After a 2026 class that only saw one defensive tackle, Clemson's Peter Woods, sneak into the back end of Round 1, early tape suggests big changes in 2027. Talent abounds throughout this class, with the top six prospects all having a real chance to end up as first-rounders. What makes it so intriguing is the youth. Three of the top four on this list are rising juniors, and all have well-rounded skill sets. That means there will be a lot of competition to track who DT1 will be throughout the season.
Positional rankings: IOL • S • LB • DT • TE • OT • RB • CB • EDGE • WR • QB
Note: ⭐️ represents each player's 247Sports star rating as a high school recruit
Class strength rating: 9/10
David Stone OKLA • DL 6-4, 275 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ View Profile - Player type: Do-It-All Defensive Tackle
- Early grade: Round 1
For a true sophomore, Stone has some prodigious pop behind his hands. He is a pure power defensive tackle already and ragdolled some of college football's best in the SEC last season. The scary thing is that strength can improve throughout a collegiate and even an NFL career in a way that explosiveness and speed cannot. For him to be this imposing this early on is a strong signal.
David Stone (6’3 310) Oklahoma ✅ Quick to shoot gaps ✅ Reported 35” arm length ✅ 26 pressures during 2025 ✅ 13.0% stop rate was among the highest for any defender in the country during the 2025 season pic.twitter.com/rB4ZScvIA3
— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) July 9, 2026
This isn't terribly surprising for the former 5-star recruit and top-10 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class. While I'd like to see more production as a pass-rusher than his 28 pressures last season, he doesn't need to improve much to end up a first-rounder.
A'Mauri Washington OREG • DL • #52 6-3, 330 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ View Profile - Player type: Penetrating Nose Tackle
- Early grade: Round 1
Trying to block the 6-foot-3, 330-pound Washington doesn't seem like it would be a lot of fun. That's because a. He's very explosive off the line for his size. He's excellent and maintains a low center of gravity into contact. You're not going to be able to keep him out of the backfield if he wants to go there, but you can only hope to get him off-balance enough to keep him from making plays. That combination gives him a high floor vs. the run when projecting him to the NFL.
Oregon DT A’Mauri Washington (6-3, 330) would’ve been my DT2 in THIS NFL Draft Firmly in DT1 talks. So quick off the 🏈w/ridiculous athleticism. Moves like he’s 300 🦆8 batted passes led FBS 🦆12 QB hurries in 2024 🦆18 in 2025 1st Round Bound for 2027 pic.twitter.com/O7VGqPz8mM
— Clint Goss (@NFLDraftDome) April 29, 2026
He needs more than if he's going to be a consistent pass-rushing threat in the league, though. His ability to separate off blocks once engaged is easily the biggest hole in his game. Most of his wins come at the snap, and his ability to string together moves with his hands still remains to be seen.
Will Echoles MISS • DT • #52 6-3, 315 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ View Profile - Player type: Do-It-All Defensive Tackle
- Early grade: Round 1
While there are a lot of different body types that can play defensive tackle in the NFL, Echoles possesses one that could really only fit at defensive tackle. At 6-foot-2, he is thick from head to toe. The kind of build where I'm not sure he could reach 250 pounds, even with Tony Horton personally training him. It makes moving him in the run game a tall task for opposing linemen.
Will Echoles Cut Ups https://t.co/fTASIhlnhz pic.twitter.com/tnydrCBsbW
— jeremiah🐦⬛ (@NewEraMiah) June 4, 2026
At that size, I love that he almost never comes off the field still. He played the most snaps of any Power-4 defensive tackle last season and the third-most in the FBS. Despite the heavy workload, it's rare to see him gassed, and he has a knack for making plays. He finished with the second-most run stops among Power-4 defensive tackles behind only second-rounder Kayden McDonald. That's incredibly impressive for a player who was only 19 years old all season. In what looks like an extremely talented defensive tackle class, Echoles will have a real case for the top player at his position next spring.
Justin Scott MIAMI • DL • #5 6-4, 303 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ View Profile - Player type: Penetrating Defensive Tackle
- Early grade: Early Day 2
Scott got lost in one of the best defensive lines in modern college football history, but he's a dynamic playmaker in his own right. He was an afterthought for the Hurricanes staff to start the season, but by the year's end, he played a career-high 52 snaps in the National Title against Indiana.
I am officially a big Justin Scott fan pic.twitter.com/QlRKaGwQo0
— Joe DeLeone (@joedeleone) April 30, 2026
What gets me excited about Scott's sophomore tape is the pass-rushing potential. He had 17 pressures in his final seven games. His two-hand strike stuns most linemen, and then he's quick enough to slip by en route to the quarterback. Obviously, I'd like to see it for a full season, but there's more than enough on tape last year to know Scott has the goods.
Tavion Gadson UK • DL • #94 6-5, 305 | ⭐⭐⭐ View Profile - Player type: 3-4 Defensive End
- Early grade: Day 2
Gadson was a backup for two seasons in Lexington after suffering a knee injury in the spring of his freshman year. He broke out in a big way last fall with 20 pressures. He's got high-end traits to be a pass-rush threat at the next level with long limbs and a swift first step. Unfortunately for his draft prospects, Gadson often played out of position at nose tackle for the Wildcats last fall, when he's much more of a 3-4 defensive end. Hopefully, that changes under the new coach, Will Stein.
