4 defensive tackles the Buffalo Bills should monitor at 2023 NFL Combine

The 2023 NFL Combine will kick off this week with defensive line and linebackers running through drills on Thursday. While the linebackers are probably going to be more of a focus for the Buffalo Bills, the defensive line is another potential need they address in the 2023 NFL Draft.

On the interior of the defensive line, the Bills have Jordan Phillips who is currently set to be a free agent but appears to have a good chance of returning. After Phillips, the Bills have three defensive tackles entering the final year of their contract (Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, and Tim Settle).

The Buffalo Bills could be entering this offseason looking not only for run-stuffing defensive tackles (one-tech) but also players who can rush the passer and focus on getting penetration (three-tech). These are four defensive tackles that the front office should be monitoring that could address one or the other position.

4 defensive tackles the Buffalo Bills should monitor at 2023 NFL Combine

Siaki Ika

Siaki Ika is a big nose tackle at 6’4″ and 350 pounds who spent two years at LSU before transferring to Baylor and played 24 games over the past two years and finished with 48 total tackles, eight tackles for a loss, and 3.5 sacks.

He is a player that can certainly command double teams and clog the middle of the field and shut down running lanes. The biggest question for Ika is how much he can do rushing the passer as he did have 3.5 sacks in 2021 but none this past season.

If the Buffalo Bills were to draft Ika, it likely would require them to use their second round pick but even then he might already be off the board. However, he would be a great player to pair with DaQuan Jones this season with the idea being for him to take over as the starter in 2024 with Jones set to be a free agent after the season.