The NFL draft is less than two weeks away, and our coverage here at NFL Trade Rumors rolls on. Over the weekend, I’ll finish releasing my final position rankings as we get closer and closer to one of the best weekends of the entire year. Stretching all the way back to last summer, I’ve been poring over tape, monitoring pro day and Combine performances, and getting my eyes on the All-Star circuit, all to deliver the most accurate and informative draft coverage I can.

I’ll be honest: I was hoping for more from this defensive tackle class. There are a couple of really high-floor players at the top of this group that could be first-round picks — as well as some intriguing Day 2 options — but the depth just isn’t there like it is at other positions in this draft. My DT7 is probably a fifth-round pick, but that said, there a lot of solid Day 3 options for teams needing depth or specific role-players on their defensive line.

Over the next two weeks, I’ll be finishing out my final position rankings and much more. We have a lot of content planned on the draft side coming up soon, so stay tuned!

• Top 150 Big Board
• 2026 NFL Draft Visit Tracker
• Final Position Rankings: Quarterbacks
• Final Position Rankings: Running Backs
• Final Position Rankings: Wide Receivers
• Final Position Rankings: Tight Ends
• Final Position Rankings: Offensive Tackles
• Final Position Rankings: Interior Offensive Linemen
• Final Position Rankings: Linebackers
• Final Position Rankings: Cornerbacks
• Final Position Rankings: Safeties

1: Christen Miller, Georgia

A four-star recruit who stayed in his home state of Georgia, Miller redshirted as a freshman in 2022 before taking on a rotational role as a redshirt freshman, racking up 14 tackles and a sack. As a redshirt sophomore, he became a key piece on the Bulldogs’ defensive line, with 27 tackles, a sack and a pass defensed. Miller continued his upward trajectory as a redshirt junior in 2025, posting 23 tackles and two sacks, earning first-team All-SEC recognition.

Measuring 6-4, 321 pounds, Miller has elite foot speed and explosive quickness for an interior defensive lineman. With plus lateral agility as well, he has the fluid movement skills and speed to destroy many interior offensive linemen, shredding their pass sets off the snap. His ability to penetrate the backfield quickly is incredibly disruptive and he did it consistently, whether he made the play himself or caused enough havoc for someone else to. Miller is primarily a run stuffer but flashes considerable upside as a pass rusher, too.

With pro-ready anchor strength against drive blocks and double teams, Miller isn’t getting moved against his will. He plays strong against the run, sticking to his assignments and making the plays that are there. Powerful hands shock blockers on contact and he uses them well, moving people around and aggressively taking on blocks to free up other tacklers or shedding them for added disruption. Miller can play nose tackle or 3-tech and can even moonlight on the edge a little, making him a defensive coordinator’s dream.

The backfield production hasn’t quite caught up to Miller’s tools and backfield presence, which is something to monitor. He can get out of position against misdirection on occasion. Mainly, he needs to play with better leverage, as he comes too high out of his stance and nullifies some of his own advantages with the way he engages with offensive linemen.

A player obviously worthy of a first-round pick, Miller might be the most overlooked player in this entire class. He’s staunch against the run, a plus athlete with great measurables, and has high pressure numbers that could convert into better sack production with time. I wouldn’t classify him as a blue-chip prospect, but I’d take him in the top 20 and he’s one of the highest-floor players in this entire class.

2: Kayden McDonald, Ohio State

A four-star recruit from Georgia, McDonald played a small role on the Buckeyes’ defensive front as a true freshman in 2023. He had 19 tackles as a sophomore, stepping into a larger rotational role and playing in every game. McDonald’s breakout came as a junior in 2025, when he had 65 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass defensed, earning consensus first-team All-Big Ten recognition and first-team All-America honors.

Measuring at 6-2, 326 pounds, McDonald is a game-changing run defender. He regularly takes on double teams, easily holding his ground and often resetting the line of scrimmage back. His play strength is elite, occupying space and funneling the action towards his linebackers to come up and make tackles. He’s not passive, though — he’s more than capable of making plays himself, as evidenced by his absurd 65-tackle junior season as a defensive tackle. McDonald has devastating backfield production, working through blocks to make plays on the ball carrier most players simply can’t make.

