The nose tackle position isn’t a glamorous life. There are few opportunities for highlight reel plays or salary boosting sack totals. For the most part, a good nose tackle goes unnoticed by fans and the position only really gets talked about when something goes terribly wrong.
But good nose tackle play is important for modern defenses, which need to be able to stop the interior runs that offenses like to pair with spread passing games. A good nose tackle, a player who can create a pile and clog both A-gaps, goes a long way toward helping a defense slow down interior runs with a neutral or light defensive front.