Evaluations On New Defensive Line Additions to the 2027 Rankings

The EDGE for the Wildcats had a very productive sophomore season. King had a penchant for making game changing plays as he tallied 10 sacks, 7.5 TFL's, 4 pass deflections. He did so against some of the best competition central Ohio has to offer. Along with that production Damion possesses strong physical traits. Standing at 6'4 215 pounds King has a great frame to build upon over the next couple years. He possesses desired height and length D1 coaches desire at the edge position. King rushes primarily from the standup but does show the ability to put his hand in the dirt as well. He has strong lateral movement and the ability to dip and bend to get around opposing blockers. He also uses his hand well to shed, counter, and get off blocks. As he continues to get bigger and stronger, I'm excited to see him, add more of a strength and physicality component to his game. I'd be very surprised if Damian did not start to attract D1 FBS interest in offers this summer and fall.     Fasbender is a player that I expect to be a quick riser through the rankings as he continues to develop. He lines up at defensive tackle for Saint X. At 6'5 255 Josh has a great blend of size and athleticism. At the next level I like him as a 4-3 nose tackle or a 3-4 defensive end. His frame, length, and athleticism will allow him to two-gap at a high level. When you watch his film you see a player who bends well and has the lateral movement capabilities to dip and shoot gaps. He possesses great awareness and the ability to be explosive in pursuit. He sheds well after engaging the defender. The main thing I'm looking for now is him just getting stronger and more violent at the point of attack. The competition that Fasbender plays at a program like Saint Xavier will help him to develop and put out the film that will allow him to produce high level evaluations. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Josh started to get P4 interest and possibly offers this offseason. It should be a big offseason for the sophomore Bomber defensive lineman.     Bishop Watterson had a great 2024 season that wrapped up with a 19-14 win over Toledo Central Catholic and an undefeated 16-0 season. A big part of that undefeated team was their play on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Boyle played defensive tackle on the Eagles defense. Though he was undersized I love his film and the way he plays the game. Boyle plays a physical and violent style of football. He plays with great pad level and has the strength to consistently stand his man up. He has an explosive get-off and a the acceleration to quickly disrupt and make plays in the backfield. Because of his size he'll have to move outside at the college level, but with his strength and athleticism, I don't anticipate that being an issue. I'm excited to see how Boyle continues to grow and develop.     Patterson is an intriguing blend of size strength and athleticism. He plays defensive tackle for the Wildcats. I like Patterson as a rush tackle at the next level. He has a versatile skillset that he uses to beat blockers. He solid bull rush to both collapse the pocket. He has the athleticism and the burst to dip his shoulder and shoot the gap. He shows off a great motor and is good in pursuit. He uses his length well to keep blockers at a bay and shows the awareness and ability to bat down passes. I'd like to see him play a little more violent at the point of attack. If he can do that, I think he can take his game to another level.     At 6'5 270 Allen possesses an interesting blend of size and athleticism. He plays defensive tackle for the Bison. Allen shows good strength and heavy hands at the point of attack. He does a good job of disengaging and pursuing. On one play he uses a nice tight spin move to get free. With the way he moves at times, you can tell he's still growing into his body. As he continues to fill out and get stronger, he has a change to develop into a really nice college prospect.     McMillin is a defensive end for the Midview Middies. He's an athletic lineman with a good burst off the snap. He plays with good pad level and downhill. Sawyer has good lateral change of direction skills that he uses to crossover blockers. He also looks to shoot the gap to beat opposing blockers. Versus the run Sawyer anchors well and is able to stand his ground even against bigger offensive linemen.