With quick feet for his size and the ability to get skinny, McDonald can knife into the backfield effectively, blowing up plays when he wants to penetrate and contribute to the action directly. Combo blocks and double teams just don’t move him, as he holds his ground with impunity and plugs up gaps. A smart player, McDonald reads the offense well and is rarely fooled by misdirection or trickery, staying fundamentally sound and sticking to his assignments.

For as impactful a run defender as he is, McDonald has a long way to go as a pass rusher. He doesn’t have great length for the position, limiting the types of pass rush moves he can perform. On the whole, his pass rush skills are pretty rudimentary, as he currently tries to win mostly through sheer strength and athleticism, usually to middling results. He’s not a complete zero as a pass rusher, but McDonald doesn’t offer much in that department.

I have an early second-round grade on McDonald. While run-stuffing two-gapping defensive tackles aren’t the most valuable archetype in the league, he changes the math on defense. He’s a rare prospect in his ability to alter a team’s run defense by himself, and even without much pass rush production expected out of him, he can be incredibly important. At this point, it would be a surprise if he’s still available on Day 2.

3: Caleb Banks, Florida

A three-star recruit from Detroit, Banks started his collegiate career at Louisville, redshirting initially and playing minimally as a freshman before transferring to the Gators in 2023. He had 19 tackles and a sack as a redshirt sophomore, upping that production to 21 tackles, four sacks, a forced fumble and a pass defensed as a redshirt junior. Unfortunately, Banks sustained multiple foot injuries in 2025 and only played in three games, though his medicals didn’t prevent him from working out on the pre-draft circuit.

Standing at 6–6, 327 pounds, Banks moves with a level of twitchiness and fluidity that sets him apart from other prospects. The way he moves just shouldn’t be possible at his size, and he shoots gaps like a man 50 pounds lighter. He can penetrate in an instant, forcing the issue off the snap with a quick first step and powerful hands that initiate contact and give him the space he needs to operate. Banks has impressive lateral agility and it lets him execute moves few defensive tackles can. He can line up as an edge rusher at times, as well, adding to his versatility.

With plus strength at the point of attack, Banks can stack and shed effectively to make tackles in the backfield. Throughout his career, he’s showcased improved hand usage, fighting for positioning and leverage and working to keep his chest clean. When he gets into the backfield, Banks surprises people with his speed, routinely running down ball carriers and chasing quarterbacks with tenacity and quickness.

Leverage can be an issue for Banks. His height puts him at a natural disadvantage, but it’s something he still needs to work on. Double teams were able to move him last year, and he’s too big and strong to allow that to continue. Banks’ pass rush arsenal needs work, as he’s still freelancing out there more than playing with a developed set of moves, and he relies on his athleticism over technique too often.

Right now, Banks is a high-ceiling, lower-floor prospect. His length and athleticism are things you just can’t teach, and if he’d put together a fully healthy season in 2025, he might be going in the top 15. As it stands, his range is pretty wide — he could go in the top 20 or fall to the middle of the second round. Personally, I have a second-round grade on Banks, but his upside is a lot higher than that if it all works out.

4: Peter Woods, Clemson

A five-star recruit from Alabama, Woods hit the ground running as a true freshman in 2023, racking up 26 tackles and a forced fumble and earning some freshman All-American accolades. As a sophomore, he had 26 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble, earning honorable mention All-ACC honors despite playing out of position as an edge rusher. In 2025, Woods moved back to the interior, posting 30 tackles, two sacks and a pass defensed, garnering first-team All-ACC recognition.

Standing at nearly 6-3 and 298 pounds, Woods is an explosive athlete for his size. He has uncanny quickness and fluidity to his movements, earning a spot on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List for his combination of power, speed and agility. That athleticism shows up on the field, as Woods can make offensive linemen look silly trying to block them. He fires off the snap with a suddenness that catches blockers by surprise, thundering into them or dancing around them before they can react. His hands are strong and he has enough length to dictate contact on the interior, stunning linemen with his initial punch before getting into his moves.

