Rivals Rankings Week: Breaking down the 2024 DL
With the final 2024 Rivals250 being unveiled Tuesday, it's time to dive into the position rankings. The defensive position rankings are being released today, and the national analyst team – Adam Friedman, John Garcia Jr., Adam Gorney and Greg Smith – is giving their takes on which player is the best fit with the team they signed with. Up first are the defensive linemen.
NEW POSITION RANKINGS: Pro-Style QB | Dual-Threat QB | All-Purpose RB | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Offensive Tackle | Offensive Guard | Center | Defensive Tackle | Weakside Defensive End | Strongside Defensive End
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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK
Sunday: Who should be No. 1 in the 2024 Rivals250?
Monday: Five-Star Countdown | Meet the new five-stars
Tuesday: Rivals250 released | Biggest movers | Gorney's thoughts
Wednesday: Offensive position rankings released | QB breakdown | RB breakdown | WR/TE breakdown | OL breakdown | Podcast
Thursday: Defensive position rankings released | DL | LB | DB | ATH
Friday: State rankings released
Saturday: Final thoughts on the 2024 Rivals250
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FRIEDMAN: Joseph Jonah-Ajonye
Jonah-Ajonye is an outstanding prospect from a measurables perspective and he's still a really young player for his grade. Earning his fifth star in the final rankings update, Jonah-Ajonye brings an element of power, quickness and raw potential to the field.
He has the look of a prospect who will physically and technically mature at the next level, similarly to how many other talented defensive lineman have developed at Georgia.
Jonah-Ajonye will have time to learn and take advantage of the strength and conditioning program in Athens before he is asked to compete at a high-level in the SEC and then, like many others before him at Georgia, will have his time to shine.
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GARCIA: Nasir Johnson
Georgia has churned out NFL defensive linemen like few programs have in recent years and Johnson looks like one of the next big men up in Athens. The best of the UGA bunch have held as combination defenders, able to win with power and quickness, and Johnson brings that raw ability to the table at about 300 pounds.
Sheer power is his calling card, and with the type of linebackers in Kirby Smart's defense, he will be the potential nose to occupy interior gaps and/or blockers alike to let the swift second-level guys clean up run plays. Johnson has better-than-expected quickness for his size, too, and it makes his three-down potential that much higher in that style of defense. Once the pad level and technique become consistent, this will look like one of the top interior defensive linemen in the country.
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GORNEY: Colin Simmons
There might be no better trait than versatility for a defensive lineman and Simmons has all of it - and then some. The Texas defensive coaches will love using him off the edge because his burst is special and he has a high motor but they will most likely move Simmons around as well, he can drop into coverage and do so many other things.
More than anything, the five-star defensive end does a phenomenal job of finding the ball and getting players on the ground. He has high-level speed, he never stops getting after it and whether it’s causing problems for offensive linemen off the edge or roaming and making plays, Simmons should be a great fit for the Longhorns.
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SMITH: Nasir Johnson
Johnson not only has all the tools to be great but it's a major bonus that Georgia flipped him from Florida. The Bulldogs see him as an “athlete on the defensive line” as a player that can play multiple positions on the front. The in-state star has the size to play on the interior but also has freakish athleticism to play off the edge.
Johnson is much more than a big spacer eater on the defensive line. He’s a good pass rusher and will only get better with college coaching to refine his technique. Johnson reminds me so much of recent freak athletes Georgia has produced along the defensive front. He should fit very well in Athens as a future star on the defensive line.