2019 NFL Draft: Finalized top 50 big board, positional rankings

Interior Defensive Linemen

1. (1) Quinnen Williams, Alabama

Early first round grade

Without a doubt, Quinnen Williams is the absolute best player in this year’s draft class. The Alabama defensive tackle even received one Heisman vote, and rightfully so; Williams was a monster up the middle of the Crimson Tide defense in 2018. A man who is 6-3 and 303 pounds should not be able to run a 4.83-second 40-yard dash, but Williams did; he also hit 30.5 inches on his vertical jump and over nine feet on his broad jump.

It is not normal for a defensive tackle to record 71 tackles and 19.5 behind the line of scrimmage, but again, Williams is far and away the best player in this draft and has the production and testing numbers to match.

2. (6) Ed Oliver, Houston

Top-10 grade

Someone is going to get lucky by having Ed Oliver drop to them. While he may be undersized, Oliver still tested as the freak he was expected to be and did so at 281 pounds. While he did not run at the combine, Oliver benched an incredible 32 reps, and jumped to the tune of 36 inches and 10 feet on his vertical and broad jumps respectively.

At his pro day, he ran a 4.73-second 40-yard dash and a blazing 7.15-second 3-cone drill, both elite times for a defensive tackle prospect. Whether or not he ends up in the top 10 or not, Oliver is a top 10 prospect and his grade reflects just that.

3. (13) Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State**

First round grade

Even with a torn ACL, Jeffery Simmons is a first round talent and gets a first round grade here. There is a real chance Simmons could have ended up in the top 10 had he not suffered a knee injury preparing for the draft. While Simmons also has a checkered past, he seems like a man who has learned from a mistake as an 18-year old, charged with assault against a female, and has faced no off-the-field issue since.

The film Simmons put together is some of the best in the entire class, and a team who is not afraid to redshirt him is going to get a special player. He will go in the first round as some team will look to utilize his fifth-year option as a pseudo-redshirt.

4. (16) Jerry Tillery, Notre Dame

First round grade

Notre Dame’s Jerry Tillery is an incredible specimen who looks like he was created in a lab to be an NFL defensive tackle. Do not be shocked to see the the 6-6.5, and 295-pound defensive tackle get his name called in the first round, as he ranks as the 16th prospect on this big board.

Tillery tested at the combine with a torn labrum, and still managed to bench 23 reps of 225 pounds…with a bum shoulder. He also ran a sub-five second 40-yard dash, hit 32 inches on his vertical jump, and over nine feet on his broad jump. While Tillery is a bit of a late bloomer, really putting it all together in 2018, the sky is the limit for him at the next level.

5. (25) Christian Wilkins, Clemson

Second round grade

Christian Wilkins is going to be a good starter in the NFL, but he is not a first round talent. There is a real chance he lands in the first round Thursday night, but his production, athleticism and film do not scream a first round grade. He tallied 14 tackles for loss and five sacks in 2018, good numbers for a defensive tackle, but has tested as just average across the board.

At 6-3 and 315 pounds, Wilkins ran a 5.04-second 40-yard dash, hit 28 reps on the bench press, nearly 30 inches on his vertical and nearly nine feet on his broad jump. Again, some team is going to get a steady, consistent, and good player in Christian Wilkins, but he falls short of a first round grade.

**denotes injury