• Illinois' Jer'Zhan Newton brings an ideal mentality for the interior: His eyes stay in the backfield as a pass rusher and run defender because disengaging blockers and getting by them is just what he does — it's second nature.
• Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter will get needed experience in 2023: Carter is just a one-year starter, so there were plenty of moments last season where you could see him reacting instead of anticipating.
• Miami's Kamren Kinchens thrives as single-high free safety: He has excellent range and made a ton of plays on the ball last year — six interceptions and three forced incompletions — because of it.
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
With our summer scouting position rankings for the 2024 NFL Draft finished, we wanted to wrap things up and put a bow on our thoughts on the defensive class heading into the season.
To do that, we examined the strengths and weaknesses of the top defensive players at each position heading into the 2023 college football season. Click here to read about the strengths and weaknesses of the top offensive prospects.
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Player Grades
DI: JER’ZHAN NEWTON, ILLINOIS
Strengths
Newton's mentality and approach to trench play feel like the baseline for what we love about him. His eyes stay in the backfield as a pass rusher and run defender because disengaging blockers and getting by them is just what he does — it's second nature. His hands are lightning quick, which aids him in that mentality. He’s also stout in run defense despite having a lower weight profile. He’s excellent at finding his way into the backfield, whether that’s shooting a gap on an explosive first step or beating an offensive linemen in a one-on-one.
Weaknesses
Potential size issues are the biggest (and perhaps only) weaknesses in Newton’s game right now. He’s 6-foot-1.5 and 300 pounds, ranking in the 16th and 35th percentiles, respectively, for defensive interior players. The lower height gives him a nice leverage advantage, but the lack of arm length does show up when first making contact. Though he is still very effective in run defense, the lower weight can get him in trouble, at times, when really asked to anchor in the middle.
EDGE: JARED VERSE, FLORIDA STATE
Strengths
There is so much to like about Verse’s game, but it all stems from his violent and explosive play style. His first step is very impressive, and the power he generates from it is imposing. That makes his bull rush a thing of beauty. He also has a good understanding of pass-rush plans already as just a one-year starter at the FBS level; his fast hands make his swipes and chops effective as primary moves or as counters.
Weaknesses
Some offensive tackles can beat Verse when it comes to arm length. He really likes the long-arm move, so when he’s up against an offensive tackle who can outreach him, that can be neutralized. Though he is experienced as both a three-point and two-point rusher, when he comes from a stand-up position he has a tendency to make contact high rather than maintain that low leverage. When his pad level is intact, he’s so hard to stop.
LB: BARRETT CARTER, CLEMSON
Strengths
As a former five-star recruit, Barrett Carter brings top-tier athleticism to off-ball linebacker responsibilities. That athleticism manifests itself in his ability to change direction and move fluidly in coverage, as well as attack the line of scrimmage with great speed and agility as a blitzer. At times, he lines up in the slot, but don’t mistake him for a lighter player who won’t help in run defense; he’ll stick his nose in there when called upon.
Weaknesses
Carter is just a one-year starter, so there were plenty of moments last season where you could see him reacting instead of anticipating. His athleticism still allowed him to make plays, but taking that next step with recognition and awareness will yield more impactful plays, especially on the ball in the form of forced incompletions and takeaways.
CB: KOOL-AID McKINSTRY, ALABAMA
Strengths
Entering his first season of draft eligibility, McKinstry already brings a ton of talent and confidence to playing press man coverage as an outside cornerback. Of his 518 coverage snaps in 2022, 427 were in press. He also forced 18 incompletions. The feet are quick, the hips are fluid, the long speed is adequate and he has so much confidence playing with his back to the ball. His tape last year was about as good as you could ask for from an underclassman outside cornerback in man coverage.
Weaknesses
McKinstry is listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, so to ask him to gain more weight for added strength seems silly. But he does need to play with a bit more strength. When he gets turned around in coverage or when he goes up against more physical receivers, he has a tendency to retaliate with too much grabbing. Being more comfortable with those subtle shoulder bumps and hand fighting will round out his profile against bigger receivers.
S: KAMREN KINCHENS, MIAMI
Strengths
Kinchens wasn’t even the highest-rated safety recruit in Miami’s 2021 recruiting class. Now, he’ll find his name at the top of a lot of safety rankings heading into the 2023 season. The reason is because of what he can do as a single-high free safety on the back end. He has excellent range and made a ton of plays on the ball last year — six interceptions and three forced incompletions — because of it. Whether it's in a backpedal or triggering downhill, this dude can really move and cover ground coming from a deep alignment.
Weaknesses
As we mentioned in Barrett Carter’s section, there were times when Kinchens was still just reacting instead of anticipating as a true sophomore in 2022. The hope is that more repetitions yield even more anticipation in 2023. He was also a bit too aggressive when looking for plays to make over the middle of the field, at times forgetting his deeper coverage responsibilities for big plays. Again, more reps should give way to better discipline, awareness and anticipation.
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