In addition to this article about inside defensive linemen, you can check out my deep dives on positions below, starting with quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and offensive linemen. I’ll continue to provide 2023 NFL Draft coverage, culminating in my top-500 NFL Draft rankings and big board ahead of the first pick being announced later this month.
Thor Nystrom’s 2023 NFL Draft iDL Rankings
Georgia HC Kirby Smart doesn’t miss often in recruiting, but boy did he miss on Will Anderson. Anderson, a native of Hampton, Ga., grew up a Bulldogs fan. He had 22 sacks his senior season of high school, earned a five-star billing and was a consensus top-20 overall recruit in the 2019 class.
But, incredibly, the Bulldogs never offered him*, so Anderson signed with Georgia’s biggest rival, the Alabama Crimson Tide, and proceeded to torment the SEC. In only three seasons on campus, Anderson posted 34.5 sacks and 58.5 TFL. Anderson’s coming out party was the 2020 season where he led the FBS in sacks (17.5) and TFL (34.5) – he finished No. 5 in Heisman voting that year and should have finished higher.
(*Smart would probably push back a little on this. In the 2019 class, Georgia signed Nolan Smith, the No. 1 overall recruit in the nation and a likely top-15 pick later this month, Travon Walker, the first-overall pick in last year’s draft, and JUCO transfer Jermaine Johnson, the No. 26 pick in last year’s draft, at edge defender. That makes spurning Anderson a little more understandable. Still, how incredible would it have been to have had Anderson and Smith flanking a defensive line rotation of Walker, Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt, and Jalen Carter?).
Anderson is a two-time Nagurski Trophy winner and two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Anderson is the first player in history to win SEC DPoY two-straight years. He’s also a one-time winner of the Lott IMPACT Trophy, and Bednarik and Lombardi awards.
Why was Anderson historically dominant in the country’s best conference? In short: He puts you into conflict immediately, and he has a Rolodex of counter-moves he’ll turbo-speed through if you’re able to shut down his initial plan. Importantly, Anderson has the balance, body control, and bend to see through what his guile presents to him in the moment.
The first thing that jumps out about Anderson is his speed off the snap and truly uncommon explosion. Alabama’s tracking system helped us to quantify just how fast Anderson is off the snap. On last year’s Alabama roster, regardless of position, Anderson had the fastest GPS-tracked speed going from a standstill to five yards (10.7 mph).
The year before, the fastest player in that category on Alabama’s roster was WR Jaylen Waddle, one of the most athletic receivers in the NFL. GPS clocked Waddle at 11.2 mph. Anderson is 70 pounds heavier than Waddle!
It’s not just that explosion off the line, Anderson also times the snap to be the first defender coming forward for a head-start. (In college, he guessed wrong a few times per season and got flagged, something that will likely continue at the next level, a small trade-off for his superpower quicks).
Anderson’s uncommon acceleration forces the offensive lineman’s hands early. They simply must get wide immediately to protect the outside, or Anderson will take the corner, and put cuckoo birds above your quarterback’s head.
The exaggerated initial outside set-ups from offensive tackles additionally provides Anderson multiple options from the outset of the rep. If outside speed isn’t going to get him home, Anderson uses the extra space he’s been afforded to put on a body contortion/counter-move clinic. A magic show, really.
Anderson can put his body into death-defying angles while threatening to breach an offensive linemen’s shoulders only to immediately center himself when it’s time to get disengaged. He can go from that ludicrous-speed initial north-south acceleration to crossing the offensive linemen’s face in an instant. He also possesses the lower-body power to kick-in your door when he’s got you on the hinges.
Anderson gets free with regularity and once he does, you see very few edge defenders who close as quickly. Anderson hits the turbo-pack on his back and turns into a straight-line human projectile.
This applies to chasing down running backs the same as it does to leveling quarterbacks. Anderson’s slap-dash perimeter pressure and turbo-speed pursuit to the ball make him a threat to runners heading in any direction. In the SEC, myriad times, Anderson stunned a ball carrier going the other way by dragging him down from behind.
I do not have many issues with Anderson’s game. He is going to produce immediately at the next level, but I do have a few nitpicks.
Anderson’s 81-inch wingspan is solid, but not exceptional. The lack of elite length hurts him in two ways. The first could be seen against Tennessee’s Darnell Wright last year. When power tackles are able to touch Anderson first, they get to dictate the rest of the interaction – not him. That turns off the spigot of Anderson’s lower-body propulsion and deletes his aforementioned Rolodex of counter-moves.