Woods has incredible lower-body strength, anchoring against double teams and producing a powerful bull rush. He makes some incredible plays against the run, with consistent backfield production throughout his college career and solid fundamentals in that phase. When rushing the passer, he utilizes advanced hand fighting techniques and his plus short-area quickness to execute moves and combos that leave offensive linemen grasping air — if he doesn’t just shove right through them.

It was a rough pre-draft process for Woods, though. Coming in at sub-300 pounds at the Combine is a rough look, and he skipped the Senior Bowl and most athletic testing. He had a bad 2025 season, and questions about his functional length are cropping up as well. Simply put, he’s not the physical prototype he was billed as, and he’s still a raw pass rusher with a lot of development to do.

There was a time when Woods was viewed as a first-round lock. That time has passed. It’s a lot harder to find a mock draft that still has him in the first round, and I have a second-round grade on him myself. His upside is still way too high for him to fall too far on Day 2, but the floor of some of these other interior defenders makes them a much safer pick. And if you want to take the upside swing, Banks is looking a lot more appealing than Woods right now.

5: Domonique Orange, Iowa State

A three-star recruit from Kansas City, Orange played rotationally as a true freshman in 2022, becoming a part-time starter as a sophomore with 16 tackles. His breakout season came as a junior in 2024, totaling 24 tackles, a sack and a pass defensed, earning honorable mention All-Big 12 honors. As a senior with the Cyclones, Orange had 18 tackles and a pass defensed, earning third-team All-Big 12 recognition.

“Big Citrus,” as they call him, is a massive 6-2, 322-pound nose tackle. The power in his upper half is tremendous, with unbreakable grip strength and an eye-popping power profile. A member of Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List, Orange combines devastating power with surprisingly light feet for a nose tackle. The “dancing bear” of this class, Orange can penetrate quickly off the snap, getting vertical with speed and forcing the offensive line to reset to account for him. He had a deep move of pass rush bags to go with that explosive first step, winning with technique consistently.

But power is what makes Orange special, and he has it in spades. He moves people off the line of scrimmage, bulldozing blockers and completely destroying plays. Dedicated double teams and drive blocks are mere annoyances to him, as he has a strong anchor and isn’t moved off his spot. He can man multiple gaps and crush the offensive line when pass rushing, creating massive dents that other players can take advantage of. When hand fighting, he uses his strength to his advantage, stunning blockers on contact and closing distance quickly.

With limited length and poor leverage, Orange makes his own job a lot harder than it needs to be. With only average arm length, he can have a hard time keeping blockers away from his chest, and he compounds that issue by playing too high and making it even easier for linemen to end his rush. Double teams don’t often move him, but they can effectively take him out of the play, as he doesn’t shed blocks well and struggles with the lateral agility necessary to split double teams and get into the backfield.

A strong Day 2 selection, Orange is a run-stuffing nose tackle with some untapped pass-rushing upside. He doesn’t have a ton of backfield production yet, but he flashes the traits he needs to improve in that area, in addition to being a plus athlete. At worst, you’re getting a veteran lineman who will immediately upgrade your run defense and make life easier for your other pass rushers — and at best, you could have a game-changing interior force on your hands. Plus, he has the best nickname in this entire class.

6: Lee Hunter, Texas Tech

A four-star recruit from Mobile, Alabama, Hunter originally committed to Auburn, where he redshirted in 2021. After the season, he followed his head coach to Central Florida, playing a rotational role as a redshirt freshman before breaking out in 2023. As a redshirt sophomore, Hunter had 69 tackles, three sacks and a pass defensed, earning honorable mention All-Big 12 recognition. As a redshirt junior, his production dipped slightly, but he was still named second-team All-Big 12 with 44 tackles and a sack. For his fifth season, Hunter transferred to the Red Raiders, posting 41 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble, earning consensus first-team All-Big 12 marks.

