Beat Chat: Q&A on Jaguars Nose Tackle DaVon Hamilton with BuckeyeMaven

As we continue onward with the 2020 offseason, we will be speaking with publishers throughout the Maven network to get the low down on the Jacksonville Jaguars' 2020 draft class.

Thus far, we have already covered CJ Henderson, K'Lavon Chaisson, and Laviska Shenault. Now, we are onto Ohio State nose tackle DaVon Hamilton, who the Jaguars selected with the No. 73 overall pick in this year's third round. We speak with Bruce Hooley of BuckeyeMaven to get the inside scoop on Hamilton and what he will bring to Jacksonville in 2020.

Q: Ohio State is known more as a defensive back factory, but they have put out a number of talented defensive linemen in recent years. What is it about Buckeyes' DL that sets them up well for pro success?

Hooley: It would be a good argument between the OSU defensive backs and their defensive line counterparts as to who's been more successful in the NFL. Joey and Nick Bosa are pretty high bars to hit, but Malik Hooker, Denzel Ward and Marshon Lattimore can hit it. The Buckeyes have had a DB taken in Round One six of the past seven years, sometimes multiple times in the same first round, as was the case this season with Jeff Okudah No. 3 and Damon Arnette No. 19.

The defensive line has some other "pluggers" getting the job done in the NFL, though, with John Simon in New England, Tyquan Lewis in Indianapolis, Jalyn Holmes in Minnesota, Sam Hubbard in Cincinnati and Johnathan Hankins in Oakland. Urban Meyer prioritized recruiting SEC-type defensive linemen when he came to OSU in 2013. He's put a bunch in the NFL. Chase Young and DaVon Hamilton are only the latest.

Q: DaVon Hamilton didn't play much until his senior year due to the sheer depth in front of him. Do you think that can sometimes overshadow a talent like his, which resulted in him being a third-round pick?

Hooley: There's no doubt. I keep saying a year might come when Ohio State will have a first-round defensive lineman who never started a game. It sounds crazy, but the way it recruits and the way it rotates players up front to keep the rushers fresh, it's not out of the question. Hamilton is proof of that.

Q: How important was the nose tackle position in Ohio State's defense? I know Chase Young made the impact plays, but curious about who did the dirty work.

Hooley: Hamilton was definitely an unsung hero of OSU's defensive success. He and his partner at the other DT, Robert Landers, gummed up the middle and forced teams to throw. That made life easy for Young on the outside. If there was no threatening rush up the middle, teams could have doubled Young. No one did until the Big Ten title game. That's a big factor in why he had 16.5 sacks in 2019.

Q: What is it about DL coach Larry Johnson that makes his DL go to war for him? Hamilton gushed about him when he was drafted.

Hooley: You'd gush about a guy, too, if he had Johnson's track record of making his guys rich. The Bosa brothers and Chase Young are only the latest Johnson success stories. He's had nine guys taken in the first round in his career at Penn State and Ohio State. He's not a screamer, but he's a tactician and a motivator and his players love him.

Q: Did Ohio State just run a 4-3, or did they ever have any 3-4 looks? It appears Jacksonville may run both fronts in 2020.

Hooley: Ryan Day is an offensive coach, but he knows what defenses make it hard to play offense the way he likes. That's why OSU played a 4-3 with three corners and a single safety most of the season. The Buckeyes weren't as deep at linebacker as they were up front. Day insists on a defense that takes advantage of the depth they've recruited to on the line. It's not going to change, so playing a 3-4 will be a new experience for Hamilton.

Add us as a preferred source on Google