Ahmad Moten Sr. MIAMI • DL • #99 6-3, 300 | ⭐⭐⭐ View Profile - Player type: 3-Tech
- Early grade: Day 2
I was floored when Moten decided to return to school this fall, as he had the kind of twitchy athleticism for a defensive tackle that the 2026 draft class was short on. That could have seen him boosted to a top-50 selection, but now he's back for a fifth season to take a swing at the first round.
Moten's calling card is his light feet as a pass-rusher that allow him to dance past opposing linemen. He pairs them with active hands and good body control to be a consistent pass-rushing threat on the interior.
Francis Brewu ND • DL • #7 6-1, 285 | ⭐⭐⭐ View Profile - Player type: 3-Tech Only
- Early grade: Day 2
I've been known to overvalue undersized, athletic 3-techniques in the past, and Brewu is precisely that. What separates Brewu's game from your average 6-foot-1, 285-pound collegiate defensive tackle is his strength through contact. He doesn't get jostled around nearly as much as you'd expect from an undersized tackle and can really do damage with his hands. Make no mistake, however, Brewu is a three-technique only in the NFL. Being as productive as he was in only two seasons at Pittsburgh before transferring makes me excited about where his game could end up by the time he declares for the draft.
Notre Dame DT Francis Brewu: Extremely strong individual pic.twitter.com/ySvO2UfaZ9
— Jack Soble (@jacksoble56) April 28, 2026
Horace Lockett UCF • DT 6-6, 350 | ⭐⭐⭐ View Profile - Player type: Playmaking Nose Tackle
- Early grade: Late Day 2 We've reached the run defending portion of the top-10, with Lockett's pass-rushing potential being limited by his listed weight of 355 pounds. I have to hand it to Lockett, though; he is far more nimble than the picture you get in your head when you hear that weight. He's not solely a space eater, but can be a playmaker vs. the run. He had eight run stops on 55 snaps vs. the run in four games before going down for the season with a torn pectoral muscle. If he's back healthy and his weight is under control this season, Lockett will look like a man amongst boys on tape.
Horace Lockett (6’5 362) UCF ✅ Massive frame ✅ 76.9 run defense grade in 2025 ✅ Power to push the pocket ✅ 7.0% career missed tackle rate pic.twitter.com/pqUDpZsZpP
— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) July 27, 2026
Bear Alexander OREG • DL • #1 6-3, 302 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ View Profile - Player type: Do-It-All Defensive Tackle
- Early grade: Late Date 2
Alexander will forever be known as the transfer portal poster boy after his Instagram post in a Penn State jersey (on a visit) flexing his right biceps featuring a Georgia tattoo (his original school) with a USC profile picture (where he spent 2023-24).
His talent has never been in question as a former top recruit, but his development did not take hold until his first season with the Ducks. You really saw him unlock the high-end strength he possesses throughout his frame. He was far more violent getting off blocks, and he finished with the second-most run stops of any returning defensive tackle.
Oregon DT Bear Alexander really lives up to his name with the violence he brings on every snap. His hands are legitimate weapons. pic.twitter.com/Og5mo1Im0C
— Steve Letizia (@StephenLetizia) December 8, 2025
A.J. Holmes Jr. TXTECH • DL • #10 6-3, 300 | ⭐⭐⭐ View Profile - Player type: Early-Down Defensive Tackle
- Early grade: Late Day 2
Holmes isn't that physically imposing with a slight frame for a defensive tackle and limited length, but he makes up for it with a quick first step and consistent hand placement. No one on this list caught shoulder pads as consistently in the run game as Holmes did last season. Even on a loaded defensive line, I'd argue he was clearly the best run defender. The only question is how that will translate to the NFL, given less-than-prototypical traits at the position? He has another year to prove it's not a fluke.
Ranking all 191 first-round NFL Draft picks since 2020: Best, worst selections of the decade Mike Renner
Three names to watch
Note: These aren't necessarily the next three players in my rankings, but rather three prospects who caught my eye for one reason or another.
Cody Sigler, Auburn
Sigler isn't an uber-traitsy prospect by any means, but he dominated his competition at Arkansas State last year. That came after three years at West Alabama, where he started his career. If he can be similarly productive in the SEC, he'll get on radars very quickly.
Jide Abasiri, USC
Abasiri looks like a lab-built defensive tackle with incredibly long arms and low body fat for a nearly 300-pounder. When you flip on the tape, though, you see a player getting by on traits alone without much polish to speak of. If that changes, he's liable to skyrocket up these rankings.
Mateen Ibirogba, Texas Tech
Ibirogba started off his first season starting in the FBS like a house on fire, but slowed considerably down the stretch. He has obvious NFL defensive tackle traits with strength and twitch to be a well-rounded starter in the league. He simply has to be more consistent, however, especially when it comes to finishing plays. He managed one lone tackle for loss/no gain in his final six games after having six in his first six last year. That was all at Wake Forest, though, and now he'll be running through Texas Tech's defensive lineman factory this fall
- Most NFL-ready: Will Echoles, Ole Miss
- Most versatile: David Stone, Oklahoma
- Best vs. Run: Will Echoles, Ole Miss
- Best Pass Rusher: Ahmad Moten Sr., Miami
- Strongest: Horace Lockett, UCF
- Most Athletic: Francis Brewu, Notre Dame
- Top non-Power-4: Trevion Traylor, Central Arkansas
- If only they were bigger: Santana Hopper, Colorado
- Most experienced: A.J. Holmes Jr., Texas Tech (1,820 snaps)
