Now that Aaron Donald is retired, Dexter Lawrence has a legitimate case as the best defensive tackle in football. Sure, Chris Jones is probably a better, pure pass-rusher. But the Giants’ 6-foot-4, 340-pound nose tackle plays more effectively against the run and is a nightmarish upfield rusher in his own right.
Lawrence’s emergence from quality first-round pick in 2019 to undisputed superstar playing head-up on the center most of the time came precisely when we all were ready to label nose tackles — and many classic defensive tackles that aligned one gap over inside — strictly two-down, run-halting specialists once and for all.
While Lawrence feels unicorn-ish because 95% of the rest of the nose tackles in football fit that limited archetype, there is another gargantuan nose tackle prospect with Lawrence-ian athleticism and collegiate production whose set to play what will almost assuredly be his final season in the SEC in 2024.
He’s Deone Walker of Kentucky, and, at 6-6 and 348 pounds, he led all defensive tackles in Division I with 51 quarterback pressures in 2024. That rarely, if ever happens. And it’s 10 clear of Lawrence’s career high at Clemson.
I planned to demonstrate Walker’s astoundingly freakish combination of size, width, nimble feet, and athleticism, rep-by-rep. This cutup I found on Twitter/X does the job much more efficiently. Behold.
Now, in every draft, there are a few enormous nose tackles many marvel at because of their movement capabilities relative to their size. Essentially none of them move — and use counter moves — like what you just witnessed in that video. And more critically, none have been as productive rushing the passer as Walker was in the SEC, the Triple A of the NFL.
Because of that, we’re clearly onto something with Walker as a legitimate and unique draft prospect, but he can be more than just those things. He can be legitimate,…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2025-nfl-draft-prospect-deone-walker-might-be-the-next-dexter-lawrence-or-something-even-scarier/
Author : Chris Trapasso
Publish date : 2024-07-11 14:09:56
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