The nose tackle position is one of enforcement, a dominant position in the trenches designed to hold space, and effectively dictate the pace of the game. 

The nose tackle is primarily used in a traditional 3-4 system, playing primarily as a 0-tech or as a 1-tech. In the modern 4-3 system, several teams are now wanting one of their defensive tackles to serve more as a nose tackle. 

Primarily, most teams want their nose tackle to move the center and set the pace for the play, especially for the linebackers to come downhill and clean up run plays. 

The secondary use for nose tackles is to take on double teams, to force one of the guards to support the center in pass protection. By taking those double teams, the defensive line can get one-on-one matchups with their edge rushers on tackles, and open up more space to form a spaced, cohesive pass rush. 

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Evaluation Breakdown

How do you scout nose tackles? Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of the different things to look for.

	Athleticism
Speed	How well does the prospect move? Typically, we’re looking for the 5.05-5.20 range in the forty, with exceptions made to power. Speed is often an indicator for range.
Lateral Quickness	How well does the prospect move laterally? Is there lateral explosion? Lateral quickness and explosion allows for more versatility in the prospects attack, as both a gap shooter and as a stunt man.
	Burst
First Step	Measure the first step burst, how quickly the prospect gets out of his stance and gets into his attack.
Explosion	How explosive is the prospect? Explosion often indicates short burst and quickness.
	Strength/Power
Upper Body Strength	How well built is the prospects upper body frame? How well do they respond to punches? Do they absorb the punch?
Lower Body Strength	How well is the prospect built in his lower frame? Is there capacity to generate power from this area?
Brute Power	How mean and nasty is the prospect? Some guys are just pure brutes, can he throw people around?
	Containment
Double Team Draw	Does the prospect demand double teams to keep him out of the backfield? Measure how many times he is double teamed out of ability rather than scheme.
Double Team Win	Can the prospect win through double teams? Or when he is doubled, is he eliminated from the play?
	Finesse
Hand Usage	How well does the prospect use his hands? Can he hand fight and be technical in his matchups? How versatile is his arsenal?
Hand Strength	What kind of punch does he deliver? Is there a good jolt to his hands? Does he have power to swipe down and move blockers hands?
Hand Placement	Measure the prospects initial hand placement. When he attacks, how is his initial placement? Does the prospect set himself up for success to move to his next move?
	Tackling/Pursuit
Tackling Ability	Measure the prospects wrap up form, physicality, and consistency when tackling. Is he a pole slider?
Gap Defending	How well does the prospect defend gaps? Is he a two gapper or is he more of a gap shooter?
Pursuit Angles	When the prospect pursues a play, what kind of angles is he taking to the ball carrier? Is he on point, or does he over pursue, or under pursue? What kind of range does he play with?
	Schematics
Instincts	Some guys play with instincts galore, reading and recognizing plays from the snap. What does his instincts look like? How often is he in the right or wrong place?
Pass Rush Ability	Measure the prospects overall pass rush arsenal and ability. Can he do it?
	Motor
Play Motor	Does the prospect play through the whistle?
Consistent Motor	Does the prospect take plays off? How consistently does he play?

Scout Nose Tackles: Measurements and Testing Data

The main points that most teams pay attention to are arm length, 10-yard split, and bench press. 

Arm Length – gathers length, most teams create a standard cutoff around 3200, but this position doesn’t have extreme standards in this area. Length is helpful, but for shorter defenders isn’t necessarily a must have. 

10-Yard Split – shows short area quickness and typically burst. Most teams create a standard around 1.80, but don’t create a lot of extreme standards in this area. 

Bench Press – measures upper body strength, something that a powerful interior defender is going to need. Most teams want 20 bench press reps, but tend to cluster their starters around 25. 

Teams Using Nose Tackles

Currently, 19 of 32 teams use a nose tackle in their defensive front. These sizes and skillsets vary, based on a bunch of different factors. 

That number is down from 21 of 32 teams from last year. 

