From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Tennessee DL Omarr Norman-Lott.
#55 OMARR NORMAN-LOTT/DT TENNESSEE – 6017, 295 POUNDS. (SENIOR)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Omarr Norman-Lott | 6017/295 | 11 1/8 | 33 1/2 | 79 3/4 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
THE GOOD
– Incredible motor and non-stop hustle; plays to the whistle
– Significant upper-body power
– Very big and strong hands that stun linemen upon contact
– Really deep bag of pass-rush moves
– Plays with low center of gravity often
– Good pad level when engaging blocks
– Angle recognition for pass rushing to get to the quarterback
– Very quick off the ball
– Wins as a run defender, firing into gaps quickly
– Able to shed blockers with fast swipe
THE BAD
– Played less than 1,000 snaps over a five-year span
– Teams don’t appear to trust him as a run defender
– Doesn’t have requisite size, especially in his lower body to be a three-down defender
– If his first move doesn’t land, he can lose the rep quickly
– Appears to get out of control in his rushes and end up on the ground too much
– Washed out by double teams, drive, and combo blocks in the run game
– Needs better awareness and plan of attack as a run defender to maintain gap integrity
– Gives up his chest too often as a pass rusher
– Must have a plan as a rusher instead of relying on initial move working
– Struggles to have counter moves at the ready
BIO
– Born March 11, 2002 (22 years old) in North Highlands, Calif.
– 977 total snaps (668 B-gap, 226 over tackle, 36 outside the tackle)
– 54 special teams snaps (44 field goal block, 10 punt return coverage)
– Appeared in 44 games with five starts in five-year career at Tennessee and Arizona State
– Career: 89 total tackles, 17 TFLs, 15 sacks, 13 missed tackles, 53 run stops, 2 PDs, 1 fumble recovery
– 2024-25 season: 18 total tackles, 4 TFLs, 5 sacks, 6 missed tackles, 9 run stops
– 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl participant
– Suspended in 2023 for throwing a punch in the Florida game
– Played three seasons at Arizona State before transferring to Tennessee in 2023
– Four-star HS recruit, according to 247 Sports
– Played DT in high school
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Omarr Norman-Lott was a high-level pass-rushing defensive lineman who transferred to the University of Tennessee from Arizona State, where he played his first three years of college football. He showed flashes for the Sun Devils but didn’t really get a ton of opportunities there, which led to the transfer. Tennessee has a defensive line rotation where the Volunteers substitute out their DL frequently, which helps with optimizing effort and energy from each player. That strategy also limits opportunities for someone like Norman-Lott, who was primarily used on pass-rushing downs (37-percent run-defense snaps compared to 63-percent pass-rush snaps this past season).
He is a tough evaluation because he was used so sparingly in comparison to a lot of other draft picks as linemen. However, what he did show was very impressive in a lot of phases, especially rushing the passer. The first thing that jumps out about Norman-Lott is that he’s very explosive at the snap of the ball. He has the speed and power to get up the field quickly and plays with an aggressive temperament. Tennessee utilized him primarily as a 3-tech, and he played snaps over the tackle as well due to his athletic abilities. He doesn’t have the anchoring ability or mass to hold up in the A-gap and play there very often. Norman-Lott struggles to shed double teams, often being washed out on running plays where he’s combo-blocked.
As an interior and outside pass rusher, he fires off the ball and quickly gets his hands on linemen with a wide array of pass-rush moves. He doesn’t appear to have a defined pass-rush plan but rather knows how to read linemen at the snap and what they try to do with him. He will need to work on that and producing effective counters at the NFL level to maintain his effectiveness, but his toolbox is strong with what he can throw at guys (i.e. cross chop, over arm, swim, spin, bull rush, long-arm, etc.).
He has massive, violent hands that really allow him to dictate the rep quickly. With his good bend and agility, he knows how to get around guys to put pressure on quarterbacks. He also has a pretty good awareness to know when to redirect his attention toward the proper lane to pursue.
Although his sack numbers weren’t gaudy, Norman-Lott had one of the highest pressure-rate percentages on pass-rushing sets in the country, according to Pro Football Focus. Many indicators that project him to be a disruptive pass rusher at the next level.
He is a mixed bag as a run defender. On the one hand, he was often not on the field for early downs, limiting his experience in learning how to shoot gaps, hold anchor, have an awareness of running concepts, etc. However, when he was on the field, he was inconsistent with what he showed to be a successful run defender. He has the knock-back power over center or facing a guard with his hands and he knows how to shed when necessary. Sometimes, he could get into the backfield very quickly or pursue from the backside with speed. He has plenty of hustle and change-of-direction ability to move laterally.
Norman-Lott struggles with a lack of lower-body strength that prevents him from anchoring effectively and consistently. He also has a bad tendency to turn his shoulders to linemen, allowing them to move him out of running lanes more easily. The awareness of where the runner will go doesn’t always seem to be there, either, as he’ll choose the wrong angle or lane to pursue initially.
He can definitely be a three-down player, and maybe the lack of snaps during his six-year run has somewhat preserved his body. Still, that juxtaposition is why he wasn’t given more usage at Tennessee and Arizona State other than as a mostly situational pass rusher. Questions I’m sure teams will have for him during the pre-draft process.
CONCLUSION
Omarr Norman-Lott is a really interesting and frustrating player because he has so much potential to be a quality defensive lineman in the NFL. There are just a lot of question marks about what that can look like, whether someone can get more out of him and what will be the optimized deployment of him from a scheme standpoint. With his inherent difficulties as a run defender, he will have to get stronger in his lower half to stay on the field more.
Nnamdi Madubuike is a player comparison I can see for Norman-Lott due to their significant pass-rushing prowess and shades of significant disruption once they put it all together. Madubuike is a twitched-up, strong athlete who was much better at getting after the quarterback than he was as a run defender coming out of Texas A&M. He put on 10-plus pounds of mass in the NFL and has developed into a very good overall defensive lineman.
Norman-Lott could follow in his footsteps. I won’t be surprised if he tests well athletically at the NFL Scouting Combine. Depending on his usage, he could play in an odd or even front, but it will be interesting to see if a team like Pittsburgh shows interest in him with his specific abilities and potential.
Projection: Day 2
Depot Draft Grade: 8.0 – Second Round (Future Quality Starter)
Games Watched: vs Florida (2024), at Ohio State (2024), at Alabama (2023), vs Georgia (2023)
