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Tackle Terminology
There is more slang for defensive tackles than any other spot on the field, which is odd considering the anonymous dirty work these 300-pounders do.
Although the majority of games are won or lost in the trenches, newspaper headlines and sports talk radio rants are rarely focused on the big guys at the heart of every defense. So, the line lingo regarding defensive tackles is well deserved.
Talking heads love to throw around terms like “3-technique” or “2-gap” without any explanation following. And judging by their misuse when describing certain prospects, some of those draft gurus may or may not know what they’re actually saying — but it sounds good.
A defensive tackle’s work starts with gap responsibility — which spaces between opposing offensive linemen need to be clogged. The gaps are distinguished by letter — the A-gap is between the center and the guard; the B-gap is between the guard and tackle; the C-gap is between the tackle and tight end; the D-gap is just outside the tight end; and the E-gap is between the tight end and the wide receiver. There are two types of defensive tackles — those with two-gap and those with one-gap responsibilities.
Two-gap defensive tackles are usually bigger and stronger, occupying at least two blockers. This stuffs the running lanes, while also allowing the linebackers behind them to go unblocked, make plays and hog the glory.
In a 3-4 defense, Steelers two-gap All-Pro Casey Hampton (6’1”, 325 pounds) has rare athleticism for his size. Meanwhile, 17-year veteran Ted Washington (6’5”, 375 pounds) is an immovable mountain who can seemingly be effective by just leaning on two or more opposing offensive linemen. In a 3-4 defense, defensive tackles are better known as nose tackles and almost always have two-gap responsibilities. In order for a 3-4 to be effective, it needs a force of nature at nose tackle, which is very hard to find.
In a 4-3 scheme, the Super Bowl standard for two-gap defensive tackles is the retired Ravens duo of Tony Siragusa (6’3”, 350 pounds) and Sam Adams (6’3”, 350 pounds). The Goose and the Boston Lager were dominant two-gap tackles who dominated opposing offensive lines, allowing Ray Lewis to run untouched from sideline-to-sideline all the way to a Super Bowl XXXV victory.
One-gap defensive tackles are usually a sleek 290-to-310 pounds with quickness, speed and range. The more glamorous of defensive tackles, a one-gapper is more likely to sack the quarterback and less likely to serve only as a “blocker” for linebackers.
These days, whether the comparison fits or not, every young defensive tackle is the “next Warren Sapp.” And there is a reason for that. The Super Bowl XXXVII champ and 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year recorded 96.5 sacks over his 13-year career. Aside from being a notorious and controversial personality on and off the field, Sapp redefined the one-gap, “3-technique” defensive tackle.
The term “technique” is misleading. It is describing “where” a defensive tackle lines up on the field — not “how” a player does something (as the definition of the word “technique” indicates). But where a defensive tackle lines up is directly related to how he plays his position.
The numbering system starts at the center and moves out — a 0-technique defensive tackle lines up directly over the center; the 1-technique is between center and guard; the 2-technique is directly over the guard; the celebrated 3-technique is between the guard and offensive tackle; the 4-technique is over the offensive tackle; the 5-technique is between the offensive tackle and tight end; the 6-technique is inside the tight end or outside the offensive tackle on formations without a tight end; the 7-, 8-, or 9-techniques move farther outside and away from a defensive tackle’s normal responsibilities.
The 2008 NFL Draft defensive tackle class has two of the best all-around prospects to come along in recent memory. LSU’s Glenn Dorsey and USC’s Sedrick Ellis are both one-gap monsters who disrupt running plays and crush quarterbacks. Although they are “undersized” (both roughly 6’1”, 310 pounds) to be a prototype 4-3 two-gap or 3-4 nose tackle, both Dorsey and Ellis are versatile athletes who should be Top-10 overall picks.
Dorsey has even been mentioned as a potential candidate for the Miami Dolphins’ No. 1 overall pick. If Dorsey is selected by new VP of Football Operations Bill Parcells, the LSU national champion would become the first defensive tackle to go first overall since Ohio State’s Dan “Big Daddy” Wilkinson was the top pick of the Bengals in 1994.
The famous “Planet Theory” — originated by the late great N.Y. Giants executive George Young and popularized by Parcells — states that there are a finite number of athletic 300-pounders on Earth. And when a team has a chance to draft one, it should.
But, there are those who feel Ellis is a better prospect than Dorsey. And the USC product did nothing but help himself with an unblockable performance in this year’s Senior Bowl, which Dorsey did not participate in.
| 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | |
| 1st Round | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Top 100 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 9 |
Over the past five years, an average of eight defensive tackles have been selected in the Top 100 picks — which is roughly the first three rounds — of the NFL Draft. Of those, an average of three defensive tackles per year have been first-round choices.
Since there is a thin line between an athletic 320-pound run-stuffer and an ineffective fat guy pushing 400 pounds, defensive tackles are one of the riskiest picks to make. But this makes the "Planet Theory" even more important. When a team has a shot at a truly great 300-pound defensive playmaker, it must pull the trigger.
| 2007 | Player, School | Team (Pick) |
| 1st Round | Amobi Okoye, Louisville Justin Harrell, Tennessee |
Texans (10) Packers (16) |
| Top 100 | Alan Branch, Michigan Jay Alford, Penn State Tank Tyler, NC State Brandon Mebane, California Quinn Pitcock, Ohio State |
Cardinals (33) Giants (81) Chiefs (82) Seahawks (85) Colts (98) |
Okoye was a raw 19-year-old "Baby Sapp" 3-technique pass rusher that the Texans gambled on early on Draft Day. The youngest player ever drafted, Okoye became the new "Nigerian Nightmare" as a rookie — although he is no relation to the original, former Chiefs running back Christian Okoye.
