Underrated 2025 DL Prospects On The Rise

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Who are some under the radar 2025 defensive line prospects on the rise?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Redzone has the details below...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ray Dixon - North Cobb Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An excellent overall athlete who really stands out, Dixon is a playmaking defender and has quietly becoming one of the better defenders in Cobb County. The 6-foot-2 235-pounder out of North Cobb Christian is coming off a fantastic junior season where he made 66 tackles and an eye-opening 23.5 TFLs to go along with 12 sacks and three forced fumbles. He's one of the top overall defenders in the region and gave his best every Friday night. He has really good size and impressive quickness off the snap, allowing him to make consistent plays in the backfield. He caused havoc on a consistent basis and tough to slow down for just about every opposing offensive linemen he went up against. He lit up the stat sheet defensively and flashed D1-caliber potential on a weekly basis. He's a player to know who could really see his recruitment pick up over the next several months. He's still under the radar, but it may not be that way for long.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nasan Houston – Cross Creek</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top overall defenders in the Augusta area, Houston was a big-time defender this season as a junior. A promising pass-rusher who can also stop the run, Houston is able to help out in a lot of different ways. A naturally gifted EDGE defender, Houston was a sack machine last fall as he got to the quarterback 16.5 times. He's big, powerful, and moves really well side to side. He's a stout run defender who can hold the edge and force running backs back inside. However, his ability to attack the quarterback is the most impressive part of his game. He has an athletic 6-foot-2 210-pound frame that allows him to beat opposing tackles with his his speed and natural strength. He also has the ability to add even more weight and muscle this offseason. If he hits the weight room hard and continues to develop as an overall defender, Houston has a chance to have a dominant senior season in 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1315933' first='Braxton' last='Kyle'] - North Gwinnett</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A promising interior defensive lineman who made play after play last fall, Kyle is a big, stout defensive tackle with excellent size at 6-foot-4 300+ pounds. He can dominate smaller opposing linemen with ease, collapsing the pocket while also creating plenty of pressure on the quarterback form the inside. His raw strength and physical presence is easy to see, and he had his way with plenty of linemen throughout the 2024 season. He ended his junior year with 55 tackles, 23 TFLs and 11 sacks. The big defensive tackle had three sacks against West Forsyth and three sacks against Discovery, showing his ability to take over games as a playmaking defender. He was constantly in the backfield, making it tough for both quarterbacks and running backs to do much of anything. As good as he was last year, his best football is still way ahead of him. Look for Kyle to possibly see his recruitment pick up this off-season when college coaches start getting his junior film.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->