Seahawks Scheme Fits: Best Nose Tackles in 2025 NFL Draft
Culminating an offseason that has been full of change for the Seattle Seahawks, the franchise will enter the 2025 NFL Draft holding 10 selections, including five in the first 92 picks, presenting a prime opportunity to bolster their roster with an infusion of young talent.
As far as immediate needs are concerned, the Seahawks should have one of the strongest defensive lines in the NFC, anchored by returning star Leonard Williams, seasoned veteran Jarran Reed, and 2024 first-round pick Byron Murphy II. Still, as coach Mike Macdonald echoed at the NFL league meeting, there’s no such thing as too much depth and talent in the trenches, and with both Johnathan Hankins and Roy Robertson-Harris now gone in free agency, there are significant depth concerns that could be addressed earlier than later in the draft with a deep class at the position.
With a massive hole currently wide open after not bringing back Hankins, which prospects in this year’s 2025 class stand out as the best fits for Macdonald’s defense? Split into first round candidates, day two candidates, and day three candidates, here are seven interior defenders who represent the best potential options for the Seahawks:
First Round
Kenneth Grant, Michigan
A four-star recruit out of Merrillville High School in Indiana, Grant opted to cross state lines to play for former coach Jim Harbaugh, earning himself snaps as a rotational interior defender during his true freshman season in 2022. A catalyst for one of the nation’s stingiest defenses from the trenches, he broke out as a sophomore with 29 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and three swatted passes, helping the Wolverines return to the mountaintop as national champions with a sack in a title game win over Washington. Forming a dynamic one-two punch with All-American Mason Graham in the interior, he capped off his career in Ann Arbor with three sacks, seven tackles for loss, and five pass deflections, earning Second-Team All-Big Ten and Third-Team All-American honors.
You can count on one hand how many 330+ pound nose tackles can be kept in on passing downs and utilized as pass rushing weapons.
Kenneth Grant is one of those rare dudes. He should absolutely be a top-20 pick next week. Game wrecker and only 21 years old. pic.twitter.com/ZZ1ske0fj7— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) April 17, 2025
One of the biggest prospects in this draft class at 6-4, 331 pounds, Grant can handle the role of space eating two-gapper in the middle that matches with his massive frame, but he isn’t just a block occupying presence at the line of scrimmage. With rare explosiveness for a 330-plus pounder, he can penetrate gaps and regularly finds his way into the backfield both as a run defender and pass rusher, offering a three-down skill set that isn’t often seen from nose tackles. He generated 50 quarterback pressures in his final two collegiate seasons to go with eight swatted passes and a dozen tackles for loss, a stat line that any 1-tech defender would envy. Keeping his weight in the 330-335 range and maintaining conditioning will always be a battle, but players with his size and skills don’t come along often and plugging him in with Murphy, Williams, and Reed would be a nightmare for NFC West offensive lines.
Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
Despite an impressive amount of future NFL talent ahead of him on the depth chart, Williams sunk his teeth into healthy reps along the Buckeyes’ defensive line as a true freshman in 2021, producing five sacks and 21 pressures on just 114 pass rushing opportunities. Though he never quite reproduced those sack numbers in his last three years in Columbus, he still eclipsed 20 pressures in 2023 and 2024 while adding five swatted passes and stifling opposing run games as an immovable object at the line of scrimmage. Helping Ohio State win the national title as a senior, he earned Third-Team All-Big Ten recognition but did not participate in any all-star showcases before his pro day workout.
There aren't many reps of Tyleik Williams playing nose tackle at Ohio State. But at his size - 330+ pounds - with his ability to rag doll blockers, I absolutely could see him being a force as a 1-tech/0-tech in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/nbtxgmOW4u— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) April 17, 2025
Another outstanding athlete weighing in north of 330 pounds, Williams spent the majority of his time with the Buckeyes as a penetrating 3-tech defensive tackle, allowing him more opportunities to be able to use his quick first step and punishing bull rush to collapse the pocket. As a run defender, he has proven himself capable of stacking and shedding as a two-gapper as well as working around blocks on slants to produce plays at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield. A dearth of counters as a rusher could put a cap on his ability in that regard at the next level and interestingly, he didn’t see much action as a nose tackle in college, making the transition to that role more of a projection than anticipated. Still, like Graham, few players come along with his movement skills at his size who also have a lengthy track record of tackle and sack production, and his positional versatility would fit in quite nicely as a first round addition to Seattle’s defensive front.
Day 2 - Second/Third Round
Alfred Collins, Texas
Stuck in the shadows behind future NFL draft picks such as Seahawks 2024 first-round pick Byron Murphy and T'Vondre Sweat, Collins hasn't received the attention he deserved for most of his time in Austin, where he played significant snaps as a rotational defender until becoming a full-time starter this season. With those extended reps, he starred for a stout defensive line, posting a gaudy stat line with 55 tackles, six tackles for loss, 18 pressures, and six batted passes, making his presence felt as a pass rusher without the prerequisite sack numbers.
