Finding playmakers
We continue with our assessments of the New York Jets roster in determining what plan of action to take in the 2025 NFL Draft. We now turn our attention to the defensive line as we continue to build the Jets team from the inside out.
Jets Defensive line starters and reserves
Will McDonald (LDE) Eric Watts, Rashad Weaver
Derrick Nnadi (LDT) Byron Cowart, Phidarian Mathis
Quinnen Williams (RDT) Leonard Taylor, Jay Tufele
Jermaine Johnson (RDE) Michael Clemons, Braiden McGregor
Will McDonald had a solid season as a pass rusher in 2024 with 11 sacks, 38 quarterback hurries, 61 pressures, 12 quarterback hits and 3 passes defended. He did that on 462 pass rush snaps. He had numerous games where he had a 20+% pressure rate. He was in the top 15 of edge rushers in multiple categories in 2024. McDonald needs to keep his pressure rate high but also do better as a run defender, where he ranked as the 6th worst run defender according to PFF. He still is young with plenty of growth potential ahead.
Eric Watts played in 231 snaps as a rotational end with zero sacks in 102 pass rush snaps. He is an end of the bench type player who is still young. He’s a better run defender than a pass rusher.
Rashad Weaver is entering his fifth season in the NFL with the Jets being his fourth team. He had only 14 snaps for the Houston Texans last year. He may be a cup of coffee then out the door type of player for the Jets unless he can impress really quickly.
Derrick Nnadi is a seven year veteran defensive tackle who was signed by the Jets at a bargain basement price. He is listed as the starter due to his veteran status but he will be a rotational defender on Sundays. He is very replaceable but is a steady veteran presence.
Byron Cowart is entering his fifth season in the NFL with the Jets being his fourth team. He had 335 snaps last season with three sacks in 156 pass rush snaps. He and Nnadi will be interchangeable during the season if he makes the team.
Phidarian Mathis is entering his fourth year in the NFL as a rotational defensive tackle. He played 257 snaps last year with zero sacks and 16 tackles. He is a possible practice squad player if the Jets bring in additional line help.
Quinnen Williams is the glue that holds the defensive line together. He is often double teamed, which makes it imperative that the Jets find someone to fit in next to him that is a dominant type force. That player currently is not on the Jets roster but could be a player the Jets select early in the NFL draft.
Leonard Taylor III is entering his second season with the Jets after being signed as a UDFA. He had a successful first season with 22 tackles and two sacks in 261 snaps. You should see him paired alongside Quinnen Williams more this season.
Jay Tufele is entering his fifth season as a rotational defensive tackle. He played 242 snaps with the Bengals last season with 14 tackles and one sack. He is an end of the bench type of talent who could end up on the practice squad.
Jermaine Johnson is coming back from a torn Achilles tendon (where have we seen that before) so he may need some time to get back in the swing of things. He had a great 2023 season as an all around solid defender and pass rusher. Johnson stated that he expects to be back on the field alongside his teammates by the time Gang Green kicks off OTAs this spring. Hopefully everything continues to go well in his recovery.
Michael Clemons had a tough season for the Jets with some untimely penalties and poor overall play. He had 30 tackles with four sacks and 23 pressures in 621 snaps. He just wasn’t productive enough given his snap count. Entering his fourth year in the league he has shown zero growth. In fact, he was better as a rookie with three sacks and 19 tackles in 309 total snaps. He may have to prove something to stay on the roster.
Braiden McGregor didn’t see much action as a rookie with five tackles and three pressures in 83 snaps. As a former UDFA he may need to show a little better to be more than a practice squad player in 2025.
The Jets will need at least one more defensive tackle who can be productive in 2025. This will allow Quinnen Williams less double teams and make the entire line better. With a healthy Jermaine Johnson along with an improving Will McDonald the edges seem fairly secure. Another edge type player could be added to help the rotation but it’s not a priority.
If the Jets want a defensive tackle in the draft they can draft one early or wait until the mid rounds to find some help. In the alternative they can trade back, pick up some draft capital, then select a player around #20 and still get a solid playmaker.
Many are talking about Mason Graham early in the draft, but I am skeptical of his talents transferring to the NFL. He’s a good player but he’s not likely to be a huge difference maker. He has short arms, isn’t overly quick and he played next to a bulldozer of a teammate in Kenneth Grant. He played in 338 pass rush snaps with 3.5 sacks and 7 tackles for loss. Many of those stats came as he continued working hard and the quarterback or running back was flushed to him by another rusher.
