On the Draft Board: Tennessee’s Omarr Norman-Lott could be a nice Day 3 pick

The Chiefs hosted the Tennessee draft prospect on a visit during the draft cycle.

The week of the NFL Draft has arrived, and the Kansas City Chiefs will be looking to add talent to their roster. In the lead-up to draft week, the Chiefs conducted several top-30 interviews with prospects from every level of college football.

The team hosted defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott from the University of Tennessee on one of these visits. Starting his career at Arizona State in 2020, Lott transferred to Tennessee before the start of the 2023 season.

The Chiefs are in the market for bolstering their defensive interior, and Lott could provide quality interior pass rush as well as solid run defense.

Player profile

Lott is a “ball of energy” along the interior for Tennessee. With a good explosion off the snap, solid hands and a motor that runs hot, he finished with 9.5 sacks in two seasons against SEC competition.

Lott isn’t the largest defensive tackle in the world, but his game is built on his burst off the ball, leverage and base strength.

At only 6’1” and 291 lbs., Lott is on the smaller end for defensive tackle prospects headed into the NFL. He does have 33.75-inch arms, which — when combined with his strong core and base — give him a tremendous leverage advantage against opposing linemen.

With a 5.15 40-yard dash, he won’t win any foot races, but his 31.5-inch vertical jump and 9’05” broad jump do measure in the elite category for defensive linemen, and were the foundation of his game.

Unlike many of the players in this class, Lott didn’t start a game at Tennessee in 2024 despite a productive season. Because of this, Lott logged for fewer snaps than many of the other defensive tackle prospects in the draft class.

Despite this, his film shows a strong interior player with the potential to be a disruptive player at the next level.

Pass rush

Lott has a good first step off the line of scrimmage and makes good strikes with his hands, as well as superior leverage, which helped him win pass-rush snaps.

Lined up head up on the left tackle, Lott returns B-gap on the snap and squares off with the left guard. When they collide, Lott starts by first knocking away the left guard’s hands and then pressing him into the backfield.

The quarterback attempts to step up in the pocket, but Lott breaks free and records the sack.

For a college defensive tackle, Lott does have advanced hands, and his powerful strike, when combined with his quick burst off the line of scrimmage, are the keys to him winning snaps.

In the end-tackle twist, Lott slows the play of the snap while he waits for the defensive end to penetrate the B-gap. Once the end collides with the right guard, Lott starts to work the outside — and with a good burst, he quickly turns the corner to come up with the sack.

With a good burst off the ball, advanced hands and a strong base, Lott has all the traits needed to be a solid NFL pass rusher.

Run defense

Lott also utilizes the same tools he uses to rush the passer with his run defense.

Lined up head up on the right guard, Lott quickly fires off the snap and penetrates the A-gap. Off balance, the right guard falls down and tries to throw a hand around the Lott, but the running back has nowhere to go. Lott meets the back in the hole and meets him to prevent a gain on the play.

Lott’s advanced hands and his understanding of extension and leverage also help him to play a factor in holding run blockers at the line of scrimmage and clogging run lanes.

Lined up as the 3-technique initially, Lott returns inside on the snap and looks to penetrate between the left guard and center. The center attempts to reach Block Lott, but Lott uses his leverage to knock him into the backfield and wins the point of attack.

With half of his body in the A-gap, Lott reaches out his free arm and wrestles the running back down for a minimal gain.

The bottom line

Lott has impressive tape and looks the part of an NFL defensive tackle. Still, a hot topic of conversation during his pre-draft visit to Kansas City and other teams will likely be vetting out the reasons why he was technically a backup at Tennessee.

Outside of being suspended for a game during the 2023 season for a late-game altercation the week prior, there is no knowledge of Lott having or displaying any off-field issues that would warrant a dip in his playing time.

With the modern landscape of college football and the new NIL world that encompasses all athletes (and soon to be the NFL), there could be more players in Lott’s situation down the line. Tennessee played a deep defensive front, with many rotational pieces. By making an effort to keep teams guessing and keep their players fresh, it meant some players would see fewer snaps, allowing them to be more effective in the ones they did play.

This seems to be the box that Lott was put in.

If taken by a team like the Chiefs, Lott would find himself in a similar role and likely be a contributor off the bench early in his career.

There are similarities in the penetration ability of Lott and now-former Chiefs pass rusher Tershawn Wharton, a player the team will need to replace.

Lott is similar to Wharton and other quality role players who can disrupt the offensive line, like Milton Williams, and also Kobie Turner. All three are undersized pass rushers who can create plays with their ability to penetrate and put pressure on the quarterback.

Lott may not be taken on either Day 1 or Day 2 of the draft, but once Day 3 rolls around, he will likely have his name called early.