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Welcome to Bleacher Report's NFL1000 free-agency preview, a series where we'll use the power of the 17-man NFL1000 scouting department to bring you in-depth analysis of every NFL free agent this offseason. In this installment, lead scout Doug Farrar and defensive tackle scout Charles McDonald dive into the defensive tackle class.

The NFL of 2017 presents more defensive line fronts, concepts and responsibilities than ever. Correspondingly, there are more kinds of pure defensive tackles than we've ever seen. Want a 290-pound tackle perfectly suited for a 4- or 5-technique role on passing downs in a four-man front? There's more than a handful. Want a 340-pound run-stuffer who was dominant in one- and two-gap fronts? They're out there.

Still, the most prominent defensive tackle is the 3-technique who resides between the guard and tackle and can upend double-teams on his way to multiple sacks and a host of pressures. Aaron Donald, Fletcher Cox, Ndamukong Suh, Grady Jarrett…the list goes on. These are the masters of flash. However, those 3-techs may also be asked to kick inside to 1-tech or 0-tech with their head over the center, and some (like Jarrett) will excel in that role even more.

The other primary adjustment smart teams are increasingly making is to have their tackles in rotations—three- and four-man sub-outs to keep everyone fresh. Thus, the specialists are more in demand than ever, and just because you're not a starter at the position doesn't mean you can't make a serious impact.

Look no further than New England's Alan Branch, who dominated against the run and provided occasional pressure. The Patriots played 1,232 defensive snaps in 2016, and Branch was on the field for 61.7 percent of them—760 total. The Patriots took him off the field not because he couldn't do multiple things, but because they had the right rotation of players and wanted to keep everyone fresh and ready to wreak havoc.

Branch is one of the free-agent tackles on our list, and he's one of the best. There are a handful of every-down wreckers in the class, but there are more specialists and situational guys. The right teams will be able to pick out those players as relative bargains and fit them into their scheme. And in today's NFL, that's the most important evaluative asset of all.

Previous Installments

NFL1000 Free-Agent Quarterback Rankings

NFL1000 Free-Agent Tight End Rankings

NFL1000 Free-Agent Fullback Rankings

NFL1000 Free-Agent Kicker/Punter Rankings

NFL1000 Free-Agent Left Tackle Rankings

NFL1000 Free-Agent Offensive Guard Rankings

NFL1000 Free-Agent Center Rankings

NFL1000 Free-Agent Right Tackle Rankings

NFL1000 Free-Agent Inside Linebacker Rankings

NFL1000 Free-Agent 3-4 Defensive End Rankings

NFL1000 Free-Agent 4-3 Defensive End Rankings

NFL1000 Free Agent Defensive Tackle Rankings

NFL1000 Free-Agent 3-4 Outside Linebacker Rankings

NFL1000 Free-Agent 4-3 Outside Linebacker Rankings

NFL1000 Free-Agent Running Back Rankings