Standing at 6-3 and a half, 318 pounds, Hunter is a load to deal with down low. He’s a tremendous run defender, manning multiple gaps and blowing up rushing plays with his presence alone. He demolishes offensive linemen on contact, with overwhelming strength at the point of attack and the anchor to hold his ground against dedicated drive blocks. When he establishes contact, he moves people, with strong hands that get linemen out of their rhythm. Hunter can track the ball carrier well through traffic and has solid backfield production, playing with impressive agility for his size to squeeze through gaps and make plays.

As a pass rusher, Hunter has the foot quickness to execute complex pass rush packages and the strength to just bulldoze interior linemen. His hand fighting skills are near the top of the class and he consistently leaves blockers guessing, faking them out with advanced feints and counters to gain advantages throughout the rep. When he wants to go through someone, he does, with a thunderous bull rush that decimates the blocking scheme.

Hunter’s athletic testing was abysmal, there’s no way around it. He was one of the worst athletes the Combine has seen at the position in years, and that’s a major concern. It raises serious questions about how well his game will translate, especially as a pass rusher. Hunter was already fairly inconsistent with that in college, and now we’ve seen how hard it’ll be for him to keep that up in the NFL.

I have a third-round grade on Hunter, and to be honest, I don’t quite know what to do with him. His testing numbers and measurables scare me, but I still see him as a high-floor run defender with some pass-rushing upside. He’s probably still a starter in this league, but I don’t think he has the upside he was once thought to have, and the first-round discussion with him can be firmly put to rest.

7: Albert Regis, Texas A&M

A four-star recruit who stayed in his home state of Texas, Regis was a high school track athlete who also played defensive line. He redshirted in 2021 before playing a rotational role the next two seasons, being productive but not starting much. As a redshirt junior in 2024, he took a leap, recording 36 tackles and six passes defensed. Regis elevated his game even further as a fifth-year senior, with 49 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a pass defensed.

Standing at 6-1, 295 pounds, Regis can play nose tackle or 3-tech. He has incredible anchor strength, shrugging off double teams with ease and holding his ground against even the most dedicated work from the offensive line. He knows what he’s out there to do, manning his gaps and maintaining leverage against the run to force the ball carrier where other defenders can make plays. When he needs to, however, he can stack and shed blocks as well as anyone, wrapping up the ball carrier with textbook tackling form and eye-catching pursuit speed for a larger defender.

Regis racked up a lot of pass breakups from the defensive line throughout his college career, and he frequently leaps when the ball is thrown with genuinely great timing to disrupt passing lanes. His leverage is exceptional, both in pass rushing and against the run. He keeps his hands high and establishes contact immediately off the snap, letting his powerful hands go to work keeping blockers away from his body.

As a pass rusher, Regis doesn’t offer much at the moment. With limited length and explosiveness, he’s mostly a pocket pusher, but he does so consistently. Though he tries, his pass rush arsenal is pretty limited, and he doesn’t have the creativity or the agility to execute complex moves, at least not often.

Regis will be drafted to do one thing, but he does that thing extremely well. I have him with a mid-round grade as a run-stuffing tackle who can play a lot on early downs. Teams need guys like that, and he does that job better than most of the other prospects in this class. His lack of elite athleticism and pass rush production does put a pretty hard cap on his draft ceiling, but Regis is the sort of pick that elevates the floor of a draft class.

8: Tim Keenan III, Alabama

A Birmingham, Alabama native and a four-star high school recruit, Keenan redshirted in 2021 due to a knee injury suffered in his senior year of high school and played a minimal role in 2022. By the 2023 season, he entered the starting lineup and recorded 38 tackles, a sack and a pass defensed. As a redshirt junior, Keenan posted 40 tackles, three sacks and a pass defensed, earning significant hype entering his final year in 2025. Unfortunately, an ankle injury hampered him throughout the year and he clearly wasn’t operating at 100 percent. Still, he produced 16 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a pass defensed.