Compared to Murphy or even Sweat, Collins' game lacks flash and sizzle, but he's a force to reckon with as a run defender. Tough to move off his spot at 320 pounds, he plays with excellent leverage and throws cement blocks for hands, allowing him to control the fight from the onset and get his hands on backs for plenty of tackles. His lack of pass rushing production in the sacks and quarterback hits department may mean he's limited to early downs in the league, but the Seahawks would love to add him to the mix as a disruptive nose who still may have room to develop as a pass rusher down the line.
CJ West, Indiana
Though a few Big Ten teams showed interest in him during recruiting, West opted to attend Kent State instead, becoming a starter during his redshirt freshman season and producing four sacks to pace the Golden Flashes’ front line on defense. After three stellar seasons in Kent, he hit the transfer portal and became a catalyst for a remarkable turnaround at Indiana, racking up 40 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss, and two sacks as a nose tackle, helping the Hoosiers win 11 games for the first time in program history and advance to the College Football Playoff. He earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors and participated in the East/West Shrine Bowl.
CJ West may be getting slept on by some draft analysts, but I find it hard to believe NFL teams aren't in love with him as a modern nose tackle.
Huge part of IU's historic season. He's a rhino battling against doubles and has the quicks/moves for some pass rush production. pic.twitter.com/wXqPPbjGjM— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) April 17, 2025
Though West isn’t the prototypical 330-plus pound nose tackle, he’s compact and incredibly powerful at 6-1, 317 pounds, regularly winning the leverage battle with a low center of gravity and the ability to set anchor against double teams as well as penetrate gaps. At the next level, his lack of length and overall size may force him to play most of his snaps as a 3-tech defensive tackle and his modest pass rushing numbers in college cast questions about his capabilities as a three-down lineman, but he packs a punch athletically with a quick first step and boasts active hands, making him an intriguing day three prospect to groom behind Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, and Byron Murphy II in Seattle.
Day 3 - Fourth-Seventh Round
Jordan Phillips, Maryland
Beginning his college career at Tennessee, Phillips didn’t see the field much as a freshman, leading to his decision to transfer from Rocky Top to join the Terrapins. Jumping into a starting role with his new team, the run stuffing defender posted at least 28 tackles in two seasons in the lineup, proving himself to be a reliable finisher with under a four percent missed tackle rate. Though he didn’t earn All-Big Ten recognition in either season with the program, he did enough to earn an invite to the East/West Shrine Bowl and performed at a high level in Frisco, further improving his draft stock with a decent combine workout.
A shorter, stockier nose tackle built similar to West at 6-1, 312 pounds, Phillips didn’t offer many contributions as a pass rusher in college, failing to record a single sack and just 26 pressures in three seasons. His athleticism has yet to translate to much production in that capacity, though he showed flashes at the Shrine Bowl with a capable first step and budding counter moves. As a run defender, he can be tricky to move off the ball and has demonstrated some proficiency, albeit with inconsistency, as a two-gapper and taking on doubles. He isn’t near as polished as West, particularly in the pass rush department, but there’s enough flashes on film coupled with his youth as an early entrant to believe his best football remains ahead of him and he could potentially offer positional flexibility for Seattle as a rotational piece early in his career.
Jamaree Caldwell, Oregon
Going the JUCO route, Caldwell originally kicked off his college journey at Hutchinson Community College, unfortunately losing his first season in 2020 due to the pandemic. Two years later, he committed to Houston, spending two seasons with the Cougars, including generating 6.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss in 2023. Hitting the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining, he joined a rebuilt defensive line for the Ducks alongside fellow transfer Derrick Harmon, pitching in 29 tackles and five tackles for loss to go with three swatted passes for the eventual Big Ten champions while receiving Honorable Mention all-conference distinction.
Measuring in at 6-2, 332 pounds, Caldwell looks the part of a formidable two-gapping nose tackle and while he has a tendency to play too upright at times, he brings the ruggedness and toughness needed to handle the rigors of dealing with constant double teams. His pass rushing took a huge step back in the sack department, but those numbers can be misleading, as he finished with 25 pressures and gave Oregon juice with a quality bull rush to push the pocket. He may not have as a high of a ceiling as other nose tackle prospects in this class, but he’s already quite polished using his hands and playing with great physicality, offering enough traits to start out as a rotational player with the potential to someday start for the Seahawks as a nose or 3-tech.
Cam’Ron Jackson, Florida
Passed over by Power 4 schools, Jackson spent his first three seasons at Memphis, carving out a starting role in 2022 after two seasons with minimal playing time, producing 44 tackles and 20 pressures to put himself on the map as a coveted transfer candidate. Still with two years of eligibility, after considering multiple SEC schools, he signed with Florida, logging over 250 defensive snaps in two seasons with the program. Mostly an early down specialist who lined up as a nose tackle, he surpassed 30 tackles in both of those seasons.
On the tall end of the spectrum for an interior defensive lineman, the 6-6, 328-pound Jackson can be an absolute force against the run, using his impressive strength and thumping hands to hold blockers at bay and close creases in the run game before they open. Unfortunately, he offers little to no upside as a pass rusher, lacking counter moves or the explosiveness to threaten the pocket very often, limiting him to first and second down duties and goal line situations. Teams won’t be rushing to select him early because of his one-dimensional game, but the Seahawks could use a traditional nose on early downs to help with the run game, giving him late day three value as a situational reserve.
