2023 Alabama Big Men to Watch

We looked at some talented 2023 offensive &amp; defensive linemen from around the state of Alabama that could see their stock rise. The state’s 2023 class, in particular is loaded with Power-five offensive &amp; defensive linemen. Here are a few names to watch entering this fall! <hr /> <em><strong>DL: [player_tooltip player_id="125535" first="Mikel" last="Hines"], 6’4", 225, Hueytown</strong></em> A fearless pass-rusher with great initial burst off the ball. Hines has a violent punch that can topple over guards. He’s a natural bull-rusher who uses a strong lower half and pure arm extension to rip off &amp; make plays behind the line of scrimmage. When you watch his film, you’ll see a big man with outstanding straight-line speed that will frequently chase plays down from behind. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/12758812/5dce323a90eeb108b4a020f7" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> &nbsp; <em><strong>OL: [player_tooltip player_id="150216" first="Baker" last="Hickman"], 6’3", 315, Northridge</strong></em> A quality zone blocker who flourishes when asked to down block. Hickman is a big kid that shows no issues working to the second level and plays with great body positioning. He’s light on his feet as a pass protector and can redirect laterally against rushers. Baker is always looking for more work and will explode into his blocks once he finds a target. To me, he projects as a guard at the next level. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/12720549/6019f0035ca8e013847aa7c7" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> &nbsp; <em><strong>DL: Christian Ross, 6’4", 225, Dale County</strong></em> On tape, Mr. Ross is stout against both the run and pass. Single blocks are ineffective against him as he uses raw strength and technique to muscle offensive linemen off of him. I loved his consistent effort, as he would dip and dive to make tackles just about anywhere on the football field. He’s got a nasty overhand chop that he uses to slap tackles punches away in pass protection. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14792800/5fc655849677700ba831af56" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> &nbsp; <em><strong>OL: Logan Dillard, 6’4", 280, Reeltown</strong></em> Bad things happen when Logan gets his hands on you. On tape, he does a good job of steering down linemen away from called runs. He plays with good knee bend and solid pad level. Dillard can create vertical displacement, using adequate knee drive and a high effort mentality. He gets hip to hip on zone double teams and won’t come off until a backer triggers towards the called run. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/12744184/5f7b157964df560524c2844d" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> &nbsp; <em><strong>DL:</strong></em> <em><strong>Walter Goggins, 6’3", 260, Deshler</strong></em> Goggins has a real muscular build to him with little to no baby fat on him. He’s extremely twitchy for a big man and routinely beats opposing offensive linemen off the ball. He’s an aggressive tackler who makes running backs pay if he gets them in his grasp. The hand quickness is evident as is the upper body strength. Right now he’s most certainly a 3-technique at the next level, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he continued to put one weight over the next two seasons and kicker further down as a 1-technique. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/12778247/5f5449aa578d400ac85f6e3b" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>