New Jersey 2023 DL Rankings: Breakdown of the Top 6

Prep Redzone breaks down the defensive linemen currently in the New Jersey Class of 2023 prospect rankings. PRZ NJ will add more defensive lineman prospects to the list throughout the summer. For now, I’ll break down each defensive linemen currently ranked on our list. Key: Great, Good, Average, Below Average, Poor <strong>No. 6 [player_tooltip player_id="146680" first="Adekunle" last="Shittu"]/6-1/240/Defensive End/Edison</strong> Shittu made 50 total tackles (31 solos) and sacked the quarterback 5 times in six games last season. Explode/Point Strength: Average Reaction: Good Shed: Average Lateral Quicks/Change of Direction: Good Stay on Feet: Good Acceleration: Good Pursuit: Good Tackle: Good In-Line: Average Shittu had one of the most productive 2020 seasons out of all of the 2023 defensive linemen in New Jersey. <strong>No. 5 [player_tooltip player_id="146679" first="Logan" last="Barnes"]/6-2/256/Defensive Tackle/St Peter’s Prep</strong> Barnes has an offer from Temple. He made 23 total tackles (12 solo) in six games last season. Explode/Point Strength: Good Reaction: Average Shed: Good Lateral Quicks/Change of Direction: Average Stay on Feet: Good Acceleration: Average Pursuit: Average Tackle: Good In-Line: Good I like the way Barnes fights through double-teams to become a disruptive force in the opponents backfield.  He needs to work on becoming a bit quicker off the football. <strong>No. 4 [player_tooltip player_id="146678" first="Jimmy" last="Mullen"]/6-2/245/Defensive End/St. Joseph</strong> Mullen has an offer from Rutgers. Explode/Point Strength: Good Reaction: Good Shed: Good Lateral Quicks/Change of Direction: Good Stay on Feet: Good Acceleration: Good Pursuit: Good Tackle: Good In-Line: Average Mullen can play both the defensive end and defensive tackle positions. Despite not having a bunch of offers, Mullen has shown that he's one of the top 2023 defensive linemen. &nbsp; <strong>No. 3 [player_tooltip player_id="146677" first="James" last="Heard"]/6-2/210/Defensive End/Eastern</strong> Heard has offers from Maryland, Nebraska, Penn State, Rutgers, Temple, Texas A&amp;M, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia. He made 25 total tackles (20 solo) and 3.5 sacks in the three games he played in last season. Explode/Point Strength: Good Reaction: Good Shed: Average Lateral Quicks/Change of Direction: Good Stay on Feet: Good Acceleration: Good Pursuit: Good Tackle: Good In-Line: Average Heard is a linebacker that plays like a defensive end. Basically, he's an edge defender whose job is to find and attack whomever has the ball. <strong>No. 2 [player_tooltip player_id="146676" first="DJ" last="Samuels"]/6-0/245/Defensive End/Bergen Catholic</strong> Samuels’ 10-plus offers include Penn State, Rutgers, Syracuse, Michigan, West Virginia, Temple, and Rutgers. Samuels finished with 24 tackles (14 solo) and an incredible 10.5 sacks in five games last season. Explode/Point Strength: Great Reaction: Great Shed: Good Lateral Quicks/Change of Direction: Good Stay on Feet: Good Acceleration: Great Pursuit: Good Tackle: Good In-Line: Good There's a substantial case to be made for Samuels when you talk about top players in New Jersey's 2023 class. Despite being an undersized defensive end, there are plenty of Power 5 schools in the east showing interest in him. <strong>No. 1 [player_tooltip player_id="146675" first="Sydir" last="Mitchell"]/6-5/350/Defensive Tackle/Bergen Catholic</strong> Mitchell’s 15-plus offers include Michigan, Ole Miss, Penn State, Florida State, Boston College, USC, and Virginia Tech. Mitchell made 32 total tackles (9 solo) and sacked the quarterback twice in six games last season. Explode/Point Strength: Great Reaction: Good Shed: Good Lateral Quicks/Change of Direction: Average Stay on Feet: Good Acceleration:  Average Pursuit: Good Tackle: Good In-Line: Great Mitchell is an immoveable force in the middle. I think if he dropped down to the 315-325 pound range, he would become even quicker coming off the ball.