2023 class · 20 prospects

Defensive line DL

Sacks + TFLs + Senior Bowl. Athletic testing weighted higher for IDL than EDGE.

Likeliest career, by the outcome model.

How many defensive linemen land in each career bucket as the model's single most likely finish. This is a different question from the board grades below — a prospect can be a Day 3 grade and still have “starter” as his likeliest outcome. The tails (elite, bust) are where the model separates; the middle two buckets sit close to a coin flip.

Elite
1
Pro-Bowl-caliber career
Starter
3
Multi-year NFL starter
Role
9
Rotational / depth
Bust
7
Likeliest outcome is a bust
Likeliest career across the DL class
Elite
1
Starter
3
Role
9
Bust
7

The board.

All 20 defensive linemen with a draftable grade on Draftanomics's 2023 board, tier by tier.

Blue Chip0 players

The top shelf is bare: no defensive lineman in the 2023 class earns a blue-chip grade.

1st Round2 players

Two names carry a first-round grade — Jalen Carter in front at No. 7, Lukas Van Ness close behind at No. 25. The drop to Calijah Kancey is 19 projected picks: a step, not a cliff. No red flags either — the tier's worst bust number is just 10 percent, from a model that reads defensive linemans well.

7
Jalen Carter
Georgia· consensus #4
A first-round grade with the room in agreement — consensus No. 4.
1st Round
bust risk 10%
25
Lukas Van Ness
Iowa· consensus #18
A first-round grade with the room in agreement — consensus No. 18.
1st Round
bust risk 6%
Day 28 players

The Day 2 tier runs 8 deep, opening with Calijah Kancey out of Pittsburgh at No. 44 and closing with Byron Young at No. 95. Mind the gap after Young: Isaiah McGuire is next, and he is 20 picks away. The room is higher on Adetomiwa Adebawore than we are: consensus No. 40 to our No. 89.

44
Calijah Kancey
Pittsburgh· consensus #28
A Day 2 grade, though the room is higher on him — consensus No. 28.
Day 2
bust risk 16%
56
Gervon Dexter
Florida· consensus #74
A Day 2 grade the room hasn't caught up to — consensus No. 74.
Day 2
bust risk 17%
67
Mazi Smith
Michigan· consensus #46
A Day 2 grade, though the room is higher on him — consensus No. 46.
Day 2
bust risk 21%
71
Keion White
Georgia Tech· consensus #45
A Day 2 grade, though the room is higher on him — consensus No. 45.
Day 2
bust risk 1%
85
Isaiah Foskey
Notre Dame· consensus #60
A Day 2 grade, though the room is higher on him — consensus No. 60.
Day 2
bust risk 1%
89
Adetomiwa Adebawore
Northwestern· consensus #40
A Day 2 grade, though the room is higher on him — consensus No. 40.
Day 2
bust risk 25%
90
Zacch Pickens
South Carolina· consensus #109
A Day 2 grade the room hasn't caught up to — consensus No. 109.
Day 2
bust risk 25%
95
Byron Young
Alabama· consensus #110
A Day 2 grade the room hasn't caught up to — consensus No. 110.
Day 2
bust risk 26%
Day 310 players

Isaiah McGuire leads a 10-deep Day 3 group — the meat of the DL board — starting at a projected No. 115 overall. Viliami Fehoko carries the tier's risk, a 46 percent bust probability from a model with real signal at defensive lineman.