Player Profiling: NFL Defensive Tackle Rankings

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I haven't figured out if Rogers just doesn't care about anyone but himself, or if he doesn't care about anything period. His size and athletic ability make him a threat to many blockers already.

Although his overall talent and big play ability is very active, his work ethic and attitude toward the game seem lack luster at best. He is very lazy more times than none and only seems to play when he wants to.

He has proven he cannot be taken as a serious leader for any defense, but still has the skill set to be a dominant player. Rogers has underachieved for a majority of his career, but that doesn't come from his athletic talent.

It comes from his care-free attitude toward every aspect of the game. Maybe going to a successful franchise can turn Rogers into a seriously great player, but again, that shouldn't take away from his pure talent.

15. Sedrick Ellis (NO)

Ellis is one of the underrated tackles with a great character and presence. He is a hard worker who develops consistent plays for the Saints' d-line. Ellis has become a fundamentally sound player with improving mechanics and power.

His speed is pretty impressive to say the least, and his ability to create turnovers seems overlooked. Ellis is a low-key player for the Saints' defense in the public's eye, but a huge piece to their success from time to time.

He is still a young player, which is why I don't think he can lead a defense right now. He has the players around him to elevate his intelligence and possible reliability in the future.

His maturity (along with many Saint defenders) could use improvement.

16. Ryan Pickett (GB)

Pickett is another underrated player with tons of strength and knowledge. His ability to come off the ball surprises many and his tackling skills are very underrated.

I like Pickett's understanding of where to be in order to make the best play for his defense. His size makes him an easy target to block on stretch plays, but his overall awareness and power make up for that.

Pickett is a reliable player on the inside game, but his containment and acceleration going lateral is a weakness shown many times.

17. Brodrick Bunkley (PHI)

He has come into his own as one of the strongest tackles. His strength is through the roof, along with his determination to break blocks and make plays. His big play ability comes and goes, but has the power and quickness to change directions and chase down many ball carriers.

His toughness is one of the best and has a head hunting mentality to help him develop into a complete player. I'm not sure he will (because I think he's played up to his prime for the most part), but he still has a lot of time and talent to prove me wrong.

18. Fred Robbins (NYG)

Robbins' strength and ability to run over guys scares me a lot. He is the most underrated tackle in the game with the maturity and mechanics to be one of the best. His speed coming off the ball needs work, along with his recovery ability.

Overall, Robbins' power and size make him solid, but his maturity and reliability make him a consistently productive player in the eyes of coaches more so than fans or the media.

Not a flashy player with speed, but he has the power and mentality you look for in championship players.

19. Amboi Okoye (HOU)

An undersized young talent with a great work ethic and character. His strength may deceive many, and his under-the-radar skill to disrupt backfields makes him an overlooked but dangerous player.

I would like to see Okoye take a bigger role, but he is still developing and perhaps time might be his best friend. Okoye's overall production has been on schedule if you ask me, but I think he has only a year or two to go before he becomes a consistent playmaker.

20. Brandon Mebane (SEA)

Mebane is the backbone of the Seattle line. He is often overlooked, which gives him an advantage. He is a threat to make sacks anytime he beats a blocker. His awareness and strength make him a consistent player who has become reliable as a role player.

I believe his overall talent and maturity will develop him into one of the more successful players down the road. Right now, he is one of the undervalued role players who can make big plays when needed.

21. Darryl Tapp (SEA)

Tapp is a great pas rusher with underrated abilities to create turnovers. He can force fumbles extremely well, and is always disruptive even when he is not close to the ball. He can penetrate a backfield very fast and wraps up opponents with great mechanics.

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