Top Defensive Linemen To Watch In 2024 (Part 2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New Mexico features some very talented (and very BIG) defensive linemen for the 2024 season. Here are 10 more you need to know in Part 2 of a series.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613150' first='Jonathon' last='Gonzales'], West Las Vegas</strong>: The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Gonzales is one of the top DL in Class 3A. As a junior in 2023, he amassed 68 tackles, 10.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1272749' first='Cody' last='Hood'], Santa Fe</strong>: Hood is just a sophomore but he is expected to be a major contributor on the Santa Fe defense this season as a 1 technique DT. Demond head coach Andrew Gonzales described Hood as an “absolute tank.”        </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jedrek Jozwiak, Taos</strong>: Because of geography, Jozwiak is flying under the radar when folks talk about the top DL in New Mexico. Jozwiak has good length (6-foot-3) and impressive numbers in 2023: 73 tackles, 12.0 TFL, 10 sacks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853023' first='Luke' last='Matherly'], Centennial</strong>: After a promising freshman season on defense, Matherly moved to offensive line in 2023, but now he's back on defense. Very good size at 6-foot-1, 235 pounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137463' first='David' last='Palomarez'], Silver</strong>: As a sophomore in 2023, Palomarez emerged as a promising DL for the Fighting Colts. Twenty percent (20%) of his tackles went for negative yardage (5 of 25). Palomarez is a key figure on what should be a very good Silver defense in 2024. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615451' first='Christian' last='Powell'], Valley</strong>: The Vikings could have one of the top defensive lines in the Albuquerque Metro Region with Powell and 6-foot-5, 285-pound teammate [player_tooltip player_id='837220' first='Juan' last='Vigil']. Powell was sensational in 2023 with 66 tackles, 22.0 TFL and 8.0 sacks. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='611058' first='Elycio' last='Roybal'], Atrisco Heritage</strong>: Another DL standout flying under the radar. In 2023, Roybal finished with 43 tackles, yet had 22.0 TFL (thus more than 50 percent of his tackles produced negative yardage), 16.5 sacks and 26 QB hurries. He knows how to wreak havoc in opposing offensive backfields. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1118377' first='Patrick' last='Sanchez'], Lovington</strong>: The Wildcats' defense is often overshadowed by their prolific offense but Sanchez was fantastic in 2023 by earning Second-Team All-State honors at DE. He had 46 tackles, 13.0 TFL, 5.5 sacks and 12 QB hurries. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1194194' first='Ricky' last='Scroggins'], Manzano</strong>: The 6-foot-1, 280-pound Scroggins is a next level talent and a two-way standout for the Monarchs. He's also a camp warrior, traveling far and wide to improve his skills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1118373' first='Shawn' last='Wharepapa'], Highland</strong>: Another under-the-radar standout. Wharepapa will anchor Highland's defense. He's extremely athletic, explosive and one of the fastest players on the team. He's also a wrestler, power lifter and runs track. Last season, he had 38 tackles, 7 TFL and a staggering 29 QB hurries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/luke_matherly/status/1801823746485084642","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/luke_matherly/status/1801823746485084642 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/D1Powell7/status/1779298727490097562","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/D1Powell7/status/1779298727490097562 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/RickyS5071/status/1807070669613793775","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/RickyS5071/status/1807070669613793775 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1735134413690728742","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1735134413690728742 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->