Aaron Donald is only 280 pounds, but moves like a figure skater, and runs a 4.68 40-yard dash. 

Donald is clearly the living example of, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the dog".  There is room for the BIG guy. But Donald is incredible. 

Aaron Donald is a special player, not many like him.

 

Really big defensive linemen also need to be mobile.  Otherwise they become a liability against dynamic/fast-paced offenses, of which there are plenty nowadays.

If you search up the topic for the NFL, the offensive linemen are the tallest and heaviest. Defensive tackles are slightly less. Defensive ends / edge players are considerably lighter.

 

 

 

I think the defensive lineman is generally at a disadvantage, since he does not know where the play is going or the snap count, so there is a need for quick reaction times. Therefore, in general, the more mobile big men will be steered towards the defensive line, which means also in general the lighter big men.

 

A ginormous defensive lineman would typically be one who in the defensive scheme is going to anchor a two-hole gap, since he is too big to move and will clog up that area of the field. I remember Refrigerator Perry in the Chicago 46 defense for this...

 

I am sure every team in the nation would love to have a few players who are that big and also have the reaction times to play on defense, such as Haloti Ngata for the Ducks, but they are few and far between. Most teams get by without them, simply because their biggest men are not quick enough to play the position.

Technique helps a lot as well... have a strong technique and good speed then a bigger but slower player may not be able to keep up entirely. 

 

It all comes down to how you can stress the opposing players. Make them work harder while you work smarter.

 

Sometimes being just big is enough to cause problems. Jordon Scott in 2019 just ate at least 2 offensive linemen per play, sometimes more, this allowed other players to get into the backfield. 

On 2/14/2022 at 4:30 PM, FamilyofDucks said:

Aaron Donald is only 280 pounds, but moves like a figure skater, and runs a 4.68 40-yard dash. 

And when he matriculated at Pitt he was around 250 pounds and thus, a 3* recruit.

At Nose Tackle?  Yes.  Georgia had the massive 360 lb. monster...  Other spots, no.

Aaron Donald was a wrestler, not a figure skater. I will agree a good wrestler moves extremely well, but I would never equate that to a figure skater. Figure skating is why I am not watching much tv right now. I would actually like to see more guys recruited on the line who have wrestling, jujitsu type training. We need big guys who know how to use leverage, and can get around guys. Remember the Fridge ran for a touchdown, because he knew how to, and could move.

It depends on your defensive scheme and what other players you have around them.

 

I'd love to see a big strong guy in the middle of the line this year, even if not the swiftest (within reason). That guy can eat up offensive linemen and keep them from getting to our very talented, big, fast linebackers.

 

Give those guys free run to clog holes and chase QBs and our D will be on its way to being very good. 

 

Doesn't have to be 370, but 325 wouldn't hurt. 

 

As an aside, the most effective D-lineman I've ever seen at any  level was a 5'11" 195 lb nose tackle in high school. He was also our star running back and a track star. He was strong enough and quick enough that he got off of blocks quickly and could chase guys down sideline to sideline. It helped that he had two 280+ guys playing tackle on either side of him. 

 

Just saying great D-linemen come in lots of different sizes and shapes.

On 2/14/2022 at 5:22 PM, Charles Fischer said:

At Nose Tackle?  Yes.  Georgia had the massive 360 lb. monster...  Other spots, no.

Size doesn't matter.  Just ask my wife.   😉

 

But to quote the greatest of all time, Knute Rockne....

 

"The only qualifications for a lineman are to be big and dumb.
To be a back, you only have to be dumb."