Mel Kiper ranks Top 10 defensive tackles ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft

Bowl season is just starting up, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early for ESPN’s NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper to rank players in the upcoming draft. This time, he broke down the defensive tackles, ranking the top 10.

The defensive tackle position is incredibly important in the NFL. It’s a position that is designed to stop the run and help open up the field for linebackers to make plays. However, there are more and more defensive tackles that are proving that they can be playmakers in the modern NFL, like Aaron Donald.

All of these players that Mel Kiper has ranked can become great NFL players. However, this is the order that Kiper would take them in right now.

Mel Kiper’s Top 10 defensive tackles

Here are Mel Kiper’s Top 10 Defensive Tackles in the 2023 NFL Draft:

1. Jalen Carter, Georgia
2. Bryan Bresee, Clemson
3. Siaki Ika, Baylor
4. Tuli Tuipulotu, USC
5. Mazi Smith, Michigan
6. Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin
7. Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois
8. Keondre Coburn, Wisconsin
9. Calijah Kancey, Pitt
10. Fabien Lovett, Florida State

There were several players who Mel Kiper is high on, but just missed this list. They are Gervon Dexter of Florida, Tyler Davis of Clemson, Moro Ojomo of Texas, and Darius Robinson of Missouri.

Jalen Carter of Georgia and Mazi Smith of Michigan will both be playing in the College Football Playoff. They won’t go head-to-head in the semifinals. However, if both their teams win, then there is going to be a very interesting comparison there based on how they play in the championship game.

Another player, Bryan Bresee, jumps out for sadder reasons. An incredibly talented player, he’s been playing with a heavy heart after his 15-year-old sister Ella Bresee died of brain cancer. He should be a high-round pick in this upcoming NFL Draft.

There is still time and events, like the NFL Combine, for things to change. However, for now, this is how things stand.