I actually have Walter Nolen of Ole Miss ranked ahead of Graham. Nolan is a better 3-tech in the mold of an Aaron Donald.
Walter Nolen Ole Miss 6’ 3 3/4” 296 lbs
Nolan is a lightning quick, powerful, relentless defensive tackle prospect with active hands, solid lower body power and great lateral agility. He’s a sudden player with an explosive first step. He attacks gaps, then forces his way inside by using a half man technique. He plays with natural leverage since he is usually smaller than his opponent. He combines solid strength with quickness, technique and power to get penetration. Nolen keeps his pad level low and jumps into a gap at the snap before the offensive lineman is fully set for his block. Once there he rips by, using numerous techniques combined with great upper and lower body power.
Nolen is no one trick pony. He throws different looks at his opponent so he never knows what’s coming next. He has short but powerful arms that corkscrew away the arms of linemen so he can get inside to the chest plate, then works moves from there. He has an effective push-pull move that gets him free on passing downs to create pressure. He’s a stunt, twist and spin master who baffles linemen, creating penetration. He also has the ability to simply overpower his opponent by using his leverage, combined with great lower/upper torso power to walk a guard back into his quarterback’s lap. On wide zone run plays he works down the line like a strafing linebacker, keeping himself clean from any blocks until he can work through a run fit to make a play. He has the ability to be a penetrator but also a defender who can collapse a pocket into the lap of a quarterback. He plays off blocks well, doesn’t get stuck and will always continue pursuit.
This reminds me of the 2015 NFL draft when the Jets drafted Leonard Williams with the sixth overall pick. Williams was a very good player, but the better defensive tackle was Grady Jarrett out of Clemson. Jarrett was selected with the first pick in the 5th round, #137 overall. Nolen is similar to Jarrett in their skillsets.
Ty Robinson Nebraska 6’ 5 1/8” 288 lbs
Ty Robinson is a burly, athletic, powerful defensive tackle who could play anywhere on the defensive line in any type of scheme. He is a bully on the field. He runs through tackles, so a ball carrier feels the hit the following week. He’s really matured in 2024, nearly doubling all his stats the previous 4 seasons. He is explosive off the snap with power in both hands. He is a wide body but still can split defenders by pitchforking his way by to get into the backfield. He can stack and shed effectively even though he has shorter arms than desired for the position. He is an ascending talent who may have found his playing persona. He has a lot of nasty in his game and plays with great emotion.
Robinson has multiple pass rush moves with a solid swim, arm over and a great “swat” that he does with one hand that can knock an offensive lineman to the wayside. It’s reminiscent of the Reggie White “hump” move. He’s quick with his hands that often land first on an offensive lineman, giving him the advantage right away in the battle. He is super athletic for his size. He’s quick and strong with power throughout his body. He can gain weight to play over the nose or lose weight to play as a 3-tech or as a 5-tech in a three-man line. He has great lower body power to walk an offensive lineman back into the lap of the quarterback or simply run over him. He can also get “skinny” to split any double team and blast into the backfield. He’s a smart kid who graduated with a B.S. in nutrition & health science in 2023.
Joshua Farmer FSU 6’ 3 1/4” 305 lbs
Joshua Farmer is a long, powerful, athletic defensive tackle prospect with natural leverage, huge strong hands and a never say die attitude. He will work to the echo of the whistle, even chasing the play far downfield. He is fairly short for an interior defensive player, but he has a very powerful lower half. When he keeps his pad level down while driving his legs he can push a Mack truck backward. Doing so occasionally gets him penetration into the backfield, which causes chaos and disrupts the offensive flow or causes a sack.
By resetting the line of scrimmage with his push he will also control both gaps he is trying to control. He has some quick feet for a man of over 300 lbs. He can use that kind of quickness more than he has in the past. He has a nice push-pull move that he doesn’t use enough to shed his man and be in position to make a play. He also has a great punch then spin move that gets him penetration nearly every time he uses it. He was one of the players who stood out at the Senior Bowl against the top talent in college football. He has an explosive first step that gets on top of blockers more quickly than they would like. He has power throughout his body, so when he is quick and accurate with a punch he can quickly add another move and he’s in the backfield. He is 6’ 3” but he is still a huge man in a compact frame and well muscled all over. He has the ability with his great length to stack and shed when he is single blocked. He also has great lateral agility for a man his size; he has the quickness of a 280 lbs man.
If the Jets want another edge player there are a couple of dozen guys worthy of being drafted. I have 23 players ranked in the top four rounds who are edge players.
Let me know who your favorite defensive tackles and edge players are.