Devan Thompkins
Alabama#98 overallScouting Report
Devan 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 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, batted two passes and forced a fumble, then stunned the program by entering the portal that December; 247Sports called it USC's most surprising loss of the cycle. The tape is the strongest part of the case: he consistently wins as a pass rusher and makes plays against the run, disruption that outruns the raw sack total. Vikings Wire's summer report is more measured, describing a lineman who can disappear into the line for stretches and then flash real brilliance, with a rush plan that often looks winged rather than built. Draft Countdown likes the frame, the length and the year-over-year climb, and sees a converted edge whose speed-to-power transition travels inside against guards and centers. Walter Football currently slots him as a mid-round interior prospect, which makes the Alabama season the swing factor on his grade.
NFL Comparison
Of his 20 closest coming out: 1 star, 6 starters, 9 backups, 4 didn't stick.
Draft Movement
Up 110 spots since Sep 28
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
- Wins as a pass rusher far more often than his sack total suggests
- Disruptive as a pass rusher and against the run, so he is affecting both phases
- Natural leverage and raw strength that give technique-first guards and centers trouble
- Patient at the point of attack and does not overcommit on his assignment
- Keeps counters in his back pocket and can win a rep a second way
Weaknesses
- 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
- Hand fighting needs refinement before he is a trusted third-down rusher
- Counter moves exist but are not consistent enough to shed blocks efficiently
- Block recognition speed is the last box to check, and SEC offensive lines will test it faster than the Big Ten did
- Sack production has been modest, 4.5 in four USC seasons, relative to his pressure numbers
- Late football starter who came from basketball, so the technical polish lags the physical tools
- Yet to prove the profile against SEC interior competition, with the 2026 Alabama season the first real sample
College Stats
2025 USC: 31 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 2 PBU, 1 FF in 12 starts; 2024 USC: 24 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks in 13 games; Career at USC: 55-56 tackles, 9.0 TFL, 4.5 sacks, 5 PBU
College Market Value
Our model prices him at $882K on the open college market, built from production, pedigree, role and Alabama's program money. No credible deal has been reported for him this season.
Portal: transferred from USC to Alabama for 2026.
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Measurables
Awards & Honors
Walter Football No. 12 interior defensive lineman with a projected fourth to sixth round grade; 2025 USC defensive line starter and defensive leader; three-star recruit out of Edison High (Stockton, Calif.) per 247Sports