NFL Draft Random Stats: Defensive Tackle Edition
By Mike Payton
It seems like a long way down the road from now. But in reality, the NFL Draft is right around the corner.
56 days away to be exact. One position the Detroit Lions are expected to take a gander at in the first round is defensive tackle. With Haloti Ngata and Tyrunn Walker’s status in question right now, the Lions can look forward to the draft if they can’t keep both or even one of those guys. The good thing about this particular draft is that this is quite possibly one of the deepest defensive tackle classes ever. Or at least in the last 20 years or so.
When the Lions are on the clock at 16, it’s best if they strike while the irons hot in this defensive tackle class. Look for the Lions to grab Sheldon Rankins of Louisville, Andrew Billings of Baylor or Jaran Reed of Alabama. Seeing as though the Lions are expected to pick their defensive tackle in the first round, I figured this is the perfect opportunity to check out the random stats of the defensive tackle position in the first round of the last five NFL Draft’s. Let’s jump right in.
The Early Numbers
defensive tackle always seems to be a popular position in the first round. In the last five years, 20 different defensive tackles were selected in the first round. Of those 20, 17 are still starters in the NFL. So as you can see, there is success with this position in terms of at least getting a starting caliber player.
Where do they come from?
Can you guess which conference has produced the most first round defensive tackles in the last five years? If you said the SEC, you were right. The SEC has contributed eight defensive tackles in the first round since 2010. The Big 12 comes in second place with four if you’re curious. So if the Lions go by history, does that mean Jaran Reed is the pick?
I mean where do they come from?
What part of the country do these guys come from? Since we are in an election year, I wondered if it was the Red states or the Blue states that produced more defensive tackles. Seeing as though the political map is incomplete at the moment, I decided to use the 2012 version instead. Due to Star Lotulelei hailing from Tonga, the Red states were able to pull ahead at 10-9. So if you’re voting for Trump, there’s a chance that these guys might to. But probably not.
Are any of these guys good?
There are varying degrees of good when talking about these 20 players. For example five of them have gone on to be Pro Bowlers at some point in their career. Of the 20, only seven rank within Pro Football Focus’s top 25 defensive tackles. I’ll give a hint as to who two of them are. These two played for the Lions only one year ago. Does this success translate into team success though?
Defensive Tackles and the playoffs.
This was the most staggering stat of them all. Of the last 20 defensive tackles selected in the first round, only six of them play on teams that made the playoffs in 2015. Some of these guys like Marcel Dareus for example, have never even played in the playoffs in their career. Of those six that played in the playoffs in 2015, only one has been a Pro Bowler, and only one ranked in the Pro Football Focus top 25. Interestingly enough at the 25th spot. So here’s a question, does having a really good defensive tackle mean your team will struggle? Let’s hope not.
The Lions and Defensive Tackles
The Lions have selected six defensive tackles in the first round in their history. The first being the legendary Alex Karras back in 1958. Of the six, three went on to be Pro Bowlers in their career while two othesr fizzled out and Nick Fairley is Nick Fairley. That’s good news for the Lions. They may not know how to pick well at every position, but they certainly seem to know to pick a defensive tackle.
What do you think Lions fans? Be sure to leave a comment below and be on the lookout for the next positional random stats piece later this week.