Eric Smith

Welcome to Part 7 of our 2025 draft preview series, which will be a position-by-position look at key prospects and where the Chargers roster stands ahead of the NFL Draft. This series will include a look at which prospects could be options for the Chargers later this month.

We chatted with NFL Network draft analyst and Chargers radio color commentator Daniel Jeremiah to break down the defensive tackles in this draft class. Jeremiah can be found on X/Twitter@MoveTheSticksfor his analysis.

Chargers status at defensive tackle

Teair Tart, Otito Ogbonnia, Da'Shawn Hand, Naquan Jones, Scott Matlock, Justin Eboigbe, Christopher Hinton

The Bolts saw some turnover at the position this offseason as Poona Ford and Morgan Fox departed in free agency.

But the Chargers were still able to fortify the room with a handful of strong signings, bringing in the likes of Hand and Jones this spring while also bringing Tart back into the mix.

"They've done a good job of filling some quality reliable pieces in free agency," Jeremiah said. "It's obviously tough when you lose Poona [Ford], who played so well, but I think they did a nice job of getting some functional and reliable guys."

Ogbonnia, Matlock, Eboigbe and Hinton all return from a season ago, and there's a chance that group could see elevated playing time depending on how things shake out.

Jeremiah also noted that Chargers Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter is one of the best defensive coaches in the league, adding that Minter showed in Year 1 that he can get the front to play well, which then helps things run smooth in the secondary.

"I still think you need sturdy, strong, stout guys because he doesn't want to play with heavy box numbers," Jeremiah said. "Ideally, I think having a bunch of strong sturdy guys you can roll through there, keep guys fresh and that allows him to do everything else he wants to do from a number standpoint on the back half of the defense."

Is it a position of need?

Overall, Jeremiah likes where this group is at right now. But he said that adding another piece or two here, perhaps as early as Round 1, could help fortify the unit overall.

"I think now it would be nice if you could just maybe try and find some more depth in there and potentially a difference maker, someone who you can maybe draw a little bit more attention," Jeremiah said.

The Bolts defensive line group was among the surprise standout units in 2024, but reinforcements could be needed with some roster turnover in free agency.

Adding a defensive tackle in the first few rounds could give Minter and the defensive staff a key piece to build around for both 2025 and in future seasons.

Key Questions for 2025

1. What's the overall depth at DT in this class?

"I have twice as many guys with potential starting grades in this class as the last class. It's deep. Overall, it's loaded with defensive tackles."

2. Who is a Day 2 defensive tackle the Chargers could target?

"There's a ton of ton of interesting guys on the Day 2. Let's say the Michigan kids are gone and [Derrick] Harmon's gone from Oregon. But a guy like JJ Pegues from Ole Miss probably goes on Day 2 somewhere. The kid at Oregon, Jamaree Caldwell, he's a 320-pound stout strong kid and he's probably in that range. I had Rylie Mills from Notre Dame in that area before he had a knee injury so you get him probably much later now, but I like him as a fit and as a good player down the line. We'll see what happens with [Darius] Alexander from Toledo and where he ends up coming off the board, he's an interesting one."

3. Michigan's Kenneth Grant is a popular pick because of his connection to Jim Harbaugh. What do you see in him?

"I think his best football is way ahead of him. You can run some of the comparisons with him, I was in Baltimore and we picked Haloti Ngata. He's not that far off with that type of similar size and athleticism. Their testing numbers are relatively close. He's not quite the level of what Dexter Lawrence was coming out, but he's in that same ilk where they are just a jumbo athlete who plays hard. It's just hard to find guys that are that big that can move like that."

Expert rankings

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah currently has five defensive tackles in his latestTop 50list, while ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., has one in hisTop 25.

The Athletic's Dane Brugler has 11 defensive tackles in his most recentTop 100list, with the highest coming in at No. 4 (Mason Graham).

Pro Football Focus has 13 defensive tackles in the top 100 in theirBig Board Rankings, with a high of No. 4 (Graham).

Potential Chargers options

Note: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name).

Kenneth Grant

School:Michigan| Year:Junior| Ht:6-foot-4| Wt:331 pounds

2024 stats:12 games; 32 tackles (18 solo), 3.0 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, five passes defensed, two fumble recoveries

Quick fact:A 2024 Third-Team All-American, Grant was a key contributor along the interior throughout his time at Michigan and was a two-time All-Big Ten selection in three seasons.

Derrick Harmon

School:Oregon| Year:Redshirt Junior| Ht:6-foot-4| Wt:313 pounds

2024 stats:14 games; 45 tackles (27 solo), 5.0 sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss, three passes defensed, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries

Quick fact:Harmon was stellar in his lone season with the Ducks, leading all FBS interior defensive linemen with 55 total pressures generated, according to Pro Football Focus.

Jeremiah's Report:"He's someone who can create negative plays, plays on the other side of the line of scrimmage really quickly. He has really good instincts and just sees the game really fast. He plays fast and he's a real disruptive force."

Walter Nolen

School:Ole Miss| Year:Junior| Ht:6-foot-4| Wt:296 pounds

2024 stats:13 games; 48 tackles (25 solo), 6.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, three passes defensed, two fumble recoveries

Quick fact:Nolen became one of the 14 Consensus All-Americans in Ole Miss football history last season after being tied for team lead in tackles for loss and fourth on the team in sacks.

Jeremiah's Report:"He's real twitched up, real dynamic, he has just a lot in his body. There's a lot of talent there. He hasn't hadn't totally put it all together yet and it's a little bit more flashes. But you can get excited and dream on what that can look like."

Darius Alexander

School:Toledo| Year:Senior| Ht:6-foot-4| Wt:305 pounds

2024 stats:12 games; 40 tackles (17 solo), 3.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, one interception, five passes defensed

Quick fact:Alexander earned a Second-Team All-MAC selection and notched his first and only career interception in 2024, a 58-yard pick-six.

Tyleik Williams

School:Ohio State| Year:Senior| Ht:6-foot-3| Wt:334 pounds

2024 stats:13 games; 46 tackles (16 solo), 2.5 sacks, 8.0 tackles for loss, one pass defensed

Quick fact:A four-year player for the Buckeyes, Williams played 51 career games and was an All-American in 2023.

Alfred Collins

School:Texas| Year:Senior| Ht:6-foot-6| Wt:332 pounds

2024 stats:16 games; 55 tackles (27 solo), 1.0 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss, seven passes defensed, one forced fumble, one blocked kick

Quick fact:Collins finished his career playing in 40 consecutive games for Texas and tallied 139 career tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in five years.