Ranking the AFC West: Defensive Interior Linemen
We ranked the big men in the middle of the offensive line. Now we jump to the big men who will be facing them on the other side.
1. Chiefs
Starters: Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi
Jones is one of the best defensive tackles in the league. He put up 7.5 sacks last season to head to his second consecutive Pro Bowl. In total, he has 40.5 sacks in his five-year career and averages nearly ten sacks per season over the past four years while landing in the top three in sacks at his position the past three years. Only Aaron Donald has been better over that span.
Nnadi is the lane-clogging nose tackle of the Chiefs’ line. He had 42 run stops last season, fourth-most among nose tackles last season.
2. Broncos
Starters: Shelby Harris, Mike Purcell
Harris had 11 QB hits last season in 11 games, which is pretty solid. He also had 2.5 sacks and four tackles for loss. In 2019 he put up a career-high six sacks. He’s also had a penchant for batting passes at the line, having knocked down 16 of them the past two seasons. The former Raiders draft pick has put together a nice career for himself.
Purcell saw his 2020 season end after six games, but last season he put up 48 combined tackles which were tied for second in the NFL with 47 of those being run stuffs.
3. Chargers
Starters: Jerry Tillery, Linval Joseph
Tillery was the team’s pick at 28 overall in the 2019 draft and is either bordering on being a disappointment or ready to break out. The 6-6. 295-pounder has five sacks and 17 QB hits in two seasons. He improved in his second season and that improvement will have to continue if he is to live up to his draft status.
Joseph led the league last season among interior defensive linemen with 57 run stops. And it wasn’t close. The second most was 51 by Sheldon Richardson and Lawrence Guy.
4. Raiders
Starters: Solomon Thomas, Johnathan Hankins
Thomas is trying to resurrect his career and he’s hoping a move from 5-tech to 3-tech does the trick. The former third overall pick was a bust with the 49ers and he thinks the problem was going away from what earned him his draft status at Stanford. He is pegged as the starter but could have some competition from the likes of fellow newcomers Quinton Jefferson and Darius Philon.
Hankins has quietly been a very solid performer for the Raiders the past couple of years. He put up 98 tackles the past two seasons while starting every game at nose tackle. On De’Ron Payne (110) and Sebastian Joseph (99) have had better tackle numbers among nose tackles the past two seasons.