At 6-1, 327 pounds, Keenan is a true nose tackle. He owns the line of scrimmage against the run, imposing his will against the opposing offensive line. His hand usage is impressive and he keeps them active at all times, protecting his chest and preventing blockers from grappling him successfully. When faced with double teams, Keenan holds his ground, manning multiple gaps and clogging up the play through his presence alone.

Leverage is one of Keenan’s greatest strengths. His naturally low build and disciplined stance give him the advantage on every snap, getting under the pads of his blocker and forcing them back. He effectively stacks and sheds to make tackles and has enough backfield production for a nose tackle. As a pass rusher, he’s pretty much limited to a bull rush, but sometimes that’s all he needs.

You’re not drafting Keenan to be a pass rusher, and that’s not what he does. Other than occasional clean-up sacks or a really bad rep from the guard/center, he doesn’t generate pressure. With bizarrely short arms and small hands for a man his size, there are times when he can’t land a strong initial punch on a rep and it throws off his entire play. Keenan is a subpar athlete and struggles when chasing plays from the backside — once the action goes away from him, he’s pretty much out of the play.

As a fifth-round pick or so, Keenan can be a starting nose tackle in the NFL. In the modern game, those guys don’t play a ton of snaps, but they eat up blocks on run downs and let other tacklers make plays on the ball. That’s exactly what Keenan does, and he can have a role in the NFL for a long time as a result.

9: Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State

A three-star recruit from Florida, Jackson originally committed to Maryland out of high school, racking up 22 tackles as a true freshman in the Big Ten before transferring to Miami as a sophomore. He had 27 tackles and three sacks as a full-time starter for the Hurricanes, transferring to the Seminoles after that season, only to miss most of the season when the NCAA denied his immediate eligibility waiver. Coming back with a vengeance in 2024, Jackson had 31 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble and a pass defensed. He continued his upward trajectory as a fifth-year senior in 2025, with 44 tackles and a sack, ending his college career with back-to-back honorable mention All-ACC honors.

At 6-5 and a half, 315 pounds, Jackson is a physical, hard-nosed presence on the defensive line. He eats double teams with impunity, stacking them up and holding his ground with proper leverage and great anchor strength. He’s a monster against interior runs, shedding blocks and making tackles at the line of scrimmage. Dedicated drive blocks struggle to move him — when he plants his feet, he isn’t moved off his spot.

With decent mobility at his size, Jackson can chase outside runs and make plays in the backfield. He plays with great leverage, holding the point of attack with ridiculously long arms. As a pass rusher, he’s a rapidly-improving pocket pusher, crushing interior linemen with his bull rushes and working back to the quarterback. Jackson won’t offer a ton of pass-rush upside, but he can definitely collapse the pocket when he pins his ears back.

Jackson has a bad habit of playing with his hands too wide and letting blockers get into his chest. When they do, he loses all control of the rep and can’t easily shed the block. He’s an underdeveloped hand fighter in general, and if he doesn’t establish an early edge in the rep, he’ll get blocked out. That extends to pass rushing, where Jackson is extremely limited. He pretty much only does bull rushes and won’t offer much else early in his NFL career.

A solid mid-round pick, Jackson is a two-gapping run stuffer who can play a very defined role as a rookie. He won’t be the most exciting or productive pick a team can make, but he’ll do exactly what you ask of him. Jackson can still improve in a lot of areas, and with some better hand usage, he can really take a leap.

10: Chris McClellan, Missouri

A four-star recruit from Oklahoma, McClellan began his collegiate career at Florida in 2022. In two seasons with the Gators, he produced 46 tackles and two sacks, transferring to the Tigers ahead of the 2024 season. He immediately saw a bump in production, with 39 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble and two passes defensed as a junior. McClellan’s true breakout came as a senior in 2025, though, when he had 48 tackles, six sacks and two passes defensed, earning second-team All-SEC honors.

