Top Defensive Linemen To Watch In 2024 (Part 1)

<p>New Mexico features some very talented (and very BIG) defensive linemen for the 2024 season. Here are 12 you need to know in Part 1 of a series.</p>   <p><strong>Roswell's Big Three</strong>: The first thing that stands out about <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1118051' first='Mason' last='Greathouse']</strong> (6-3, 235), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613759' first='Noah' last='Lynn']</strong> (6-3, 255) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259013' first='Aidan' last='Rutley']</strong> (6-5, 245) is their impressive size. They combine that with speed, mobility, strength and keen football instincts. All three are camp warriors and all three will play at the next level, possibly D1. They will be more than a handful for every offensive line they face this season.  </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613743' first='Carlos' last='Barela'], La Cueva</strong>: The 6-foot-3 Barela couldn't play varsity last season after transferring from Cleveland, but he showed during camping season that he's ready to be a major force for the Bears in 2024. He has a lightning quick first step.</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1118048' first='Kevin' last='Cuomo'], Eldorado</strong>: Cuomo earned the right to be called the ‘Strongest Player in New Mexico' based on his performance at the state powerlifting meet. He deadlifts 650 pounds. But he's also a great football player, earning First-Team All-District honors in 2023.</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613749' first='Abel' last='Gonzalez'], Centennial</strong>: Gonzalez (6-0, 230) is going into his fourth year as a starter for the Hawks along the defensive front. Between Gonzalez, [player_tooltip player_id='853023' first='Luke' last='Matherly'] and others, Centennial should  have an outstanding DL in 2024.  </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1118370' first='Kaden' last='Grantham'], Artesia</strong>: Grantham has great size (6-4, 220 pounds), speed and skills. Runs the 40 in under 4.7 seconds. He earned Class 5A First-Team All-State honors after making  71 tackles and 10 TFL as a junior in 2023. He's not afraid to test himself against the best, camping recently at Texas Tech and Oklahoma.     </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='611047' first='Psalmon' last='Kegler'], Cleveland</strong>: The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Kegler was arguably overshadowed by some of the other great Cleveland defensive players last season, but he earned 6A First-Team All-State honors. Kegler is extremely strong with fantastic get-off when the ball is snapped. Next level talent.   </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854198' first='Alexander' last='Lopez'], Gadsden</strong>: Younger brother of WNMU signee Nathaniel Lopez, Alex emerged last season as one of the top young defensive linemen in the state with 91 tackles, 6.0 TFL and 6 sacks. He was our 5A Sophomore of the Year in last December's Look Back, Look Ahead series. Alex is already 6-foot-2 and should soon be on the radar of many colleges.  </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248681' first='Ke'maurion' last='Morrall'], Alamogordo</strong>: We first saw Morrall at the Prep Redzone Combine in Grants a couple of months ago, and he didn't disappoint. Morrall has good size at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds and excellent speed. First-Team All-District and Honorable Mention All-State honors in 2023. Because Alamogordo didn't make the playoffs last fall, Morrall is flying under the radar but that should change.</p>   <p><strong>Victor Sutherland, West Mesa</strong>: Another DE who's flying under the radar. Sutherland, though, had an outstanding season in 2023 with 45 tackles, 3 TFL and 7 QB hurries. He knows how to wreak havoc in opposing offensive backfields.  </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='837220' first='Juan' last='Vigil'], Valley</strong>: Currently listed at 6-foot-5, 305 pounds, Vigil is hard to miss when you watch the Valley defensive line get to work. Vigil was one of the breakout stars of the Prep Redzone Combine in Grants and he is positioned nicely to enjoy a stellar senior season for the Vikings.    </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/n0ahlynn17/status/1804259360639762789 </div></figure>   <p></p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Carlos_Barela94/status/1801749884019843244 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/KevingCuomo/status/1802151947140562952 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/kadengrantham25/status/1801329227398320315 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Angrybirdfb/status/1734632368961368232 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/K3gler53/status/1782584060927201581 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Alexlopez2026/status/1802459783502676288 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/TyMorrall1/status/1779334669646852127 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/VicSutherlan4/status/1788300964069597202 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1779220768754409502 </div></figure>

New Mexico features some very talented (and very BIG) defensive linemen for the 2024 season. Here are 12 you need to know in Part 1 of a series.