Michael Rothstein, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Detroit Lions initial draft outlook: Defensive line

The college All-Star games are coming up over the next two weeks with the NFL combine on the horizon in February.

Many players taken by teams in May will play in one of the three games for seniors, or come from the underclassmen pool. Over the next two weeks, along with our positional outlooks, we’ll give a few names to pay attention to over the next month. Remember, these lists will be fluid as the draft process continues.

For the purposes of this exercise, we’ll look at defensive tackles for now, considering the gaping need for them.

Previous outlooks: Quarterbacks; Running backs; Receivers; Tight ends; Offensive tackles; Interior offensive linemen.

Senior Bowl:

No. 95 North, Danny Shelton, DT, Washington (6-foot-1, 339): Shelton will likely be gone by the Detroit Lions' pick at No. 23, but he is the best defensive tackle on ESPN’s ratings right now. He also played in a 3-4 scheme at Washington.

No. 71 North, Carl Davis, DT, Iowa (6-4, 315): He had 36 tackles and nine tackles for loss -- including two sacks -- in 2014. He also had five quarterback hurries. He had 94 career tackles and 3.5 career sacks. It helps that he played in a 4-3 in college as well. He’s a Michigan native and lists Detroit as his hometown. His ESPN scouting profile has him above average against the run and pass.

No. 90 North, Louis Trinca-Pasat, DT, Iowa (6-2, 290): Of the two Hawkeyes' defensive tackles, Trinca-Pasat had the better senior season with 40 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss -- including 6.5 sacks. He had 148 career tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks.

No. 90 South, Gabe Wright, DT, Auburn (6-2, 290): He had 24 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack this season. He hurried quarterbacks 10 times. His best season came as a junior, when he had 31 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. This story from Brandon Marcello of AL.com describes his body transformation.

No. 95 South, Grady Jarrett, DT, Clemson (6-0, 290): He played in 48 career games, with 207 tackles, 29.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and 37 quarterback pressures. He was a first-team All-ACC player. The Tigers ran a 4-3 this year. His father is former Atlanta linebacker Jessie Tuggle. Interestingly, Dabo Swinney said in this ESPN story he would have picked Swinney over Vic Beasley to start a program with.

No. 33 South, Markus Golden, DE, Missouri (6-2, 260): Golden had 78 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 10 sacks his senior season. He also forced three fumbles and had 12 quarterback hurries. He had 55 tackles as a junior despite playing behind Kony Ealy, Michael Sam, and Shane Ray.

Others:

Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma (6-6, 334): He had 58 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in his career, although his stats are skewed because he barely played in 2013. Might not be an ideal fit because he played in a 3-4 in college, but is immensely talented.

Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State (6-4, 320): He’s a space-eater in the middle who has a knack for making plays. He had 35 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and four sacks during the 2014 season. ESPN’s scouting report has him as exceptional against the run and average against the pass. He could be a player Detroit seriously looks at in the coming months.

Malcom Brown, DT, Texas (6-2, 320): Brown was dominant in the interior of the line. He had 64 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks this season for the Longhorns -- part of a 157-tackle career with 28 tackles for loss. He was a consensus All-American and was a finalist for the Nagurski and Outland Trophies.

Mike Bennett, DT, Ohio State (6-2, 288): He had 41 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and seven sacks this season. He also forced three fumbles. He finished with 18 sacks in his career. Both of his parents graduated from Army.

Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon (6-8, 290): The massive rush end had 87 tackles in his three seasons with the Ducks, including 10 tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, and four sacks.

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