Table of Nose Tackle Standards

POS	HT	WT	ARM	10-Split	Vert	Broad	Bench
ARI	6030	320	3248	1.85	27.5	8-10	20
ATL	6034	290	3248	1.70	30.0	9-4	25
BAL	6044	315	3400	1.80	30.0	9-0	20
CAR	6040	320	3348	1.75	28.0	9-0	20
DAL	6020	320	3300	1.85	25.0	8-0	20
DEN	6020	300	3200	1.75	28.0	9-0	20
DET	6014	300	3200	1.80	29.0	8-6	20
GB	6024	315	3200	1.80	27.0	8-6	25
LAC	6020	300	3200	1.85	27.0	8-6	20
LAR	6000	300	3200	1.80	28.0	9-0	25
MIA	6014	315	3300	1.80	30.0	8-9	20
MIN	6014	305	3248	1.80	28.0	8-6	25
NE	6020	300	3248	1.80	27.0	8-6	25
NYG	6040	330	3348	1.90	25.0	8-6	20
PHI	6034	320	3300	1.70	30.0	9-0	30
PIT	6020	310	3348	1.80	25.0	8-6	25
SEA	6000	300	3200	1.80	28.0	8-0	25
NT	6010	310	3248	1.80	30.0	9-0	30
TEN	6014	335	3200	1.80	26.0	8-0	20

Scout Nose Tackles: Position Specifics

Category	Mean	Min	Max
Height	6034	5115	6065
Weight	315	276	366
WING	7968	7500	8548
ARM	3268	3038	3500
HAND	968	858	1100
10-Split	1.76	1.62	1.98
40-Dash	5.15	4.78	5.55
Vert	28.0	21.5	35.5
Broad	8-9	7-9	10-3
Bench	28	16	42

Player Attributes

These are the terms used in the Draft Guide to describe the attributes of players.

Athletic – High end athlete for the position who moves well and offers range to his movement ability. 

Brute – Straight up power, and nasty. Wants to punish ball carriers and even blockers for attempting to stop him.

Power – Primarily a player who tends to lean on their strength to win in matchups. 

Raw – Doesn’t have his skillset developed too well yet, but has high upside as a prospect with either very strong athleticism or strength. 

Technical – Wins with his technical skills such as hand-fighting, leverage, and/or length. 

Versatile – While he has the size to play as a nose tackle, has the skills to play beyond that on a defensive line. 

Player Types

These are the terms used in the Draft Guide to describe the types of players.

Nose – A true 0-tech defender, a guy who holds up in that spot and is pretty much limited to that spot. 

Rusher – Usually paired with “athletic” or “power” but a guy who can generate some pass rush from his spot. 

Two-Gapper – A true two-gap defender, who can hold up in run lanes and play with great discipline in defending his gaps. 

Gap Shooter – More of an athletic player type, gap shooters thrive in getting into the backfield quickly with his first step and quickness. 

Stuffer – Mostly a run defender, but a guy who stuffs the line of scrimmage and won’t pack the stat sheet. 

Top 10 Nose Tackles in the NFL

Top 10 NFL Players of the Position

Team	Player	Grade
TB	Vita Vea	10.0
GB	Kenny Clark	8.8
BAL	Travis Jones	8.5
NYG	Dexter Lawrence II	8.2
CAR	Bobby Brown III	7.8
PHI	Jordan Davis	7.8
SEA	Byron Murphy	7.5
PIT	Keeanu Benton	7.2
DEN	DJ Jones	7.1
ATL	Ruke Orhorohoro	6.8

What makes Vita Vea the best?

What Vita Vea does better than any nose tackle in the NFL is his unique build to athletic compilation. 

#50	Vita Vea	10.0	Athletic Nose
HT	6040	WING	7628
WT	347	ARM	3258
10-Split	1.76	HAND	1000
40-Dash	5.10	Vert	DNP
Bench	41	Broad	DNP

At 347 lbs, he ran a 5.10 forty yard dash, with a 1.76 split (which is the fastest 10-split in the entire position group), and 41 bench press reps showing his massive strength. He brings disruptive range, strong run defending ability, and even good pass rushing ability. 

Vea doesn’t have the best length in the group, but his quickness and strength more than make up for it. 

Make sure you check out the Guide for all of the top nose tackle prospect reports in college football!