The second is Anderson’s propensity to flub tackle attempts. His 19.3% career missed tackle rate is high. To give Anderson some benefit of the doubt, his percentage comes over a much higher volume than analogous edge prospects because Anderson generates so many more opportunities than his contemporaries.
2. Tyree Wilson | Texas Tech | 6061/271 | RAS: N/A
Player comparison: Chandler Jones
Will Anderson is the sure-thing in this edge class while Tyree Wilson is the most fun projection. We know Wilson hasn’t hit his ceiling yet, but it’s impossible to gauge just how high that ceiling could reach.
Wilson had two nondescript seasons with Texas A&M – he was a part of Jimbo Fisher’s first recruiting class in College Station in 2018 – before transferring to Texas Tech. Wilson’s national coming-out party occurred in 2021. In 23 games over the past two seasons, Wilson posted 14 sacks and 27.5 TFL.
Wilson was designed in a lab for edge-rushing duties. He has a long, muscular build with Inspector Gadget-length – Wilson has a 7-foot wingspan! Will Anderson needs quicks and lower-body horsepower to set up his counters, whereas Wilson’s stupid length does that for him – it creates a moat around him that is impossible to breach without risk of drowning.
It’s true that Wilson’s overall production profile pales in comparison to Anderson’s. However, during last year’s breakout campaign, Wilson’s 5.0 pressures per game, prior to his injury, were, in a fascinating bit of symmetry, exactly equal to Will Anderson’s output.
Though Wilson wasn’t able to test due to that season-ending foot injury in November, his athletic gifts jump off the tape. Wilson is a speed-to-power nightmare. When he seizes control of the rep, you aren’t recovering – he’s too long and too strong.
Wilson’s jump over the past two seasons coincided with developing an assortment of counter-moves. His rip and swim moves are very difficult to deal with because of Wilson’s length. His stab stuns tackles onto their heels and frees inside rush lanes.
Wilson will get even better as his attack plan becomes more natural. He has worked to develop a few high-octane pitches, but doesn’t always sequence them properly or access them fluidly in the moment.
Wilson throws his dynamite hands with abandon, but that area of his game is still developing – he can flail wildly on some reps, inviting opponents into his chest. Wilson has all the arrows in his quiver, but doesn’t always choose the right one to fire or shoot quickly enough in fire-fights.
Wilson’s frame opens up possibilities not available to others, but his long, angular build has some stiffness, and that manifests in an upright style. Wilson pops up on the snap and doesn’t have an explosive first step – he needs a few strides to build up to his top speed and power. When he beats you, he does so emphatically but Wilson isn’t creeping around anyone with his bend.
Wilson’s huge tackling radius allows him to make plays others simply can’t. He has cleaned up his approach into contact and become a more-reliable tackler. His first two years in Lubbock, Wilson posted missed tackle rates of 25.0% and 15.8%, respectively. Last year, that number was slashed to 11.9%.
His game is scheme-diverse. Wilson can play multiple roles because of his physical gifts. He could be a 3-4 outside linebacker, or a 4-3 defensive end. Additionally, Wilson’s length and strength always opens up the possibility of kicking him inside on passing downs.
Even if Wilson never improves again, he’s at least a speed-to-power problem like Marcus Davenport. That being said, Wilson could be a whole lot more if he continues to improve at the rapid rate we saw over his last two years on campus.
Speaking of speed-to-power ends, allow me to introduce you to Lukas Van Ness. An overlooked three-star recruit who initially focused on hockey as a kid, the Illinois native, who had family in Iowa, signed with the Hawkeyes.
He’s a fascinating draft evaluation, a third-year entrant who was only active for two seasons – he redshirted as a freshman – and never started a game for the Hawkeyes. That latter fact is a bit misleading. Van Ness led all Iowa defensive ends in snaps last year.
But it’s nevertheless true that he enters the NFL with fewer than 1,000 career defensive snaps played, having logged more than 50 in only one career game. Van Ness’ hair-on-fire style proved devastating in the situational role he was used in.
Last season, Van Ness’ 33.9% win rate in true pass sets ranked No. 11 in this class – ahead of Will Anderson, Nolan Smith, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, B.J. Ojulari, and Keion White (Only Will McDonald IV and Tyree Wilson bested him). Van Ness’ per-snap numbers – 13.5 sacks and 19.5 TFL the past two seasons – compare favorably to the rest of the group.
