By Bill Williamson | ESPN.com We continue our AFC West positional rankings with a very young and overly unproven group of defensive linemen: 1. Richard Seymour, Oakland: Seymour is aging, his play is slipping some and this may be his last year in Oakland. But he is still at the top of this list. 2. Elvis Dumervil, Denver: A dynamic pass-rusher who is a game changer. 3. Tommy Kelly, Oakland: Underrated player. He may play nose tackle in 3-4 looks. 4. Lamarr Houston, Oakland: A potential star has ability to take over. 5. Glenn Dorsey, Kansas City: He was supposed to be great. He’s not, but he’s solid. 6. Matt Shaughnessy, Oakland: The Raiders missed this pass-rusher when he was injured last year. 7. Tyson Jackson, Kansas City: See Dorsey. 8. Robert Ayers, Denver: He became a solid player against the run last season. 9. Corey Liuget, San Diego: The Chargers expect big things from him in his second season. 10. Dontari Poe, Kansas City: Let’s see what this immensely talented rookie can do. 11. Cam Thomas, San Diego: An underrated player. He has a real future. 12. Antonio Garay, San Diego: It was important that the Chargers re-signed this rotational standout. 13. Vaughn Martin, San Diego: The Chargers think he has a chance to flourish soon. 14. Derek Wolfe, Denver: The second-round pick will be given the chance to make an instant impact. 15. Justin Bannan, Denver: A valuable rotational piece. 16. Luis Castillo, San Diego: The Chargers think he can still help. 17. Dave Tollefson, Oakland: A valuable backup on a strong line. 18. Jacques Cesaire, San Diego: The veteran is heady and he can make plays. 19. Desmond Bryant, Oakland: A solid part of the Raiders’ line. 20. Ty Warren, Denver: The Broncos hope he can make an impact after missing the past two seasons. 21. Kevin Vickerson, Denver: He gained weight to help in the middle. 22. Jason Hunter, Denver: A limited player, who has some play-making ability. 23. Allen Bailey, Kansas City: The Chiefs think he can develop quickly. 24. Kendall Reyes, San Diego: I wouldn’t be surprised if this second-round pick makes some plays right away.
Reyes might surprise Big Bill and outplay at least 10 of those listed above him (including some Chargers!). I'll be surprised if Cesaire hangs in there this year. He's been a great team member all these years but one of these days he will be the odd man out.
Reyes may prove to make a bigger impact to the toughness of this D than Ingram. He plays with an attitude.
None of our linemen rate over the top 6. Whether or not any of our linemen are better than any of the others is irrelevant by comparison.
Let's see how the group plays as a unit. That, IMO, would be a better analysis than looking at individuals. They give a ring to everyone on the SB-winning team.
I'd go with unit ranking after the season Vs. individual ranking before the season. If these young guys tighten up and play with a tude great things can happen, if they play to pad their stats all bets are off.
Totally agree. I think we have young players that IF they reach their potential, could end up being one of the best 3-4 DL units in the league. But staying healthy is the most important part of it all
If Pags is aggressive like his bro, I think the Bolt's just might have a tough defense to contend with. Injuries happen and Castillo being a reserve isn't a bad thing. Making it out of training camp physically fit is the first order, the sky is the limit from there on out.
I agree. I think we have the depth to help us in the case of a short term injury, and I sure hope that Pags is as good as his bro
