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The Tennessee Titans have said time and time again that they want to rebuild their roster through the trenches. So it should come as no surprise if the Titans target some more interior defensive linemen in the 2025 NFL Draft, even if that group is a strength of the Titans' existing roster.
Players like Jeffery Simmons, T'Vondre Sweat and Sebastian Joseph-Day are slated to return for the Titans in 2025, but with eight picks in the upcoming draft, it'd hardly be a shock to see the Titans keep stocking up on the defensive line, especially in the later rounds.
Here are The Tennessean's rankings for the top 10 defensive line prospects who could help the Titans in the 2025 NFL Draft.
MOCK DRAFT: NFL mock draft 2025: Is Shedeur Sanders falling? How many QBs after Cam Ward in Round 1?
There's almost no world in which Graham ends up with the Titans, but that doesn't mean he's not the best player on the board here. Graham's a two-time All-America honoree, an absolute menace of a play-wrecker from the middle of the defense and versatile presence who can take some reps on the outside as needed. In the slim event the Titans trade back somewhere between picks 6-10 and Graham's still on the board, there's a good chance he's the best player available.
There's a lot of Simmons in the way Nolen plays. He's a gifted pass rusher who ranked only behind Graham in run stop grade per Pro Football Focus last season. Nolen was the nation's No. 1 recruit out of high school for a reason, and those gifts haven't faded after three years of college.
A nose-type like Grant is probably redundant on a Titans roster that already features Sweat. But if the Titans proved anything last year, it's that they like to draft 'em big. So there's Grant, the 331-pound gap eater who also possesses a gear to make plays against the pass as needed.
Harmon led all interior defensive linemen in quarterback pressures last season and was among the FBS' leaders in pass rush win rate. He's not exactly a slouch against the run either, but a team drafting Harmon is picking him more for what he can do on third downs than anything else.
Like so many of his Ohio State teammates, Williams represents a solid, high-floor option at his position. Williams could sneak into the first round because of his consistency, especially against the run, but more than likely profiles as an early Day 2 option for a team looking for a rotational piece who can develop into an every-down interior presence.
Alexander's the kind of perplexing player who simultaneously comes into the league with plenty of experience but also requires a bit of projection about what he can develop into. As it stands, Alexander is a forceful and athletic interior lineman who was a four-year contributor at Toledo. He's tantalizing if he can elevate against top competition, but that's an if.
At under 300 pounds, Sanders isn't a classic defensive tackle. But he creates mismatches with his blend of power and quickness. He's the kind of player the Titans could target as a rotational piece who spends time on the edge and in the interior.
Walker's one of the draft's most fascinating case studies at 6-foot-7 and 331 pounds. Based on the player he looked like in 2022 and 2023, there's an argument he's a first-round talent. But playing hurt through 2024 dropped his stock to a point that the Titans could conceivably find him in the fourth round if a lot of things shake the right way.
There's not a whole bunch of tape for Collins, or at least not as much as you'd expect from a guy who played five years of college football. But just because Collins had to wait his turn behind Sweat and the legion of other pros in front of him at Texas doesn't mean he isn't a player with the potential to go late on Day 2.
Peebles is another pass rush specialist from the interior, one who ranked among the most productive in college football last year and prior to that when he was at Duke. He's a motor player who has a knack for getting to the ball despite being one of the smallest defensive linemen in the class, and that could create versatility value as a pro.
KEEP READING: How the heck was Cam Ward a zero-star recruit? Inside NFL draft star's frustrating story
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ranking top 10 NFL draft defensive linemen, from Mason Graham to Walter Nolen
Continue reading...
Players like Jeffery Simmons, T'Vondre Sweat and Sebastian Joseph-Day are slated to return for the Titans in 2025, but with eight picks in the upcoming draft, it'd hardly be a shock to see the Titans keep stocking up on the defensive line, especially in the later rounds.
Here are The Tennessean's rankings for the top 10 defensive line prospects who could help the Titans in the 2025 NFL Draft.
MOCK DRAFT: NFL mock draft 2025: Is Shedeur Sanders falling? How many QBs after Cam Ward in Round 1?
2025 NFL Draft defensive line rankings: Best players available
1. Mason Graham (Michigan)
There's almost no world in which Graham ends up with the Titans, but that doesn't mean he's not the best player on the board here. Graham's a two-time All-America honoree, an absolute menace of a play-wrecker from the middle of the defense and versatile presence who can take some reps on the outside as needed. In the slim event the Titans trade back somewhere between picks 6-10 and Graham's still on the board, there's a good chance he's the best player available.
2. Walter Nolen (Ole Miss)
There's a lot of Simmons in the way Nolen plays. He's a gifted pass rusher who ranked only behind Graham in run stop grade per Pro Football Focus last season. Nolen was the nation's No. 1 recruit out of high school for a reason, and those gifts haven't faded after three years of college.
3. Kenneth Grant (Michigan)
A nose-type like Grant is probably redundant on a Titans roster that already features Sweat. But if the Titans proved anything last year, it's that they like to draft 'em big. So there's Grant, the 331-pound gap eater who also possesses a gear to make plays against the pass as needed.
4. Derrick Harmon (Oregon)
Harmon led all interior defensive linemen in quarterback pressures last season and was among the FBS' leaders in pass rush win rate. He's not exactly a slouch against the run either, but a team drafting Harmon is picking him more for what he can do on third downs than anything else.
5. Tyleik Williams (Ohio State)
Like so many of his Ohio State teammates, Williams represents a solid, high-floor option at his position. Williams could sneak into the first round because of his consistency, especially against the run, but more than likely profiles as an early Day 2 option for a team looking for a rotational piece who can develop into an every-down interior presence.
6. Darius Alexander (Toledo)
Alexander's the kind of perplexing player who simultaneously comes into the league with plenty of experience but also requires a bit of projection about what he can develop into. As it stands, Alexander is a forceful and athletic interior lineman who was a four-year contributor at Toledo. He's tantalizing if he can elevate against top competition, but that's an if.
7. T.J. Sanders (South Carolina)
At under 300 pounds, Sanders isn't a classic defensive tackle. But he creates mismatches with his blend of power and quickness. He's the kind of player the Titans could target as a rotational piece who spends time on the edge and in the interior.
8. Deone Walker (Kentucky)
Walker's one of the draft's most fascinating case studies at 6-foot-7 and 331 pounds. Based on the player he looked like in 2022 and 2023, there's an argument he's a first-round talent. But playing hurt through 2024 dropped his stock to a point that the Titans could conceivably find him in the fourth round if a lot of things shake the right way.
9. Alfred Collins (Texas)
There's not a whole bunch of tape for Collins, or at least not as much as you'd expect from a guy who played five years of college football. But just because Collins had to wait his turn behind Sweat and the legion of other pros in front of him at Texas doesn't mean he isn't a player with the potential to go late on Day 2.
10. Aeneas Peebles (Virginia Tech)
Peebles is another pass rush specialist from the interior, one who ranked among the most productive in college football last year and prior to that when he was at Duke. He's a motor player who has a knack for getting to the ball despite being one of the smallest defensive linemen in the class, and that could create versatility value as a pro.
KEEP READING: How the heck was Cam Ward a zero-star recruit? Inside NFL draft star's frustrating story
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ranking top 10 NFL draft defensive linemen, from Mason Graham to Walter Nolen
Continue reading...
