Judge Farrell: DT 2014 - 2015

With the class of 2016 rankings locked and loaded, defensive tackles Rashan Gary and Dexter Lawrence finish as the top two in the country overall and, of course, at their positions. Sounds like the perfect time for Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell to put on his judge’s robe and take a look at the top two defensive tackles each year since our inception.

Today Judge Farrell looks at 2014-15, led by Georgia star Trenton Thompson.

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The skinny: With offers from coast-to-coast, Brown decided to stay local and committed to Virginia during the summer of 2013. Enrolling for the spring semester at Virginia, Brown was slowed by injuries as a true freshman, which limited him to only six games. As a sophomore in 2015 he began to earn more playing time, as he played in 10 games and finished with six tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and one sack. Expectations are high for a breakout season this fall for Brown in Charlottesville.

Farrell’s take: Brown was a freshman phenom in high school, continued to get better and then had inexplicably one of the worst Under Armour weeks by a five-star I have ever seen. That might have been a harbinger of things to come as injuries and uninspired play so far have hurt him. This is a huge year for Brown.

The skinny: Holley took in-season official visits to Florida, Penn State (where he had been committed) and Ohio State before committing to the Gators in January. With the Gators, Holley missed his true freshman season after having surgery to repair an injury. In 2015, Holley saw minimal action during his first collegiate season on the field, finishing with three tackles while playing in only three games, while his hip injury continued to linger and hinder his progress.

Farrell’s take: Holley was more of a late bloomer than Brown, but when he burst onto the scene, he became a big-time recruiting priority. He had good size but looked more like a defensive end in stature. He would dominate at times and struggle at other points. He did better with spacing than he did in crowds, but still held up very well against the best of the best at elite events. Like Brown and some others on this list, injuries have hurt him.

Judge Farrell’s verdict: Brown hasn’t done a ton, but he’s done more than Holley so far.

The skinny: McKenzie always held a special place in his heart for Tennessee, with his father, Reggie McKenzie, having played for the Vols in the early 1980s. After picking up offers from many of the top programs across the country, McKenzie committed to the Vols over Arizona during the summer leading up to his senior season. As a true freshman, McKenzie was able to showcase the talents that made him a five-star, finishing with 24 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble while playing in all 13 games.

Farrell’s take: McKenzie was the biggest recruit I’ve seen who can move the way he does and that includes Al Woods. He’s a zero technique at the NFL level, but he moves well enough to make plays in a 4-3 as a 3-tech as well. He had a lot of bad weight but was still so dominant pushing the pocket and chasing things outside the tackles that we couldn’t hold it against him. He’s off to a good start to his career and if he trims down a bit and gets a bit quicker NFL teams will be drooling over him in a few years.

The skinny: Thompson always held Georgia in high regard after the Bulldogs became his first offer. Despite taking closer looks at Auburn, Florida State and USC, at the end he realized he wanted to stay close to home and play for the Bulldogs. At Georgia, Thompson earned immediate playing time as a true freshman. Thompson finished the 2015 season with 25 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and half a sack despite playing in only eight games due to an ankle injury.

Farrell’s take: Thompson was the first defensive tackle to be named No. 1 in the country as he led our 2015 rankings and finished at No. 7 overall behind McKenzie mainly because of the latter’s amazing size and agility combination. However, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Thompson have a better overall career in college as he’s more athletic and can work his way down the line of scrimmage and to the outside to make plays better while McKenzie is more of a natural 3-4 fit as an NFL lineman. Both are outstanding prospects and it was a heated debate as to who was No. 1 at the defensive tackle position that year. He should have a tremendous career despite coming from a small school and rising up in competition level greatly and is off to a great start.

Judge Farrell’s verdict: Compare the stats: McKenzie has 24 tackles, 1 sack and 1 TFL, while Thompson has 25 tackles, 0.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for a loss. Who do you pick? I’ll go with Thompson in a close one.