Top 10 Defensive Lineman Prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft
Last Updated: October 12, 2026 | Source: Consensus rankings from 9 outletsThe 2026 defensive lineman class is led by Will Echoles, A'Mauri Washington, David Stone. Here's a breakdown of the top 10 prospects at the position, with scouting reports, measurables, and projected draft range.
1. Will Echoles — Ole Miss
Consensus Rank: #15 overall | Projection: First round | Measurables: 6'3", 310 lbs, 5.1s 40Will Echoles is the most productive interior disruptor in the 2027 class and the anchor of the Ole Miss defense. He arrived in Oxford as a consensus four-star recruit and Mississippi 4A Mr. Football out of Houston High School, where he dominated on both sides of the ball.
Strengths: Led all Power Four interior linemen in pressures (39) and defensive stops (35) in 2025, rare production for a first-year starter ... Stout run defender who holds the point against down blocks and double teams without giving ground ... Explosive first step to knife interior gaps and finish penetration with tackles behind the line Concerns: Missed ten tackles in 2025, lunging in space instead of finishing through contact ... Ordinary timed speed limits his range and pursuit outside the tackle box NFL Comparison: Walter Nolen (Ole Miss predecessor with the same explosive interior-penetrator profile) Full scouting report for Will Echoles →2. A'Mauri Washington — Oregon
Consensus Rank: #18 overall | Projection: First round | Measurables: 6'3", 330 lbsA'Mauri Washington has emerged as one of the biggest risers in the 2026 draft cycle after a breakout junior campaign at Oregon, living in opposing backfields after two quiet seasons buried behind eventual NFL picks Derrick Harmon, Jordan Burch and Jamaree Caldwell. Listed at 6'3", 330 pounds, the Detroit native is a rare combination of mass and movement skill, which earned him recognition as one of the most freakish athletes in the country in 2025. He grades as a Day 2 prospect and one of the top interior defensive linemen in the class, and scouts tag him with a Dontari Poe pro comparison.
Strengths: Massive 6'3"/330 frame with rare athleticism for size ... Recognized among the nation's top athletes for his size in 2025 ... Quick, explosive get-off creates immediate penetration, especially on slants Concerns: Plays with high pad level too often ... gets washed out vs. combo blocks and doubles NFL Comparison: Dontari Poe (massive interior body with rare movement skill) Full scouting report for A'Mauri Washington →3. David Stone — Oklahoma
Consensus Rank: #20 overall | Projection: First round | Measurables: 6-3, 310 lbs, 4.9s 40, 35.0" armsDavid Stone arrived in Norman as the consensus No. 1 defensive tackle in the 2024 class, a five-star Del City kid who anchored an IMG Academy defense that gave up 3. 0 points per game as a junior.
Strengths: Explosive first step paired with heavy, active hands wins the line of scrimmage immediately ... Near 35-inch arms create elite strike-zone length and let him control blockers before they latch ... Violent punch power jolts guards backward and opens passing lanes with swipes, clubs, and rips Concerns: Pass-rush plan still linear with limited counter moves to complement the power game ... Plays overaggressively at times, running himself out of plays when blockers redirect his momentum NFL Comparison: Jalen Carter (penetrating 3-tech with violent hands and elite first step) Full scouting report for David Stone →4. Justin Scott — Miami (FL)
Consensus Rank: #33 overall | Projection: Second round | Measurables: 6-4, 298 lbsJustin Scott is a 2027 prospect defensive tackle at Miami who arrived in Coral Gables as one of the headline pieces of the Hurricanes' 2024 class, flipping his commitment from Ohio State in late November 2023 after originally pledging to the Buckeyes that July. The Chicago native and St. Ignatius product checked into Miami at a legitimate 6-4, 298 with the body type, two-way background, and multi-sport athletic foundation that pushed him to five-star status and a first-round projection.
Strengths: Legit 6-4, 298 frame that wears mass well with room for additional bulk ... Multi-sport athletic foundation (varsity basketball, AAU hoops, plus baseball/hockey/soccer growing up) shows up as plus body control for the position ... Two-way high school background, extensive snaps at DL, OG and even RB at St. Ignatius, built unusual leverage awareness and lower-body strength Concerns: College production is light, 26 tackles, 1 sack as a sophomore, and is still well below the bar set by top interior DL prospects ... Technical nuance as a pass rusher is unfinished NFL Comparison: Phidarian Mathis (big leverage-aware base player with redirect twitch) Full scouting report for Justin Scott →5. Ahmad Moten Sr — Miami (FL)
Consensus Rank: #39 overall | Projection: Second round | Measurables: 6'3", 311 lbsAhmad Moten Sr is a penetrating interior defensive lineman who profiles as an attacking three-technique at the next level. He wins with a dynamite first step and rare suddenness for the position, firing off the snap to shoot gaps and land the first punch before blockers can set. That burst is his calling card, and when his timing is right off the ball he is nearly impossible for a lone center or guard to handle one-on-one.
