Omarr Norman-Lott, Deone Walker bringing the beef among top DTs at Senior Bowl

Moving on to another position the Chargers may have to address this season, we’ve got some of the top defensive tackles at this year’s Senior Bowl. Now I have to preface that the Bolts may end up re-signing Poona Ford, Teair Tart, or both following a pair of strong seasons, but just in case, we’re going to familiarize ourselves with the position anyway

Let’s go ahead and dive into four names you should keep track over during this week’s all-star showcase.

Jamaree Caldwell, Oregon

• Height: 6’2
• Weight: 342
• Wingspan: 77 ³⁄₄
• Hand: 9 ¹⁄₂

Caldwell played alongside two other dominant defensive linemen at Oregon in Derrick Harmon and Jordan Burch. This week at the Senior Bowl, he wasted little time in shining during the first round of one-on-ones during the first day of practice. At 342 pounds, he’s dynamite off the snap. Truly surprising for man of that stature. His motor is also something you simply can’t miss while watching him at practice. He’s giving it his all each snap.

With zero sacks and five tackles for loss in 2024, Caldwell has a chance to make up some money this draft season after a quiet 2024 campaign.

Omarr Norman-Lott, Tennessee

• Height: 6’1 7/8
• Weight: 295
• Wingspan: 79 3/4
• Hand: 11 1/8

Norman-Lott might be the quickest defensive lineman off the snap at the Senior Bowl this year. At least, that’s what it looked like during the week’s first practice. Just take a look at the play in the video below. This isn’t normal!

Yes, that Norman-Lott essentially exploding so fast off the ball that he disrupts the center-quarterback exchange, possibly leading to a big-time turnover were it in a real NFL game.

Watching Norman-Lott in one-on-ones, he’s got notable body control when positioning himself to beat blockers as fast as possible. He likes to utilize a little bit of a jump to help turn the corner on offensive linemen and when he knows he’s set up correctly, he’s got the upper body strength to wrench blockers out of the way.

When defensive lineman are as quick as he is, that usually means that is the only way they can win consistently. However, Norman-Lott still possesses the brute strength to take on blocks and force ball-carriers to come off their preferred tracks.

Aeneas Peebles, Virginia Tech

• Height: 6’0 3/8
• Weight: 289
• Wingspan: 77 2/4
• Hand: 10

Peebles is a bit undersized but I don’t think he actually knows that based on how he plays. He’s incredibly disruptive as both a run stopper and pass rusher. His efforts earned him a First-Team All-ACC honor and a Third-Team All-American nod in his first and only season with the Hokies.

While a lot of undersized defensive tackles win with a mixture of athleticism and motor, Peebles takes that formula and injects it with really solid fundamentals. He plays with an impressive of gravity and almost never finds himself displaced from the path he wants to take to the football.

Deone Walker, Kentucky

• Height: 6’7 ¹⁄₄
• Weight: 340
• Wingspan: 84 1/2
• Hand: 10 5/8

Walker is the closest thing to a genetically-enhanced mutant in college football. They simply do not make football players of his size, which was verified to be a true 6’7 and 340 pounds.

Here’s the thing with Walker: He’s been incredibly up and down all season and that back-and-forth in consistently showed up on day one of the Senior Bowl. In one situation, he made little progress against 5’11, 270-pound center Willie Lampkin and in another, he did this:

When you’re this monolithic of a player and still considered “athletic” for your size, expectations are going to be high. The thing is, expecting consistent effort from down to down should be the floor, not anything close to the ceiling.

Still, Walker is most likely cemented into the first round right now and that’s only going to be more solidified when and if we see him perform in athletic testing.

And just for fun, here’s a video of him obliterating a coach holding a bag: