Will Heldt

Will Heldt is a long and lean edge defender out of Clemson who entered the 2027 draft cycle as one of the more intriguing developmental prospects in the class after a two-school career spanning Purdue and Death Valley. At listed 6'6" and 260 pounds, Heldt carries an alluring frame with developmental room to add functional mass, and scouts have noted early that his build looks more like a 3-4 defensive end than the stand-up OLB role he occupied at Purdue. The transfer to Clemson proved transformative. His explosiveness and pass-rush upside were muted in Purdue's 3-4 scheme, where evaluators observed he was a fish out of water playing exclusively in a two-point stance. After posting a breakout 2024 season with the Boilermakers (56 tackles, five sacks), Heldt entered one of the most coveted transfer pools in the country and chose Clemson despite wide demand. His arrival was viewed as a big portal win for Dabo Swinney, and scouts said Heldt was playing like a first-rounder through his first two games with the Tigers in 2025, crediting his ability to threaten inside and outside, close speed, and willingness to drop into coverage. His run-defense effort is a genuine strength: he plays extremely hard, makes plays in pursuit, and leverages his long frame well at the point of attack. His good first step combined with length and closing speed allows him to threaten the outside track and condense the pocket. However, Heldt's profile carries real limitations as a pass rusher. As a high-cut rusher, he lacks the bend to consistently flatten the corner and win on the outside track. Scouts have flagged that he exposes his chest to blockers, fails to maximize his arm-length advantage, and struggles to disengage. Others were more blunt, calling his pass-rush ability disappointing at Purdue: no calling card, limited explosiveness off the ball, passive hands, and no clear rush plan. The move to a hand-on-ground alignment at Clemson was intended to unlock more of that potential. Some ev