2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Tennessee DT Omarr Norman-Lott

All my scouting notes on the strengths, concerns, usage/role, skill set summary, NFL comparison and grade/projection for Tennessee DT Omarr Norman-Lott.

Tennessee DT Omarr Norman-Lott

Height: 6-3
Weight: 307
Birthdate: 3/11/02 (23-year old rookie)
Production: 43 games (transferred from Arizona State after 3 years), 13.5 sacks, 17 TFL, 0 FFs
Injuries: N/A
Games Watched (8): Chattanooga, Oklahoma, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Miss State, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Senior Bowl

Strengths

• Energizer bunny who plays with an incredible motor and non-stop hustle. Willed himself to production on plays where quarterback held the ball.
• Will pursue every play to the whistle, including perimeter screens and stretch runs going away from him. Every snap is 110% effort from start to finish, and brings the energy between plays too.
• Cross-face rusher who threatens the edge of blockers consistently
• Legit pass rush moves and will snatch and dip or rip around the edge of blockers
• Not a dominant bull rusher, but has enough punch in his hands to push-pull around or through blocks as a rusher
• Ghost move flashes to leave blockers hitting air
• Pad level is consistently a strength, almost always the low man and can work around blockers when they don’t land their punch
• Pretty good awareness of where the quarterback is in the pocket, flattens to keep his angle on point
• Jump off the ball is inconsistent, but when he’s locked in his first step can be a weapon. Lot of the minimal value he has as a run defender is tied to slipping through gaps to be disruptive, which usually requires good snap timing.
• While Norman-Ott has some translation-to-the-NFL concerns as a run defender, he can win from head up techniques by firing out into his opponent with pad level and hand placement. Will be tougher when the opponents are bigger/stronger every week.
• Pad level consistently gives him a chance in the run game, and usually fits his hands inside to maximize his length. Not a real knock-back gap defender, but usually holds his own 1v1.
• When he fires off the ball and locks out on blockers, he can stack/shed and find the football very well.
• He’s fast! Legit wheels in pursuit, which helps immensely with quarterback contain and chase-down efforts to the perimeter.

Concerns

• Despite five years in college, still has not played even 1,000 snaps yet in his career (964). Seems to be very little trust in him as a run defender throughout his career, especially the last three years.
• Only 86 snaps against the run last year and 80 this year (pre-playoffs). Only 213 snaps total this year despite playing in 12 games (17 snaps per game). Mostly used in pass rush-likely situations.
• Smaller defensive tackle without great length or power. Got absolutely buried on at least 10 pass rushes this season.
• If his first move doesn’t land, the results can be ugly. Doesn’t have the length or strength to control blockers or disengage, so he can go for a ride if he gets gripped up.
• Can get out of control in his rushes and end up on the ground, compromising pocket contain. Counters aren’t smooth and balanced.
• Punch and hand placement are there, but doesn’t have the devastating power to really dominate as a power rusher. Can get tied up and stonewalled.
• Any synchronized double team could mark his demise at the next level
• At times, a wild card against the run. Needs more consistent gap integrity. Gets widened too easily and plays really loose with his assignment. Can back out of gaps or try to backdoor and run around blocks rather than holding the point, stacking and shedding consistently.
• Could benefit from better knowledge or prioritization of team run defense, too much freelancing to try to make plays and not a special enough athlete to live that way
• Chest-to-chest with blockers a bit too much, which could be tough in the NFL against bigger/stronger opponents. Flashes of it, but needs more consistent lock out and shed to keep himself clean in the run game.
• Apparent shorter arms make tackling and shedding blocks a bit of an adventure at times. Missed tackle percentage of over 15 percent in his college career, but 27 and 33 percent during two of his final three college seasons. Finishing will be a concern.

Ideal Role/Usage

Norman-Lott is a B-gap defender who can also line up in long-and-late packages outside or head up on the tackle. His movement ability and range, combined with his physicality and motor, make him an ideal fit in schemes that like to twist and send pressures up front on pass-obvious downs. Norman-Lott thrives in chaos, and defensive coordinators that bring that same energy could be ideal for him.

In terms of his usage, Norman-Lott played so sparingly in college, that it’s at least worth wondering how many snaps he can handle in the NFL. His stamina and conditioning appear excellent on tape, but given that he is playing less than 20 snaps a game on average, that may not mean much. The most likely scenario for Norman-Lott is that he is a rotational lineman in the NFL who plays more in pass rush heavy games.

Summary

Few defensive tackles in college ball played as hard and relentlessly as Norman-Lott. The Vols elder statesman defender has disruptive traits and style of play, which almost always has a place at the next level. Tennessee valued Norman-Lott in primarily a pass rush-heavy roll, often deploying him on long-and-late downs or pass-likely situations. While Norman-Lott lacks much of a power game as a rusher, he’s springy and bendy, with the rare ability to dip around blockers and win the cross-face game as a pass rusher. And just because he’s not going to run through blockers to the pocket doesn’t mean he doesn’t pack a punch on contact, or that he’ll shy at all away from the physicality his position requires. This dude loves to hit people.

A smaller defensive tackle in length and probably average in weight, Norman-Lott doesn’t overwhelm with his physical traits, but his low pad level and consistent hand placement make him a tougher 1v1 task for run blockers than his extremely limited snaps against the run in college would indicate. He does need to be more gap-sound as a run defender, as he’ll occasionally freelance or try to improvise his way into the backfield, even at the expense of the overall operation. But Norman-Lott also has reps where everything looks clean - hands fitted, locked out to keep the blocker off his frame and a clean shed to get to the ball.

It’s probably fair to apply a lower ceiling to Norman-Lott than high end defensive tackle prospects of the past. Perhaps the most peculiar aspect of his evaluation is how little he played throughout his entire college career, even as a difference-making player. Could he suddenly handle a bigger role in the NFL?

Norman-Lott should be at least a rotational depth piece in the NFL, capable of providing a spark on passing downs and adequate run defense in certain matchups. I’m not sure that the high end ability and physical traits are here to be a heavy snaps starter in the league, but Norman-Lott could fill a nice role for one-gap-and-go teams that like to rush four and attack up front.

The biggest areas for him to improve is more consistency in his run defense technique and awareness, and making sure he gets off the ball fast in all situations. When Norman-Lott did those things, he was tough for college linemen to handle. The path will be more difficult in the NFL, but Norman-Lott projects similarly to Braden Fiske a year ago, with perhaps more pass rush acumen. I think he’ll see his stock rise at the Senior Bowl, but questions about what kind of workload he can handle will linger given that he played just 17 snaps a game this season.

Grade/Projection

I’ll reserve finalizing any grades until after the Combine, but Norman-Lott seems like he’ll be valued by NFL teams in the middle rounds (3rd/4th maybe), with a chance to rise based on strong Senior Bowl and Combine performances. He should do well at both events.