2023 Overlooked Defensive Linemen

Over the past few days, we have seen the importance of finding the gems along the offensive line. It is just as important to be formidable on the defensive side of the ball as well. Today, we will take a look at who some of the underrated defensive linemen in the Class of 2023 are as they prepare to embark upon potentially dominant senior seasons. Jaleb Treat, 6’7, 255 pounds, Rock Creek Jaleb Treat can impact the game either as a defensive end or when he slides inside to the nose guard spot. Treat can pursue plays that either go to the outside or to the other side of the field in general. He gives great effort and frequently chases down the ball-carrier from behind. Treat has good power, making him all the more difficult to block one-on-one. Treat will be looking to take another step forward after collecting 34 tackles with 24 solo tackles. Treat notched a pair of tackles-for-loss. He sacked the quarterback five times and hurried the passer an additional seven times. [player_tooltip player_id="300448" first="Kelton" last="Farmer"], 6’4, 240 pounds, Reitz Memorial [player_tooltip player_id="300448" first="Kelton" last="Farmer"] imposes his will on the opposing offense as a defensive tackle. Farmer uses his hands and his strength well to disengage from the block. Farmer can come from the interior to chase down the play when it goes to the outside. Farmer recorded an impressive 70 total tackles with 38 of those being solo. Defensive ends pride themselves on getting sacks. For defensive tackles, the goal is to be a disruptor and shut down the running-game. Farmer has a knack for doing just that. As a junior, he posted 11 tackles-for-loss. [player_tooltip player_id="300340" first="Jakar" last="Moore"], 5’10, 295 pounds, Cardinal Ritter [player_tooltip player_id="300340" first="Jakar" last="Moore"] can make his presence felt on both the offensive and defensive lines. Defensively, Moore laid the groundwork in 2021 for what could be a big year ahead. Last season, he totaled 15 tackles with five of those being solo. He added a quarterback hurry to his 2021 stats. [player_tooltip player_id="300340" first="Jakar" last="Moore"] has given fans and coaches alike plenty of reason to be optimistic for what the future holds. Now, he will look to have a breakout senior season. [player_tooltip player_id="301731" first="Zachary" last="Shultz"], 5’10, 200 pounds, Castle When [player_tooltip player_id="301731" first="Zachary" last="Shultz"] hits the field, this fall, he will be poised to play a leading role on the Castle defense. His performance last season demonstrates that Shultz is capable of accomplishing big things. Shultz compiled 32 total tackles with half of those being solo stops. He showed that he can get penetration and wreak havoc. In 2021, Shultz recorded three tackles-for-loss. His trio of TFLs was matched by the number of sacks and quarterback hurries that he had. [player_tooltip player_id="300460" first="Kolbey" last="Siler"], 6’1, 285 pounds, Shenandoah On the heels of a promising junior campaign, there is a great chance of [player_tooltip player_id="300460" first="Kolbey" last="Siler"] producing a huge senior season. Last season, Siler could customarily be found around the football. He accumulated 35 tackles. 16 of his tackles were solo tackles. Siler recorded a more-than-respectable mark of five tackles-for-loss. He can get after the quarterback. In 2021, he hurried the quarterback three times. Siler forced and recorded one fumble. [player_tooltip player_id="299654" first="Aedon" last="Smith"], 6’0, 170 pounds, Castle Teaming up with the aforementioned Shultz is dominant defensive end [player_tooltip player_id="299654" first="Aedon" last="Smith"]. Smith is lightning quick off the edge. He gets off the ball in a hurry and uses his speed to turn the corner around the tackle and get to the quarterback. Smith keeps a low center of gravity as he beats his opponent around the edge. Smith has the speed to stop and reverse his momentum to make the tackle on screen passes. On run plays, Smith gets down the line-of-scrimmage nicely to make the play.