NFL draft brings great defensive tackles early
Besides the randomness and unpredictability of the NFL draft, one of the most fun things is the hope of a later-round draft pick becoming a star. Every fanbase roots for their Day 3 quarterback to turn into the next Tom Brady or, to a lesser extent as of now, Brock Purdy.
The draft is full of stars being made from all over the draft order. While it is more unlikely that later-round picks will hit, there are often Puka Nacua-type stars in the third day just maybe not every position.
Cleveland Browns fans seem to believe the team will be looking to draft a defensive tackle early in this year’s draft despite having a number of guys already at the position likely to make the roster. If they do, the Browns will hope that they find a guy who is worthy of being paid handsomely in the future at a position that is getting paid more and more every year:
There are currently 11 interior defensive lineman who make more money per year than the highest paid cornerback in the NFL right now (Jaire at $21M a year) https://t.co/FRLMFUxNI5
— Arjun Menon (@arjunmenon100) April 5, 2024
That list of 11 (technically only nine are more and two are tied) is as follows:
- Chris Jones
- Christian Wilkins
- Justin Madubuike
- Quinnen Williams
- Derrick Brown
- Jeffrey Simmons
- Dexter Lawrence
- Daron Payne
- Leonard Williams
- DeForest Buckner
- Javon Hargrave
Aaron Donald would be on the list with his $31.6 million a year but he retired.
Interestingly, all 11 of the above players were drafted in the first three rounds of their respective drafts with only two, Madubuike and Hargrave, taken in the third round.
If the Browns hope to find a top-level defensive tackle, it is one of the rare positions that it is almost impossible to find a player later in the draft. Cleveland could find a potential rotational player but a stud would likely require one of the team’s first two selections.
While it isn’t unique that players drafted earlier tend to hit more, it is interesting that all 11 of the top guys were drafted by the end of Day 2.
Are you surprised that all 11 top defensive tackles were selected in the first three rounds and nine out of the 11 in the first two?
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