INDIANAPOLIS — How many smaller defensive tackles will be disregarded due to their size before the NFL figures it out? John Randle was undrafted at 6-foot-1 and 290 pounds in 1990, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. Aaron Donald, the best defensive player of his era in a peak value sense (I will brook no argument) fell to the 13th overall pick in the 2014 draft because of his size (6-foot-1, 280 pounds) and despite the fact that he was demolishing dudes at Pitt before he ever saw an NFL field.
Geno Atkins. Grady Jarrett. As much as we like to say, “Low man wins,” there is an obvious bias against shorter, smaller interior defensive line prospects despite the high hit rate at the position(s).