Despite being a boy among men age-wise, the 6'2", 300-pound Okoye played in all 16 games (with 14 starts), recording 5.5 sacks while taking tremendous pressure off of scrutinized linemate Mario Williams. Health permitting, Okoye looks to have a bright future ahead of him. And taking his age into consideration, Okoye is likely to get bigger and stronger, adding even more force to his repertoire of speed and quickness.
In the weeks leading up to the draft, Branch's stock fell like a fat man doing a cannon ball in a swimming pool. Work ethic concerns about the big Michigan man (6'5", 330 pounds) scared every team away in the first round, but Arizona finally took him with the first pick of round two. Teams may have been right to shy away from Branch, who had nine tackles in 11 games (0 starts) as a rookie.
| 2006 | Player, School | Team (Pick) |
| 1st Round | Haloti Ngata, Oregon Brodrick Bunkley, Florida State John McCargo, NC State |
Ravens (12) Eagles (14) Bills (26) |
| Top 100 | Claude Wroten, LSU Dusty Dvoracek, Oklahoma |
Rams (68) Bears (73) |
Ngata was drafted in the wake of a Ray Lewis rant. After No. 52 complained about being bullied by blockers and reminisced about the good old days of Goose and Adams up front, the Ravens complied with the selection of Ngata. The 6'4", 340-pounder was an accomplished rugby player and showed off his quick feet with a 60-yard interception return as a rookie. In his second season, Ngata had 63 tackles and three sacks in between stuffing the run and protecting Lewis.
Fellow first-rounders Bunkley and McCargo were slow to transition to the NFL. Bunkley picked up the pace as a second-year tackle, finding the field and notching three sacks. After a foot injury in his first season, McCargo played in all 16 games in 2007.
| 2005 | Player, School | Team (Pick) |
| 1st Round | Travis Johnson, Florida State Luis Castillo, Northwestern Mike Patterson, USC |
Texans (16) Chargers (28) Eagles (31) |
| Top 100 | Shaun Cody, USC Jonathan Babineaux, Iowa Sione Pouha, Utah Atiyyah Ellison, Missouri |
Lions (37) Falcons (59) Jets (88) Panthers (89) |
Johnson is best known for being undercut on a block attempt by Chiefs quarterback Trent Green. After the play, Johnson stood over a limp Green yelling at the concussed quarterback. Although Green's ridiculous block attempt may have been dirty, Johnson was the bad guy because of his size and reaction. One play aside, Johnson is a key starter on a Texans line that features three first round picks.
Like many players with his size (6'3", 290) and athleticism, Castillo transitioned from college 4-3 defensive tackle to NFL 3-4 defensive end after being drafted by the Chargers. Injury prone but productive, Castillo is an important piece to the Bolts defense.
| 2004 | Player, School | Team (Pick) |
| 1st Round | Tommie Harris, Oklahoma Vince Wilfork, Miami Marcus Tubbs, Texas |
Bears (14) Patriots (21) Seahawks (23) |
| Top 100 | Igor Olshansky, Oregon Junior Siavii, Oregon Tank Johnson, Washington Dwan Edwards, Oregon State Darnell Dockett, Florida State Randy Starks, Maryland Donnell Washington, Clemson Tim Anderson, Ohio State |
Chargers (35) Chiefs (36) Bears (47) Ravens (51) Cardinals (64) Titans (71) Packers (72) Bills (74) |
Easily the best defensive tackle class of the past five years, Harris and Wilfork are two of the best in the entire league, while Dockett and Johnson are explosive impact players in the interior.
Harris is a 6'3", 295-pounder with a combination of skills. A natural against both the run and the pass, Harris has 19.5 sacks in four seasons while keeping attention away from Bears linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs.
Wilfork was the sixth Hurricane selected in the first round in 2004, setting an NFL record. How the 6'2", 325-pound mountain made it all the way to No. 21 overall is beyond explanation. Obviously a believer in the "Planet Theory" (or just a great judge of talent), Bill Belichick traded up to snag big Wilfork.
Usually several years ahead of the curve, the Pats were probably only 15 minutes ahead of the league on this one. But with so few Pro Bowl caliber 0-technique, 3-4 nose tackles — since trips to Hawaii usually go to the pretty boy 3-technique skinny guys — this acquisition looks even more brilliant in hindsight.
| 2003 | Player, School | Team (Pick) |
| 1st Round | Dewayne Robertson, Kentucky Johnathan Sullivan, Georgia Kevin Williams, Oklahoma State Jimmy Kennedy, Penn State William Joseph, Miami |
Jets (4) Saints (6) Vikings (9) Rams (12) Giants (25) |
| Top 100 | Anthony Adams, Penn State Cory Redding, Texas Wayne Hunter, Hawaii Kenny Peterson, Ohio State |
49ers (57) Lions (66) Seahawks (73) Packers (79) |
Robertson is the highest drafted defensive tackle of the past five years and has been (possibly unfairly) labeled a bust by many Jets fans. Had he been a late first rounder or gone somewhere besides New York, he may not have felt so much heat. But at No. 4 overall — and with Vikings All-Pro Williams drafted five spots later — Robertson has been a 6'1", 320-pound disappointment.
Williams has been one of the best defensive tackles in the game. The 6'5", 310-pound freak athlete has 34.0 sacks over five seasons and took two interceptions 72 yards for two touchdowns in 2007. More important, Williams (along with tag-team partner Pat Williams) is the main reason Minnesota was No. 1 against the run (74.1 ypg allowed) this season.
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