Standing at 6-4, 313 pounds, McClellan is a wrecking ball against the run. He knows how to manipulate gaps to find openings and make plays in the backfield, with some lateral quickness to his game that shows up in those moments. With long arms and an ideal center of gravity, he wins the length battle on every rep, stacking blockers at the point of attack and shedding them when appropriate to bring down the ball carrier. A reliable tackle, McClellan wraps up cleanly and uses his strength to make sure he completes the play.

In one-on-one situations, McClellan is hard to move. He’s too strong to get walked back by a single guard and can plant and hold a gap with impunity. That extends to double-teams, too, and he’s a good player to have on your side in short-yardage situations. In his pass rush, he has a nasty bull rush, consistently walking his matchup back into the lap of the quarterback and disrupting the pocket. Despite his profile, there’s a little wiggle to his game, and he’s flashed a few fancy moves that offensive linemen aren’t expecting from him.

Leverage can be an issue for McClellan. He’s usually playing too high, negating some of his length advantages and exposing his chest. Blockers are able to lock onto him and keep him out of plays by forking him into the air and neutralizing his effectiveness. As a pass rusher, McClellan is pretty limited to bull rushes and the occasional swim or rip moves. He doesn’t really have any counters and is stonewalled far too often in college to expect his pass rush production to translate to the next level.

McClellan is a rotation run-stuffer at the NFL level. Anything he gives you in the pass rush department should be considered a bonus, but he can hold his gap and raise the floor of your run defense, probably in a backup role to start his career. A late-round pick, McClellan does have some upside long-term if he can continue to develop as a pass rusher, but again — that’s not what you’re drafting him to do.

The Next Ten

11 — Skyler Gill-Howard, Texas Tech: A 6-1, 280-pound Northern Illinois transfer, Gill-Howard best fit might be as a 3-4 defensive end. He’s an advanced pass rusher with quick feet and a true bag of moves he uses to slip blocks and get after the quarterback.

12 — Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati: The Godfather himself, Corleone is a 6-0 and a half, 340-pound nose tackle. He dominates in the trenches with some impressive lateral quickness at his size, stonewalling blocking schemes and manning multiple gaps.

13 — DeMonte Capehart, Clemson: A 6-5, 313-pound sixth-year senior, Capehart is a freak athlete with serious power in his hands. He uses his plus length to initiate contact and dominate the point of attack, working off blocks to make tackles.

14 — Gracen Halton, Oklahoma: A 6-3, 293-pound prospect from San Diego, Halton is an explosive defensive playmaker. His first step is impressive and he can shoot gaps in the run game as well as anyone, but his calling card is as a plus pass rusher on the interior.

15 — Kaleb Proctor, Southeastern Louisiana: A 6-2, 291-pound FCS star, Proctor is a developed, athletic pass rusher. He projects as a negative against the run, but his first step is rare and he has an extraordinarily deep bag of pass-rush moves to his name.

16 — Rayshaun Benny, Michigan: A 6-3, 298-pound Detroit native, Benny is a two-gapping run stuffer. He’s a little undersized, but he has great length and deceptive pound-for-pound strength. He’s a difficult man to move.

17 — Cole Brevard, Texas: A 6-3, 346-pound Purdue transfer, Brevard is a run-stuffing nose tackle with a fairly high floor. He’ll play a limited role in the NFL, but for 20 snaps a game, he’ll hold two gaps and force the offensive line to play with minus numbers.

18 — Zxavian Harris, Ole Miss: A 6-8, 330-pound mauler, Harris is a monster against the run. His ability to hold the point of attack and shed blockers to make tackles is impressive, but he has serious off-field concerns as a prospect.

19 — Zane Durant, Penn State: A 6-1, 290-pound tackle from Florida, Durant is an explosive athlete with absurd speed and flexibility at his size. To this point, it hasn’t translated to consistent production, but if he puts it all together, he has a special pass-rushing profile.

20 — Tyler Onyedim, Texas A&M: A 6-3 and a half, 292-pound Texas native, Onyedim is an undersized, playmaking tackle. Despite his smaller frame, he’s a stout run defender, using his incredibly long arms to hold the point of attack.