Many former players and coaches say that the game is won upfront. It showed in the 2017 NFL season where the eagles continued to make a super bowl run even after a season-ending injury to Carson Wentz because the O-line and D-Line continued to dominate opposing teams.
The league is always looking for talent at these positions and these 5 defensive linemen will most definitely be there one day especially if they keep making insane plays at the next level.
Here is our list of the five defensive linemen ready to make a jump to the next level:
Maason Smith, Terrebonne HS, Houma, Louisiana
To start this list we got a massive 5-star prospect. He has offers from Alabama, Florida, and LSU and is a 6'5" 316-pound defensive tackle. Maason Smith is a beast and absolutely no one can stop him and this play shows it. Maason was lined up on the inside and the opposing team thought one lineman plus a running back could stop him. They were wrong! He exploded off the line and got past the blockers almost untouched. The Qb tried to get away, but Maason was too quick and got the sack for an 8-yard loss. Whatever school gets him is going to get a beast on the field.
E'maurion Banks, Wichita Falls, TX
Up next we got E'maurion Banks out of Texas. In this play, the offense did not underestimate him as they did for Maason and put two people on him. It seemed like they were doing a good job blocking, but he overpowered them towards the QB.
The QB tried to escape by stepping up into the pocket and throwing the ball, but E'maurion sniffed it out. He broke free at the last second and forced a fumble and his teammate recovered it!
He is a 2021 prospect and is rated three stars at the moment. He is listed as 6'4" 260 pounds and is already committed to Texas Tech. He is only going to get better and Texas Tech just got a great player on their defensive line.
Langdon McCall, East Lincoln High School, NC
Right in the middle of this list, we got big hitter Langdon McCall. He is 6’1” 205 pounds and his insane speed makes up for his size. He runs a 4.7 40 time and it definitely showed in the play we are about to show you.
He is listed as a middle linebacker, but in this play, he was lined up as a defensive end. He exploded off the line and quickly got past the defensive line and delivered a massive hit onto the quarterback. The hit caused the QB to fumble the ball and his teammate was right there to recover.
Unfortunately, Langdon cannot continue with his on-field football career because of health concerns, but he will always be remembered as a beast on the field.
J’mond Tapp, Donaldsonville, LA
At number 2 we got J’mond Tapp doing his best JJ Watt impression. It was a mismatch right from the start of the play. The offensive lineman stood no chance against his speed and strength.
As soon as the ball was snapped he knocked the lineman down. The Qb tried to throw the ball away quickly, but J’mond jumped and batted the football into the air. His hand-eye coordination showed cause he tracked down the ball and got the falling down an interception. The offense was definitely happy because they only had to go 10 yards for the touchdown.
J’mond is already a 4-star prospect even though he still has two years before he graduates. He already got offers to top D1 schools such as Baylor and Georgia.
Whichever collegiate team gets him is going will be very pleased if he keeps forcing turnovers like this throughout his football career.
TJ Bollers, Tiffin, IA
At number 1 we got Wisconsin commit TJ Bollers. He is a 4-star prospect out of Iowa who is 6’3” 237 pounds. They say he runs 5.02 second 40 time, but in this play, he looks much faster than that.
The play started with the offense motioning one of its WR’s. They tried to set up a pitch to this player, but TJ quickly read the play. As I have said for almost every single play, he exploded past the lineman and got to the ball before the receiver could.
He proceeded to intercept the ball and run it in for a touchdown. Writing does not do this play justice so make sure to check out our video to see it or check TJ out on the GMTM website.
Send us your clips on Twitter and Instagram and upload your highlights to gmtm.com to be featured in our next list.