College Football Recruiting 2012: Power Ranking the Top 25 Defensive Tackles

It is imperative that you must be strong in the middle at DT. If you can't stop inside runs, your defense is finished.

Based on some of the players for this year's DT group, there's going to be some stout interior defenses in college football for years to come. 

Here are the top 25 DT prospects in 2012 recruiting.

25. Edmond Ray

I don't like to use this word, as many players take it as an insult, but Ray has a bit of finesse to his game. It's not due to he's not strong or physical, it's because he's such an athlete for the position.

He shows nimble feet, a quick get-off and great range in pursuit. Ray can split gaps and also flashes excellent closing speed on QBs in his pass rush.

Committed to Missouri.

24. Vincent Valentine

Valentine is a mammoth at 6'4", 315 pounds. He's a natural space eater that can occupy multiple blockers upon each snap and LBs love him because he keeps them clean.

He's pretty instinctive, as Valentine shows a quick diagnose of run and pass. He's extremely strong at the point of attack and can toss blockers to shed and make a mess in the middle.

Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin and Florida are schools to watch.

23. Paul Boyette

The word being used a lot with Boyette is "potential." He's a 6'4", 280-pound DT with a high ceiling and good athletic ability.

Boyette also has great lay strength and likes to use his long frame to stay clean from blockers in pass rush, but he will mix it up and get dirty to play the run. Look for him to explode in college.

He's committed to Texas.

22. Faith Ekakitie

Ekakitie is a Canadian-born player that just started playing football only a few years ago, as his first love was basketball. Now he holds more than 20 offers for football and his future lies at DT.

At 6'3", 275 pounds, Ekakitie is a fine athlete that really has his best days ahead of him. He's a bit raw, but is eager to learn so he can add to his power, toughness, athletic ability and snap quickness.

Illinois, Oregon, Iowa, BC, Georgia Tech, Northwestern and Wisconsin are in the race.

21. Dalvin Tomlinson

Tomlinson does a terrific job of playing with his hands. I think as he gets older and continues to develop, you'll hear scouts use the term "hand fighter" in his scouting reports.

At 6'3", 270 pounds, he's not the biggest DT in the world, but he jumps on top of OL at the snap with excellent quickness and wins battles by getting into blocker's chest plates and countering moves. He should be able to stay on the field on third downs and rush from the middle.

Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Stanford and Clemson are in it.

20. Jaleel Johnson

At 6'3", 290 pounds, Jaleel Johnson is one of the top DTs in the Midwest. He's pretty quick for a DT at the snap, jumps on top of OLs and can slip blocks.

Johnson also can get skinny and penetrate gaps and shows good strength to shed blocks at the point of attack. He can play the one or three-technique.

Headed to Iowa.

19. Dakota Ball

Ball is a 6'2", 295-pound DL that can play DT in a 4-3 yet is strong enough at the point of attack to factor as a DE in a 30 front.

He really plays with a good motor, competitiveness and effort. Yet I also see good quickness at the snap, the fight to pressure and good pursuit ability vs. the run.

He's headed to Alabama.

18. Korren Kirven

Kirven is a 4-3 DT. Period.

His best attribute is his ability to penetrate gaps and split double-teams, as he is one the best DTs at getting skinny in the nation.

At 6'4", 260 pounds, Kirven explodes off the ball at the snap and can blow by guards in a flash. He's such an athletic DT that he can play some strong side DE for a 40 front if asked.

Auburn, Alabama, Stanford, Notre Dame and Tennessee are just a few in the mix.

17. Ondre Pipkins

Pipkins has a chance to be one of the best DTs in this year's class when we look back three years from now. He went to the NIKE Camp at Ohio State and just picked on everyone there during one on one drills.

At 6'4", 322 pounds he plays with great explosiveness and strength and seems bent on not being just a space eater. He makes plays vs. the run and can collapse the pocket vs. the pass as a rusher.

Committed to Michigan.

16. Tyler Nero

Nero is a very rangy DT, as he plays in the backfield and along the line. His game is to get upfield and put pressure on the offense, evidenced by his 19 TFLs last year. 

But stopping the run is not the only thing Nero can do, as he can use his quick feet to get after the passer, as he recorded nine sacks as a junior from the DT position. 6'3", 285 pounds, Nero could develop into an all-conference player.

Secure with Auburn.

15. Danny O'Brien

At 6'3", 290 pounds, O'Brien is pretty strong at the point of attack and can hold his own for mass and powerful blockers. He's very, very aggressive on the field and plays with reckless passion.

O'Brien flashes great snap quickness, explosion and a fight to pressure up the middle. You won't have to tell O'Brien to rev up his motor and compete, because he does it every snap.

Michigan, Alabama, Michigan State and Tennessee are the final four.

14. Dalvon Stuckey

Stuckey is a bit of a mystery. I question his every down intensity and effort. Some plays he's there, others it seems like he doesn't care.

At 6'3", 300 pounds and blessed with great strength, Stuckey will be in for a shock in college as he's either going to reach his potential or flame out in a major way.

He's committed to Florida State.

13. Nick James

You want a monster, space eating DT for your defensive front? Look no further than the 6'5", 335-pound James.

He plays with great snap quickness, balance, strength and power for a big man. His force comes from his strong upper body and he flashes some short area chase ability in pursuit.

Headed to Mississippi State.

12. Carlos Watkins

Watkins is 6'4", 280 pounds, but he's an athletic specimen that his team played him at WR, FB and TE at different parts of the season as a junior.

He can get around blockers by being a superior athlete along with speed and quickness, and once he gets to be a full-time DT in college, he should blossom. There is a high ceiling on top of Watkins.

Clemson, Nebraska, South Carolina, Alabama and Florida are in the mix.

11. Javonte Maggee

Magee is another player who reminds me of a player form 2011: Delvin Simmons. At 6'6", 270 pounds, Magee has the quickness to cause problems in the middle.

Offensive lines have trouble with him because he just keeps coming and never stays blocked. He can slip gaps and penetrate holes very well.

Nebraska, Notre Dame, Alabama, Stanford, Texas, LSU and Auburn have offered among others.

10. Johnathan Taylor

At 6'4", 307 pounds, Taylor is prime load of annoyance in the middle for offensive linemen. He can jump snaps, wreak havoc and he has great strength to push the pocket up the middle.

He also has some athletic ability to chase in short areas versus the run. He should be a solid defensive tackle in college.

Taylor is committed to Georgia.

9. Aiziz Shittu

Shittu burst on the scene a few weeks ago, as he was basically unblockable at the Nike Camp in Los Angeles. He dominated one on ones and made evaluators go back and watch more tape of his junior season.

At 6'3", and 275 pounds, Shittu had 6.5 sacks and over 75 stops from his defensive tackle spots as a junior. He does it with a combination of snap quickness, strength and athleticism...on every snap.

Shittu is pretty open with offers from Stanford, Michigan and Auburn among others.

8. Tommy Schutt

Schutt on tape reminds me of Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo. At 6'3", 290 pounds, he plays with great explosiveness at the snap. Combine that with a great motor and very good strength, and you see a great player in action.

He shows the potential to develop into either a 4-3 tackle or 3-4 two-gapping end. He also flashes very good ability to use his hands to shed and escape blocks.

Headed to Penn State.

7. Justin Shanks

Shanks is a defensive tackle who I like a lot. At 6'4", 295 pounds, he has the potential to play end in a 3-4, but he could also stick as a 4-3 tackle. Shanks is also athletic enough to trim down a bit and play strong-side end in a 40 front.

He shows good snap quickness, strength at the point of attack, anchor ability and quickness to slip blocks. Shanks is a solid DL prospect who has a high ceiling. 

Committed to Florida State.

6. Sheldon Day

Day has the size and skill set of a prototypical 4-3 under tackle. At 6'2", 280 pounds, he does it with quickness at the snap and sheer will.

He flies off the ball and even is athletic enough to play a little defensive end, too. He shows a quick read/react ability to the run and can anchor well in the middle.

Solid to Notre Dame.

5. Malcom Brown

At 6'2", 280-pounds, Brown looks like a great future three-technique, as his quickness at the snap is formidable.

He flies off the ball, blows by guards, disrupts offensive fronts and plays in the backfield. He's the type of player that should be among the career leaders in the TFL department after he leaves Texas.

4. Jarron Jones

At 6'5", 290 pounds, Jones finished his junior year with 68 stops and 10 sacks. He can be a dynamic force in the middle due to his size and overwhelming length. I also think he can play end in a 30-front scheme as well.

Jones does a solid job of bursting at the snap, using his size to lean on blockers, wearing them down and shedding to make a stop.

Jones is headed to Notre Dame, perhaps as a LT.

3. Ellis McCarthy

McCarthy is a dynamic force in the middle at 6'5" and nearly 310 pounds, but he has very, very little body fat.

That speaks to his frame, as he has college size and strength right now. He can overpower blockers and walk them back at the snap, or he can use his quickness and athletic ability to blow by them. McCarthy is quick to read and react versus the run, but he also can rush the passer from the interior like an end.

Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, Oklahoma, UCLA, Tennessee, USC and Washington are schools to watch out for.

2. Quay Evans

At 6'2", 320 pounds, Evans is an immovable object in the trenches. He has great strength and I like him as a one-technique or a nose tackle.

Once Evans gets his hands on a blocker and inside the body, it's over, as he can use brute and sheer strength to toss them around or power over them to get into the backfield.

He has the girth to be a space eater, but also the athleticism to make plays along the line.

Mississippi State, Florida State, Oregon, Ole Miss, Alabama and LSU are in the hunt.

1. Eddie Goldman

Goldman is a 6'5", 305-plus pound defensive tackle that has "special" written all over him. He has the quickness to jump blockers at the snap, strength to toss and shed and anchor ability to stop double-teams in their tracks and make a mess in the middle.

He wants to play 4-3 tackle, but some teams like him at 3-4 nose. He can play both well, in my opinion, and could even play 3-4 end. He isn't a wow-you type of athlete that will chase in pursuit, but Goldman does have a bit of range.

His top seven is: Alabama, Florida State, Cal, Miami, Clemson, Maryland and Auburn.