Advertisement
football Edit

Nebraska position review: Defensive line

While the new year has begun, HuskerOnline is looking back at the previous season and taking a deep dive into each of Nebraska's positions, how they graded, their trends and other observations.

On the other side of the ball, NU's defensive line, a group losing three crucial players, is up next.

Series: QB | RB | WR | TE | OL |

Nebraska 2021 Defensive line PFF grades
Player Snaps Defense Run Defense Tackle Pass rush

Ben Stille

560

73.4

64.2

48.6

79.8

Ty Robinson

458

49.6

43.6

60.5

59.6

Damion Daniels

365

62.4

63.5

70.5

63.9

Deontre Thomas

308

61.8

54.7

67.3

68.9

Casey Rogers

139

65.9

67.6

79.7

60.5

Jordon Riley

63

65.7

64.2

60.6

64

Nash Hutmacher

26

59.9

60.4

70.1

57.4

Nebraska's defensive line PFF grades from the 2021 season
Advertisement
Nebraska defensive lineman Ben Stille
Nebraska defensive lineman Ben Stille (AP Photos)

Observations:

Stille will be missed:

The Huskers are losing Ben Stille, a six-year defensive lineman, who played the most snaps in 2021 and had the highest defense and pass rush grade of his position group.

In the 2021 season, Stille tied for No. 12 in the Power Five with a 79.8 pass-rush grade. He is No. 2 in the Big Ten behind Ohio State freshman Tyleik Williams, who is ranked sixth in the Power Five in pass-rush.

Stille tied for No. 10 in the number of pressures with 21 and is tied for No. 31 with a 73.4 defense grade.

Nebraska not only has to replace Stille but Damion Daniels, a two-year starter who was No. 60 in the Power Five with a 70.5 tackle grade. Deontre Thomas won't be returning for his sixth season meaning Nebraska is losing three of their four players with the most snaps.

Run Defense:

Nebraska's run defense grade ranked No. 109 in the FBS in 2021 with a 53.3 grade. The Huskers ranked 12th in the Big Ten with Northwestern (a 51.6 run defense grade) and Purdue (50.9) sitting less than 10 spots behind them.

As for the linemen, Ben Stille is tied at No. 117 in the Power Five with Kentucky's Josaih Hayes with a 64.2 run defense grade. Damion Daniels comes in at No. 129 with a 63.5 grade.

The Huskers are No. 58 in FBS in rushing yards allowed per game with 146.9 yards, according to the NCAA.

Nebraska defensive linemen Damion Daniels (left) and Ty Robinson (right)
Nebraska defensive linemen Damion Daniels (left) and Ty Robinson (right) (Getty Images)

Pass Rushing Productivity:

Nebraska's overall pass-rush grade is 75.9, which is No. 67 in the FBS. The defensive linemen average a 64.87 pass-rush grade.

PFF has a formula titled pass-rushing productivity (PRP) that "combines sacks, hits and hurries relative to how many times they rush the passer." For reference, Ohio State's Tyleik Williams leads the FBS with an 11.9 PRP grade. He rushed the quarterback on 113 snaps and had 21 pressures.

Stille leads the Huskers with a 5.5 score and is tied for No. 39 in the Power Five and No. 72 in the FBS. Based on PRP, Stille is the ninth-best pass-rushing defensive lineman in the Big Ten.

Deontre Thomas is second for Nebraska and his 4.9 grade is tied at No. 48 in the Power Five with three other players. Ty Robinson's 4.7 is tied for No. 55.

Georgia's Jordan Davis, who is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, is No. 86 in the Power Five with a score of four. Three Huskers scored above Davis in pass-rush productivity.

Big Time plays:

Nebraska's defensive linemen had zero forced fumbles in 2021. Eight Big Ten teams had a D-lineman with a forced fumble.

The Huskers' defensive line recorded 77 quarterback pressures in 2021, led by Stille's 29 pressures. Of those 77 pressures, eight were sacks and 13 were hits.

Statistics don't reflect when a defensive lineman flushes the quarterback out of the pocket or puts pressure on him that results in a bad decision like an interception or throwing a ball away. NU did a decent job of getting to the quarterback but needs to get more sacks and force big time plays.

Ty Robinson, the young veteran:

With three players moving on, Robinson will be the most experienced defensive linemen in the room. However, Robinson underperformed in 2021 based on the PFF grades.

The 6-foot-6, 300-pound lineman ranked No. 238 in the Power Five defensive lineman with a 49.6 total defense grade. Robinson's run defense score is No. 248, his pass-rush grade is No. 179 and his highest grade, tackling, is No. 111 in Power Five.

As a veteran and someone who took the second-most snaps in the D-line room, Robinson will need to step up in 2022 and make a bigger impact on the field.

Advertisement