Kendal Daniels
Atlanta FalconsOur College Grade
How good he was in college at what his position is supposed to do, out of 100. Scored against everyone else at his position, adjusted for the level he played at. This is not his NFL grade.
College Production
Oklahoma State · Big 12
| Season | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | Hur | PD | INT | Pos Rk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 69 | 6 | 0.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 171 |
| 2023 | 105 | 6 | 2.0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 22 |
| 2025 | 54 | 10 | 1.0 | 2 | 3 | 113 |
The seasons in our college data. It does not always reach back to a player's first year.
Scouting Report
Oklahoma · 2026 draft class
Kendal Daniels is a long rangy and extremely versatile defensive chess piece from Oklahoma who has been deployed at defensive end edge rusher box safety linebacker slot corner and free safety making him one of the most fascinating developmental prospects in the 2026 class. At 6-5 and 240 pounds Daniels has rare size for a safety-linebacker hybrid with the range to roam the open field and go sideline to sideline. He posted 5.5 sacks as an edge rusher in 2024 and accumulated 31.5 tackles for loss over his last four seasons showing he can get into the backfield from multiple alignments. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein graded him 5.95 noting his ability to spy cover or blitz as a third-down option with proficiency in both zone and man coverages. Daniels plays off blocks with good quickness and closes quickly once he identifies the ball carrier and his speed and athletic ability allow him to match up in man coverage across positions. He has take-on size and drop ability for a big nickel role and his old-school grounded mentality developed under Brent Venables makes him a coachable prospect. Scouts have noted his Fred Warner-like size athleticism and range profile though cautioning he almost certainly is not Fred Warner. His upside could push him into the top 50 with strong testing. However Daniels has underdeveloped instincts that delay his flow to the football as he is a step slow to diagnose and trigger ahead of blocking schemes. He struggles to take on blocks and leverage his gap effectively and settles for catching and arm tackling instead of running through ball carriers showing missing violence on tape. His drop coverage ability at his size is not natural and he needs better route squeeze from zone coverage. PFF ranked him just 360th on their predictive board and his NFL.com grade of 5.95 projects him as a backup or special teamer suggesting he is a developmental gamble whose Combine testing will make or break his draft stock.
Strengths
- Rare size at 6-5 240 with range to play sideline to sideline
- Extreme versatility deployed at DE EDGE safety LB slot and free safety
- 5.5 sacks as edge rusher showing pass-rush capability from multiple spots
- 31.5 career TFL demonstrating backfield disruption
- Closes quickly on ball carriers with good pursuit speed
- Size and athleticism for big nickel role with take-on ability
- Coachable old-school mentality developed under Brent Venables
- Upside could push into top 50 with strong Combine testing
Concerns
- Underdeveloped instincts delaying flow to the football
- Step slow to diagnose and trigger ahead of blocking schemes
- Struggles to take on blocks and leverage gap effectively
- Settles for arm tackling missing violence on tape
- Drop coverage ability not natural at his size
- Timing issues jumping and shadowing break points in man coverage
- PFF Big Board 360th and NFL.com grade 5.95 suggesting backup projection
- Sub-package linebacker ceiling without significant development
Honors
Shrine Bowl invitee (2026). NFL Combine invitee (2026)