2026 Draft: Defensive Tackle

[Clonamery]

It looks like you nearly have to double team him all the time.

 

[mayoclinic]

Really exciting prospect.

 

[DaBruinz]

What rounds have Wood and Van Den Berg been graded as?

Really exciting prospect.

 

[dliverey44]

Van Den Berg highlights

He looks like he explodes out of his stance. Me likey

A 1.61 10 yd

 

[mayoclinic]

And a 4.19 SS.

We look at a 4.47 SS as elite for an OL. Mike Mayock used 4.20 as "good" for a DB.

Aaron Donald had a 1.63 10-split and a 4.39 SS. Milt Williams had a 1.65 10-split and a 4.33 SS. Neither was close to 310#.

Planet Theory.

 

[mayoclinic]

 

[dliverey44]

Zaylin Wood, Vandy, 6-0, 280

We have a new most athletic DT

Compare him to uber athletic Milton Williams

6-3 284
40: 4.67
10: 1.65
SS: 4.33
3C: 6.96
VJ: 38.5
BJ: 10-01
Bench: 34

Can we get this guy and Vander Berg, asking for a friend



Edit: I am my friend. LMAO

 

[manxman2601]

Kaleb Proctor, DT, SE Louisiana, 6-3, 280

He is the same size as Milton Williams coming out and if you squint and turn your head slightly, you can kind of see some Milton Williams to his game - Proctor is seriously twitched up. And although he's an FCS prospect, two of his nine sacks came against LSU so level of competition isn't necessarily an issue. I think, with that athleticism, Proctor could stand out at the Shrine game.

I made the admittedly ambitious comp a little while ago. It turns out, I'm not the only one to see it.

 

[manxman2601]

 

[manxman2601]

This is a good draft to need an athletic 3-tech to backup Milton Williams:

Landon Robinson
Jordan Van Den Berg
Rene Konga
Kaleb Proctor
Gracen Halton
Skyler Gil-Howard
Zane Durant
Tyler Onyedim

 

[Username]

What's his tape like?

 

[manxman2601]

What's his tape like?

I watched some and wasn’t blown away. Having said that, he does have the best pass rush win rate of all DTs in true pass sets.

 

[mayoclinic]

This is a good draft to need an athletic 3-tech to backup Milton Williams:

Landon Robinson
Jordan Van Den Berg
Rene Konga
Kaleb Proctor
Gracen Halton
Skyler Gil-Howard
Zane Durant
Tyler Onyedim

Also Damonte Capehart. 9.96 RAS.

Capehart and Van den Berg are my personal favorites because they have the size and strength to play the 0, but also the athleticism to pressure and disrupt. But there are a lot of good options.

 

[manxman2601]

Also Damonte Capehart. 9.96 RAS.

Capehart and Van den Berg are my personal favorites because they have the size and strength to play the 0, but also the athleticism to pressure and disrupt. But there are a lot of good options.

Capehart is more of a 1-tech rather than a 3. I'm talking explicitly about a penetrating 3-tech to back up Williams.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Capehart is more of a 1-tech rather than a 3. I'm talking explicitly about a penetrating 3-tech to back up Williams.

Do we need a 1-tech to replace Tonga?

 

[Clonamery]

Do we need a 1-tech to replace Tonga?

No.

 

[manxman2601]

Do we need a 1-tech to replace Tonga?

Durden right? Backed up by Farmer. We don't really have an athletic backup for Williams.

 

[Clonamery]

Durden right? Backed up by Farmer. We don't really have an athletic backup for Williams.

No coincidence that he played his best ball when Tonga went out.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Patriots had Kayden McDonald for a top 30 visit.

Now some mocks have him going to the Patriots at #31.

If the best value is a DT, would you like to see the Patriots draft Mcdonald?



Kayden interview with SI:

Kayden McDonald's Dominance Creates First-Round NFL Draft Buzz

Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald is the most physically dominant prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. After winning a National Championship as a younger p

www.si.com

I dunno. He grades out as a top run stuffer. But not so much a pass rusher. Not sure if he's the best pick at #31 for us but I doubt he lasts till our 2nd round pick.

 

[manxman2601]

Patriots had Kayden McDonald for a top 30 visit.

Now some mocks have him going to the Patriots at #31.

If the best value is a DT, would you like to see the Patriots draft Mcdonald?



Kayden interview with SI:

Kayden McDonald's Dominance Creates First-Round NFL Draft Buzz

Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald is the most physically dominant prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. After winning a National Championship as a younger p

www.si.com

I dunno. He grades out as a top run stuffer. But not so much a pass rusher. Not sure if he's the best pick at #31 for us but I doubt he lasts till our 2nd round pick.

There's a bunch of caveats in what I'm about to say but i'm just thinking about how this pick would work.

Firstly, I don't think we draft Mcdonald nor should we.
Secondly, in what I'm going to say next, I'm not comparing players like for like, just how they impact the team.

What if Kayden Mcdonald becomes your Vince Wilfork type player (and again, I'm not suggesting he's going to be as good as Wilfork by any means).

And then, what if Milton Williams becomes your Richard Seymour.

I'm not suggesting we switch to a 2 gap 3-4, all I'm really trying to say is that Wilfork-Seymour were the mainstay of a championship D Line for nearly a decade and that's how I see a Mcdonald pick working for us should it happen.