With Clemson's Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell, Kendall Joseph and Austin Bryant all returning for another season alongside teammate Dexter Lawrence — along with several other high-profile defensive linemen — the question must now be asked:
Will the 2019 NFL Draft produce the greatest defensive line class ever?
MORE: NFL Draft: Top underclassmen to declare
You can't make that assessment now. Eight defensive linemen went in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft, which produced Hall of Famers Bruce Smith and Chris Doleman along with edge-rusher Kevin Greene. The 2011 NFL Draft produced 11 first-round picks on the defensive line, and seven of those players, including Marcell Dareus and J.J. Watt, have been selected to the Pro Bowl. Still, the potential for greatness in that 2019 class is off the charts.
All five Clemson defensive linemen could develop into first-round picks, and they're just the attention-grabbers in a class that should boast ridiculous depth. Consider this: Of that group of Clemson defenders — which includes three 2017 first-team All-Americans — Lawrence is considered the best pro prospect.
Here are some other prospects who will make cases as first-round picks:
— Ed Oliver, Houston: A two-time consensus All-American, Oliver will be discussed as a potential No. 1 pick.
— Nick Bosa, Ohio State: Bosa could follow older brother Joey — the No. 3 pick in 2016 — as the next top-five player for the Buckeyes. Defensive tackle Dre'Mont Jones also decided to stay in school.
— Raekwon Davis, Alabama: The sophomore led Alabama with 8.5 sacks and has shown serious first-round potential. A few more players will develop in Nick Saban's NFL assembly line, including Isaiah Buggs, who returns for his senior season.
— Rashan Gary, Chase Winovich, Michigan: The two teamed up for 14 sacks and 30.5 tackles for loss in defensive coordinator Don Brown's defense in 2017.
Boston College's Zach Allen, Florida State's Brian Burns, Florida's CeCe Jefferson and Kansas' Dorance Amstrong Jr. are all wild-cards with first-round potential as well.
This class is loaded, plain and simple, and it's indicative of the need for dominant defenders on championship-caliber teams. It always starts up front, and the toughest decisions on Sporting News' college football All-American team the last two years were on the defensive line. Oliver, for all his talent, was a second-team selection in 2017.
This also points to a need for D-line depth that all NFL teams are looking for. A total of 62 defensive linemen been selected with first-round picks since the 2010 NFL Draft, and 20 of those players have been named to the Pro Bowl. It's even better with players selected in the top 10: Eight of 15 such players went to at least one Pro Bowl, and that doesn't include Myles Garrett or Dante Fowler Jr., who will be on that level soon.
MORE: NFL Mock Draft 2018
(* reached Pro Bowl at least once as of 2017 season)
| PLAYER | DRAFT | PICK |
| Myles Garrett | 2017 | 1 |
| Jadeveon Clowney* | 2014 | 1 |
| Ndamukong Suh* | 2010 | 2 |
| Solomon Thomas | 2017 | 3 |
| Joey Bosa* | 2016 | 3 |
| Dante Fowler | 2015 | 3 |
| Dion Jordan | 2013 | 3 |
| Marcell Dareus* | 2011 | 3 |
| Gerald McCoy* | 2010 | 3 |
| Ezekiel Ansah* | 2013 | 5 |
| Leonard Williams* | 2015 | 6 |
| Barkevious Mingo | 2013 | 6 |
| DeForest Buckner | 2016 | 7 |
| Vic Beasley* | 2015 | 8 |
| Tyson Alualu | 2010 | 10 |
Garrett and Clowney are the last two defensive linemen to be taken with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, and it worked out in both cases. The 2018 class also features N.C. State's Bradley Chubb, LSU's Arden Key, Alabama's Da'Ron Payne and Michigan's Maurice Hurst, but there isn't quite as much first-round depth.
Next year, however, will be the Year of the Defensive Lineman — both in college and in the NFL Draft.
We can go ahead and make that assessment now.
