Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers are currently penciled in as the starting defensive ends. That leaves a hole at nose tackle, which the Rams were unable to fill last season with a variety of players.
Donald is a DT, a 3-tech, but okay, if he wan'ts to call it a DE, fine. It's not, but whateverIf Suh were to land in Los Angeles, he probably wouldn’t slot between Brockers and Donald as the nose tackle. Sure, he could play there and would have some success, but he doesn’t have the bulk to hold up at that spot every down for 16 games.
Here, this guy makes a solid point. Suh is as durable as they come, but he's never played on the nose for a lot of snaps. He;s played there,
in over and undershifts but he's never played fiull-time noseHankins, on the other hand, would.
With the Colts, that’s exactly the role he played. At 325 pounds, Hankins is built to play nose tackle, especially in a scheme like Phillips’. He’s shown the ability be a two-gap player, whereas Suh hasn’t. Suh has primarily been a 3-technique defensive tackle in a 4-3 front, lining up over the guard’s outside shoulder.
No, for the Colts, Hankins was a 3-tech in a 3-4 defense. Their NT was #99 I think. Hankins did what Donald did, scheme-wiseIn the Rams’ defense, he’d likely kick outside and
line up over the tackle like Donald does as a defensive end. Again, it’s not an ideal fit, but it would certainly be his best position in a 3-4 defense.
Donald lines up over a guard, almost exclusivelyThere would be no question or uncertainty with Hankins’ position with the Rams. Line him up over the center and let him work. He’s an outstanding run-stopper up front, which is exactly what the Rams need.
He likes the position, has played it some in the 4-3 slide the Giants ran