Tuitt, you can see why he'll really intrigue NFL teams.  Tuitt's best trait is his athletic ability, mainly for somebody that is 6'6 and over 300 pounds.  He moves very easily and uses his quickness to explode off the ball.  He can get penetration from anywhere on the field to help collapse the pocket.  However Tuitt's biggest problem though is that he is far too inconsistent.  He'll look dominant one play and then below average the next.  He's good at the point of attack in one on one situations, but struggles mightily against double teams.  When asked to play DE in four man fronts he can have success, but often time athletic tackles can lock him down.  Tuitt's best position will likely be as a 5 technique defensive end in a 3-4 defense.  There he can use his size and strength to play a two gap system on early downs before moving to the DT spot to utilize his speed and quickness against guards.  The Scouting Combine will be huge for Tuitt to show of his athletic ability, but he'll likley go somewhere at the top of round two. 

2014 Draft Rankings (Defense)

Defensive End
1.  Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
2.  Kony Ealy, Missouri
3.  Scott Crichton, Oregon State
4.  Aaron Lynch, South Florida
5.  Chris Smith, Arkansas

Defensive Tackle
1. Tim Jernigan, Florida State
2. Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh
3. Louis Nix, Notre Dame
4. Dominique Easly, Florida
5. Ego Furgeson, LSU

3-4 Defensive End
1.  Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame
2.  Ra'Shede Hageman, Minnesota
3.  Ben Gardner, Stanford
4.  Cassius Marsh, UCLA
5.  Josh Mauro, Stanford

Rush Linebacker
1.  Khalil Mack, Buffalo
2.  Anthony Barr, UCLA
3.  Dee Ford, Auburn
4.  Kyle Van Noy, BYU
5.  Demarcus Lawrence, Boise State

Outside Linebacker
1.  Christian Jones, Florida State
2.  Ryan Shazier, Ohio State
3.  Jonathan Brown, Illinois
4.  Telvin Smith, Florida State
5.  Christian Kirksey, Iowa

Middle Linebacker
1.  CJ Mosley, Alabama
2.  Chris Borland, Wisconsin
3.  Yawin Smallwood, UConn
4.  Andrew Jackson, Western Kentucky
5.  Max Bullough, Michigan State

Cornerback
1.  Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma State
2.  Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State
3.  Jason Verrett, TCU
4.  Stanley Jean-Baptist, Nebraska
5.  Marcus Roberson, Florida

Safety
1.  Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State
2.  Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix, Alabama
3.  Calvin Pryor, Louisville
4.  Deone Bucannon, Washington State
5.  Ed Reynolds, Stanford

2014 Draft Rankings: Defensive

Defensive End
1.  Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
2.  Anthony Barr, UCLA
3.  Adrian Hubbard, Alabama
4.  Aaron Lynch, South Florida
5.  Trent Murphy, Stanford
6.  Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas
7.  Scott Crichton, Oregon State
8.  Morgan Breslin, USC
9.  Demarcus Lawrence, Boise State
10. Kareem Martin, North Carolina

Defensive Tackle
1.  Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame
2.  Tim Jernigan, Florida State
3.  Louis Nix, Notre Dame
4.  Anthony Johnson, LSU
5.  Will Sutton, Arizona State
6.  Ra'Shede Hageman, Minnesota
7.  DeAndre Coleman, California
8.  Daniel McCullers, Tennessee
9.  Chucky Hunter, TCU
10. Travis Raciti, San Jose State

Outside Linebacker
1.  Kyle Van Noy, BYU
2.  CJ Mosley, Alabama
3.  Ryan Shazier, Ohio State
4.  Christian Jones, Florida State
5.  Jeremiah Attaochu, Georgia Tech
6.  Shayne Skov, Stanford
7.  Jake Ryan, Michigan
8.  Jonathan Brown, Illinois
9.  Ron Powell, Florida
10. Lamin Barrow, LSU

Inside Linebacker
1.  AJ Johnson, Tennessee
2.  Tony DePriest, Alabama
3.  Max Burrough, Michigan State
4.  Yawin Smallwood, UConn
5.  Andrew Jackson, Western Kentucky
6.  Chris Borland, Wisconsin
7.  Eric Kendricks, UCLA
8.  Caleb Lavey, Oklahoma State
9.  AJ Tarpley, Stanford
10. Andrew Wilson, Missouri

Cornerbacks
1.  Bradley Roby, Ohio State
2.  Loucheiz Purifoy, Florida
3.  Jason Verett, TCU
4.  Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon
5.  Aaron Colvin, Oklahoma
6.  Marcus Roberson, Florida
7.  Quandre Diggs, Texas
8.  Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma State
9.  Damian Swann, Georgia
10. Andre Hall, Vanderbilt

Safety
1.  Ed Reynolds, Stanford
2.  Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix, Alabama
3.  Hakeem Smith, Louisville
4.  Tevin McDonald, Eastern Washington
5.  Jordan Richards, Stanford
6.  Tre Boston, North Carolina
7.  Kenny Ladler, Vanderbilt
8.  Craig Loston, LSU
9.  Dion Bailey, USC
10. Vinnie Sunseri, Alabama