2023 NFL Draft: Top 10 Interior Defensive Linemen and their fits with the Atlanta Falcons
No. 9: Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh
2022: 11 Games Played, 30 Tackles, 14.0 Tackles for Loss, 7.0 Sacks, 10 QB Hurries
2021: 14 Games Played, 34 Tackles, 13.0 Tackles for Loss, 7.0 Sacks, 2 QB Hurries, 1 Fumble Forced, 1 Pass Deflection
2020: 10 Games Played, 27 Tackles, 7.0 Tackles for Loss, 1.5 Sacks, 4 QB Hurries, 2 Pass Deflections
2019: 1 Games Played, Redshirted after 1 game
Calijah Kancey is like a quicker Aaron Donald athletically with less arm length. Donald is a future Hall of Famer. pic.twitter.com/1sFj7aqqOV
— Scott Carasik (@CarasikS) April 9, 2023
Despite lacking ideal size and arm length, Calijah Kancey compares favorably to one of the great defensive tackles of all time—John Randle of Minnesota Vikings fame. He has an incredible first step and plays both the run and the pass well. He's a nasty pass rusher who will sometimes get blocked out of plays against the run because of his size and length restrictions. However, he wins with his first step and is better off as a one-gap defender as a 3-technique or a 4i-technique.
Due to his lack of ideal size, teams may not see him as an interior rusher past the three-technique. He's going to get over-drafted by a team who thinks he can be the next Aaron Donald, but he won't see his best success until a team uses him as a primary 3-technique. He's being talked about in the first round, but he's not worth anywhere close to a top-10 pick. The Falcons could consider him at No. 44 overall in the second round, but he's not good enough for the first-round selection.