I watched Gracen Halton against Alabama and Missouri. He’s mostly what you’d expect from a smaller defensive tackle — a good interior pass rusher with quickness and twitch, but someone who will get displaced against double teams and down blocks.
Pass Rush: Halton’s bread and butter is a rip move to the interior shoulder of the offensive lineman, followed by getting skinny through the gap. That move accounted for probably 80% of his wins in the two games I watched, and it’s legitimately effective. His hips are flexible enough that he can reduce his surface area and continue upfield once he clears. He also flashes a decent arm-over, though he can get high with it. When he does, even slight contact can kill the move. I saw him attempt a spin as well, but it’s not yet a consistent part of his arsenal. He doesn’t generate much speed-to-power. Even when he does get some push, he’s late to counter. The counter needs to come as the lineman is anchoring — instead, he tends to wait until after the rep has already stalled. That sequencing has to improve. He’s twitchy and explosive, but not especially bendy turning the corner, and his ankles look a bit stiff. He’s more linear and vertical than lateral. There isn’t a ton of side-to-side quickness. Still, that rip-and-skinny combination is real, and it works. Overall, he’s a good interior pass rusher right now. The go-to move is there. He just needs more counters and better timing.
Run Defense: He actually plays with decent leverage. He has natural knee bend and can hold up one-on-one. On single blocks, he can stack a bit and even flash some two-gap ability. But against double teams or down blocks, he’s going to get moved. The anchor just isn’t there. You can run at him. That said, his motor is good. Similar to Akeem Mesidor, even when he gets displaced, he fights to disengage and get back into the play. So his run defense isn’t bad — it’s just not sturdy. He does some things well in specific run concepts. Against outside zone, he’s disciplined — playing the back hip of the last offensive lineman to take away the cutback or force the run wide. Against inside runs, he’s at his best when shooting gaps. He can get small, use his flexible hips, knife through the line, and create backfield penetration. At the NFL level, he probably won’t be a consistently strong run defender because of the anchor limitations. But his effort and penetration ability mean he shouldn’t be a total liability either.
Overall: If we’re running a three-man front, I’m not sure what his ideal role is. Maybe a 4i, but the anchor isn’t ideal for that spot. He feels more like a 4-3 defensive tackle — someone who can attack gaps and rush the passer from the interior.
For the Commanders’ odd front, I’m not sure the fit is clean. I do think he’s an NFL rotation player. Early in his career, probably more of a passing-down rotational piece. Long term, maybe a rotation player on all downs. I’d put him in the fifth-round range, though I wouldn’t be shocked if he went a round earlier or later. Good player, just not a perfect scheme fit for an odd front that requires more anchor from its interior defenders.
Here is the first one fourth to one third of the video I watched...
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