Eagles draft: Sizing up a deep group of DTs, could the Birds find a Milton Williams replacement?

The Eagles picked a good year to need pass-rush reinforcements.

If there was any consolation in losing three major contributors from last year’s defensive line, it lies in the list of prospects at both defensive tackle and edge rusher who the Eagles are studying ahead of the NFL draft.

We’ll take a look at some of the interior rushers that fill out one of the deepest classes at the position in recent memory. A handful expected to go in the first few rounds of the draft won’t be included, but we’ll look at the majority of those who either project to go early in the first round or would be ideal fits for Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s system:

Walter Nolen, Ole MIss

Among a deep group of interior defensive linemen with a chance to go in the first round, Nolen stands out as an ideal fit for the Eagles because of his upside as a pass rusher and his versatility to play from a few different alignments.

The 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive tackle spent two seasons with Texas A&M before transferring to Ole Miss, and finished last year as an All-American with 6.5 sacks, 14 tackles for losses, and 25 solo tackles. He offers plenty of juice as a pass rusher, with an explosive first step and showcased the ability to displace opposing linemen with his power even against high-level competition. On the snaps Nolen does lose, it’s often because of an inability to hold up against double teams or because of his tendency to shoot up out of his stance and get out-leveraged by linemen who get underneath his pads.

» READ MORE: Eagles draft: Four players to target in the end of Round 1

While he rushed primarily from a three-technique alignment between the guard and the tackle, Nolen also spent some time as a nose tackle and even rushed from wider alignments when Ole Miss used exotic fronts. He was effective on stunts as well, which also helps inform how he’d fare if asked to fill the role vacated by Milton Williams as the one-on-one block destroyer adjacent to Jalen Carter on the Eagles’ defensive front.

Will he fall to the Eagles at pick No. 32? A crowded group of interior rushers makes it possible for teams to either prefer a different style of defensive tackle ahead of Nolen or for the run on the position to stall into the second day of the draft. If he’s there, he’d make plenty of sense to help reinforce an Eagles pass rush that delivered on the biggest stage last season.

Derrick Harmon, Oregon

At least relative to prospects like Nolen, Harmon’s game is more smooth than explosive. The 6-5, 310-pound defensive tackle started his college career with Michigan State before transferring to Oregon after three years with the Spartans. Serving as the powerful, cerebral force at the heart of the Ducks defense last season, Harmon had five sacks, 11 tackles for losses, and 27 solo tackles. It’s worth noting that it was his lone year of high-level production; his previous career-high in sacks was 1.5 for the Spartans in 2023.

Harmon has plenty of quickness off the ball, but it’s his blend of power and speed that made him so effective last year. He uses his hands well to shed blocks, often relying on a club-rip move that showcases his strength to knock offensive linemen off balance with one arm and the agility to dip underneath them once doing so. He was often the one to direct traffic before the snap at Oregon as well and made plays against the run at times because of his ability to read and react both before and after the snap. Harmon also won at times with a no-nonsense bull rush, which often served as the complement to his club-rip move.

While his playing style wouldn’t necessarily make him a like-for-like replacement for Williams in the Eagles defense, Harmon would offer plenty as a gap-stealing defensive tackle while also having a couple reliable rush moves to suggest he will affect the quarterback. He doesn’t have the “wow” traits that others have in the class, but he’s got the production and an all-around profile that could make him a solid candidate at the end of the first round.

Mason Graham, MIchigan

Graham might be the first defensive tackle off the board with a draft range that starts well before the Eagles will be on the board.

Aside from lacking prototypical arm length, there’s not much to quibble with about his profile, the 6-3, 320-pound lineman is explosive off the ball, powerful enough to shed blocks with some flair and has a relentless playing style to go with high-end physical traits. It’s no surprise Graham has a wrestling background given how often he wins the leverage battle against opposing linemen.

It’s easy to see Graham being the type of tackle who can affect both the run and pass game early on and he has a ceiling to be a true difference maker in time. That should make him a candidate to go inside the top 10.

Kenneth Grant, Michigan

Similar to Graham, Grant is a Wolverines rusher who doesn’t exactly project well into the Eagles draft possibilities, but for a different reason. At 6-3, 340 pounds, Grant is quicker than his measurables might indicate but still very much projects as a nose tackle at the next level because of his limited pass-rushing production and his ability to be a handful against the run. In many ways, Grant’s profile as a prospect resembles Jordan Davis’ to a certain degree.

Because of Davis, it’s hard to envision the Eagles drafting another run-stuffing nose tackle who has yet to consistently find ways to affect the quarterback. Still, Grant has a real chance to go in the first round to a team that values his ability to dominate against the run and the potential he has to eventually utilize his physical traits more effectively as a pass rusher.

Darius Alexander, Toledo

After drafting one dominant defender from Toledo just one year ago, could the Eagles go back to the well?

Alexander’s profile as a prospect does compare to Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in a few distinct areas. Each backed up high-level play at Toledo with strong performances at the Senior Bowl, helping quiet potential concerns about level of competition.

At 6-4, 304 pounds, Alexander is the prototypical three-technique with long arms, a strong base, and an explosive first step off the ball. He had 3.5 sacks, eight tackles for losses, and 17 solo tackles last season and logged four sacks the year before.

» READ MORE: Eagles draft: Could the Birds go back to the Toledo well for a second straight year?

The reason it’s difficult to pin down exactly where Alexander should go is the lack of truly dominant production at a slightly lower level of competition relative to the majority of the defensive tackles projected to go in the first couple rounds. It’s also important to note Alexander didn’t manage meaningful production until his age-23 season and will turn 25 before his rookie year begins. His physical traits suggest he has the upside to be an impact player in the NFL, but there is some risk involved in that projection.

Omar Norman-Lott, Tennessee

Of the guys expected to go on Day 2, Norman-Lott stands out as one of the easiest projections into what the Eagles would be looking for at defensive tackle.

The 6-2, 295-pound prospect has a unique profile, albeit one that’s also similar in some ways to Davis’ coming out of Georgia. The 23-year-old was used as a rotational piece on a deep Tennessee defensive line, logging zero starts last season and playing just 225 total snaps. Still, Norman-Lott finished last year with four sacks and, according to Pro Football Focus, 27 pressures to go along with seven quarterback hits.

As a slightly undersized rusher, Norman-Lott’s athleticism stands out when matched up against bigger offensive linemen. He’s explosive off the ball and uses that speed to either build up a head of steam to bowl through blockers or to bend around them with his quickness and flexibility. It’s easy to see him winning one-on-one blocks early in his career, although he didn’t fare quite as well against double teams and didn’t offer as much in the run game for the Volunteers.

The size, the lack of playing time, and the specific playing style should make Norman-Lott attainable on Day 2 of the draft, but his upside in a system like the Eagles is apparent nonetheless. Deployed alongside someone with the gravity of Carter and emboldened to shoot upfield and wreak havoc in the backfield, Norman-Lott could be an impact player in the league in due time.