Van Ness may not be quite as quick as Will Anderson off the snap – but it’s close. Van Ness also brings more of a sledgehammer with him into contact. Van Ness detonates low off the snap and wins the leverage game more than any other edge prospect in this class.
The torque power Van Ness brings through his hips in conjunction with the power in his hands rocks offensive linemen backwards. Van Ness owns massive 11-inch hands, with very good length (83″ wingspan).
Van Ness’ bull rush clowned a procession of high-end offensive tackles in the Big 10. Once he frees himself, Van Ness earns his “Terminator” nickname with his rabid chase style and violence when he arrives. Whoever has the ball better hang on tight when Van Ness gets home.
Van Ness proved to be a fabulous run defender last season. He sets a hard edge, doesn’t lose gap integrity, and funnels the ball carrier back to his teammates when he can’t make the play. Van Ness actually played a majority of his snaps inside as a redshirt freshman, in part because of Iowa’s depth on the outside.
Van Ness was extremely dangerous as a pass-rusher inside that first year, but, inexperienced and undersized on the inside, he didn’t acquit himself nearly as well in run defense in 2021 as he would a year later outside. Either way, Van Ness provides the versatility to play outside on early downs and kick inside in obvious passing situations to get another pass-rusher on the field.
Speaking to his versatility, Van Ness is one of this edge class’ best on special teams. It was in this area that he sneakily added to his snap count in 2022, logging 109 special teams snaps last season. Iowa coaches unleashed his rock-’em-sock-’em explosion on the punt block and field goal block teams. Van Ness even blocked two punts in one game against bitter rival Iowa State last season.
Van Ness’ speed-to-power fastball speaks for itself, but other areas of his game remain raw. You love his die-on-the-sword play style, but Van Ness can put himself into disadvantageous situations by flying in too hot and turning a sure-tackle into an off-angle attempt.
His 17.2% missed tackle rate the past two seasons will drop when he arrives at the ball with his weight under him more often. Additionally, while I like that he keeps gap integrity, Van Ness can charge too recklessly toward the ball when he wins an early advantage, putting his teammates into tougher situations in instances of misdirection and/or misreads.
The latter issue is another area of emphasis: Van Ness simply doesn’t have as many reps on defense as some of the veterans in this group, and his diagnostic skills remain in the neophyte stage.
Offensive tackles sit back on their heels against him, anticipating the heat of his bull rush – for many, it did not matter. However, when Van Ness develops his counter-moves, he will become truly dangerous. The way offensive tackles must play him opens up all kinds of spacing for these machinations – but it’s incumbent upon Van Ness to flesh out his repertoire to take advantage.
Van Ness will likely be viewed differently by different organizations. He’s one of the youngest prospects in this positional group, and he still has areas of his game in need of polish.
Best of the rest…
4. Myles Murphy | Clemson | 6045/268 | RAS: 9.71 | Comp: Rashan Gary
5. Nolan Smith | Georgia | 6021/238 | RAS: 9.23 | Comp: Haason Reddick
6. Keion White | Georgia Tech | 6046/280 | RAS: 9.92 | Comp: Carlos Dunlap
7. Will McDonald IV | Iowa State | 6034/241 | RAS: 9.67 | Comp: Julian Peterson
8. Felix Anudike-Uzomah | Kansas State | 6031/255 | RAS: 8.73 | Comp: Harold Landry
9. Isaiah Foskey | Notre Dame | 6047/262 | RAS: 9.61 | Comp: Marcus Davenport
10. Derick Hall | Auburn | 6026/252 | RAS: 9.4 | Comp: Sam Williams
11. Isaiah McGuire | Missouri | 6043/271 | RAS: 9.53 | Comp: Chris Kelsay
12. B.J. Ojulari | LSU | 6021/248 | RAS: 4.9 | Comp: Azeez Ojulari
13. Zach Harrison | Ohio State | 6054/274 | RAS: 8.72 | Comp: Clelin Ferrell
14. Tuli Tuipulotu | USC | 6032/266 | RAS: N/A | Comp: Cameron Thomas
15. YaYa Diaby | Louisville | 6032/263 | RAS: 9.86 | Comp: Boye Mafe
Check out all of our 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Reports & Prospect Profiles 
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