Still: I'm hands down the best DT in draft

INDIANAPOLIS - The defensive tackle crop is considered the deepest in this year's NFL draft, and Penn State's Devon Still thinks he stands atop the class.

"I think hands down I'm the best defensive tackle in this draft, just because I feel as though I want it more," Still said Saturday. "I was able to take over a lot of games this season."

Still, born in Camden (he's a cousin of former Camden High and NFL star Art Still), was raised in Wilmington. He missed his first two college seasons with a torn anterior cruciate ligament followed by a broken fibula, but emerged last year as one of the best tackles in the country. He is considered a likely first-round pick.

At 6-foot-5 and 303 pounds, he is smaller than the other top tackles in the draft, but some teams, such as the Eagles, prefer quicker linemen.

Still said he knew he was coming on strong at the end of his junior season and worked hard to improve for his final campaign.

"I had a very average year my junior year, and I don't strive for being mediocre. I try to be the best that I can be," he said.

Still, though, might get an argument for best tackle from players such as Michael Brockers (LSU), Jerel Worthy (Michigan State), and Dontari Poe (Memphis).

Each is listed as being bigger than Still. Brockers, rated by the NFL Network's Mike Mayock as the draft's top tackle, measured 6-5, 322.

"I play the run, I'm a force in the middle," Brockers said.

Poe is the biggest among the top tackles, weighing in at 346 pounds on a 6-4 frame.

"I'm explosive, very explosive. That's probably my biggest strength," he said.

The Eagles' starting tackles, Cullen Jenkins and Mike Patterson, should both be back next season. But Jenkins is 31 and Patterson turns 29 just as the season begins, and it's well-known in Philadelphia how much Andy Reid loves to have options on the defensive line.

Contact staff writer Jonathan Tamari at 215-854-5214, jtamari@phillynews.com or @JonathanTamari on Twitter.