Strengths: Explosive, dynamite first step to shoot gaps and win reps early in both run and pass ... rare suddenness and quickness to exchange gaps and beat interior linemen across their faces ... impressive closing speed and pursuit to finish plays behind the line of scrimmage Concerns: Shorter-than-ideal arms limit extension and leave him stuck on blocks against the run ... below-average anchor that gets overwhelmed by double teams and down blocks NFL Comparison: Kobie Turner (productive undersized interior winner) Full scouting report for Ahmad Moten Sr →6. Xavier Gilliam — Tennessee
Consensus Rank: #45 overall | Projection: Round 2 Full scouting report for Xavier Gilliam →7. AJ Holmes Jr — Texas Tech
Consensus Rank: #68 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6'3", 300 lbs, 5.05s 40Holmes is the kind of interior anchor a defense builds its run front around, and 2025 gave that base a pass-rush dimension that lifts the whole profile. He wins early with leverage, gets his hands inside quickly, and resets the line of scrimmage against single blocks before the tackle can settle. Against doubles he holds the point without surrendering his gap, which is why his run-defense grade sat near the top of the position over heavy snaps.
Strengths: Elite run defender graded near the top of the position over heavy snaps ... real interior pass rush with five sacks and thirty-seven pressures in 2025 ... quick, active hands that reset the line against single blocks Concerns: Ordinary tackle finish with four missed tackles on the year ... average timed speed limits range and back-side pursuit NFL Comparison: Poona Ford (stout, leverage-and-hands interior anchor who wins the run rep despite unremarkable timed speed) Full scouting report for AJ Holmes Jr →8. Tavion Gadson — Kentucky
Consensus Rank: #74 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6-3, 302 lbsTavion Gadson is an interior defensive lineman at Kentucky who enters the 2027 cycle as one of the more intriguing developmental pieces on the national board. CBS Sports' Mike Renner slotted him 45th overall on his preseason 2027 top 100, and the reasoning was as much about circumstance as it was about production. Renner pointed to a handful of genuinely high-end flashes on last season's tape, the kind of reps that hint at a player capable of more than his box score showed.
Strengths: High-end flashes on 2025 tape that project beyond his production, per CBS Sports' evaluation ... Good size at 6-3, 302 with room to play multiple spots along the interior ... Held up handling nose tackle duty as an underclassman, which is a strength-based ask most young interior players fail Concerns: Often played out of position at nose tackle, so the attacking tape scouts want to see is limited ... Production is modest at 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks, not the dominant sophomore line the top interior prospects posted Full scouting report for Tavion Gadson →9. Devan Thompkins — Alabama
Consensus Rank: #77 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6-5, 298 lbsDevan Thompkins arrives at Alabama as one of the SEC's most closely watched transfer additions, a 6-5, 298-pound interior lineman who found the trenches by way of the basketball court. He was a developmental three-star out of Edison High in Stockton, California with more hoops experience than football reps, redshirted at USC in 2022 and played sparingly in 2023 before breaking into the defensive line rotation in 2024. The jump came in 2025, when he started 12 games for the Trojans, put up 31 tackles with 6.
Strengths: Prototype interior frame at 6-5 and 298 pounds with the length to stack and shed ... Carries the added weight without losing the agility that made him an edge earlier in his career ... Speed-to-power transition inside that traditional interior linemen do not have, a carryover from playing on the edge Concerns: Blends into the line for long stretches, with flashes rather than steady snap-to-snap impact ... Pass rush often looks improvised, without a set plan taking him from first move to counter Full scouting report for Devan Thompkins →10. Bear Alexander — Oregon
Consensus Rank: #83 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6'3", 302 lbs, 5.1s 40Bear Alexander is a 6'3", 302-pound 3-technique defensive tackle currently playing for Oregon, having previously played at Georgia and USC, making him a prospect now with his third collegiate program. A four-star recruit out of IMG Academy from Terrell, Texas, Alexander chose Georgia over Alabama and Texas A&M and contributed to Georgia's National Championship victory over TCU as a freshman, recording a sack in that game. After transferring to USC, he started 12 games and earned All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention, and in his two-year career at Georgia and USC combined he accumulated 57 tackles, 9.
Strengths: Lightning-quick first step that generates immediate penetration off the snap ... elite speed-to-power conversion with leg drive that ranks among the best in the 2026 class ... good array of finesse pass-rush moves in addition to power rush Concerns: Consistency runs hot and cold, has not played at high level across all games ... can lose track of the ball in the backfield and overcommit to rush lane at the expense of run defense gap integrity NFL Comparison: Daviyon Nixon (Iowa, 2021 2nd round) - similar build and explosiveness as a 3-technique with high disruption upside Full scouting report for Bear Alexander →